In this session, attendees met in small group and reported out. We’ve captured the report out…
Small Group Discussions – Summarize up to three key ideas from your table discussion – to inform policy making to advance broadband in Minnesota.
- Lack of information to make informed decisions
- Create a baseline or minimum requirement beyond 10 MB
- Demonstrate impact to use as a baseline to legislators and communities
- Bb being the great equalizer – importance of – central service – utility of equal importance to others – why isn’t there a rural bb REA?
- Unaware of the issues / problems w/service coverage
- Erase barriers for economic reasons – declaration of emergency around bb (like propane)
- Money drives everything and money follows vision
- Accountability message is powerful –
- More effective when we find consistent messages for all to buy into
- Bb a problem of managing expectations – no longer a luxury
- Affordability is an issue
- Gov’t can fund where there’s market failure; remove barriers
- Need funding to put technology into place – desire and need is there.
- Local gov’t control would get things done
- Fiber should be considered infrastructure. Should be regulated / controlled
- What is the fair market price? Should there be assistance offered?
- Providers and local gov’ts need to come together to provide the services under mutual agreements
- Define public / private model – funding for small ISPs
- Increase in funding for low income access; increase in awareness
- Hold providers accountable – money wasted
- Are we driving too much money in this too quickly? Should we look at other technologies in rural communities
- Dig once! Conduit buried
- Improve language in current laws ex: ability to bond for bb projects
- Leverage local partnerships to provide funding
- Bonds at state level are not allowed on reservations – we need to find a way to work together to embrace our neighbors
- Regulatory issues changed to allow local municipalities to do bb
- Telework creates jobs – funding to increase awareness and create telework sites.
- Delivering internet signal via power lines.
- Funding is the key – transformative and transitional technology
- Public/private partnerships – long term low interest funds to help providers build
- Lakes region – how do you build fiber to cabins where folks aren’t there half the year? Fee? Fiber to a point then wireless?
- Fed – connect America project – look at deeper funding – work at coordinating the regulatory process
- State gov’t set this as a priority – even provision of this service
Videos from the session: