• Bernadine Joselyn, Public Policy & Engagement Director, Blandin Foundation
• Kevin Edberg, Executive Director, Cooperative Development Services
• Laura Withers, Director of Communications, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association

In Minnesota, Community Leadership + a Willing Provider Partner + Public Investment has been a winning formula for many rural communities seeking better broadband. Some communities have a provider partner to dance with and some… not so much. A community’s dance steps will depend on its dance card: discerning the best path forward depends on understanding the options you have given the provider environment you’ve been dealt. At this session you’ll hear three perspectives on community-provider collaboration and then have a chance to talk with others about implications for Minnesota efforts bridge the gaps and expand the impact of broadband.

Added April 2018 – Blandin has produced a video of the session:

I’m very pleased to share notes from CTEP worker Brandon Phan:

Building Bridges: Expanding the Impact with Cooperation

Kevin Edberg

Vision, Values, Cooperation, Generative Economics

• “We find value in cooperation”
• 7 Cooperative Principles
  • Open and voluntary membership
    • Regardless of gender, race, sex

• Member economic participation
  • Co-invest & equity based on patronage
• Autonomy and independence
• Democratic member control
• Education, training, and information
• Cooperation among cooperatives

• We are collectively good at extractive economics
• Book recommendation
  • Owning our Future: The Coming Ownership Revolution
    • Generative businesses have a purpose
    • Living Purpose: Creating the conditions for life
    • Mission-controlled Governance: Humans at the Helm
    • Capital as a friend…to develop the purpose
    • Ethical Networks: Reinforcing shared values
  • “We’ll need to rediscover how to connect with our neighbors and support one another”
  • Youtubeà Northeast Investment Cooperative 2014 Update
    • $1000 Membership share
  • Fair State Brewing Cooperative (NE)
  • Aki’s Breadhaus
  • “Be the change you seek”
  • Be clear about the values you hold, vision you have for now and the future
  • Grow muscles and language to cooperate

Laura Withers, Director of Communications (NTCA- The Rural Broadband Association)

• telecommunications heavily regulated
• NTCA serves 850 companies
• made up of ~900 independent telecom and broadband providers
• #ruraliscool (buzz word in DC)
• been part of seven congressional hearings
• have had 60+ meetings with FCC
• infrastructure and investment lacking in rural vs urban communities
• RFDTV
• Deploying broadband is: expensive, competitive, technical, all-consuming
  • Therefore, partnerships so important!
• Regulations
  • Net neutrality
  • FCC obligations
  • Form 477 broadband reports
• partnersinbroadband.com
  • com for broadband partnerships
  • Launched in June, 2017
• Costs still and will likely be a challenge for a while…work to be done

I’m very pleased to share notes from CTEP worker Camilla Dreasher:

Bernadine

Co-Ops have already done a lot of good bringing broadband to rural areas and are poised to bring a big impact to rural America

Kevin Edburg

• Cooperation in broadband expansion
  • The roots of the cooperative movement
    • Values, help cooperatives succeed and help their communities
    • 7-principles
  • Community leaders’ place in leading the cooperative movement and working for the community
  • Cooperatives and generative economies
  • Marjorie Kelly, Owning our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution
    • What is your “living purpose”
    • Mission controlled governance
  • Electric cooperatives brought infrastructure to rural Minnesota before

Laura Withers

• NTCA- the Rural Broadband Association
  • 850 local/community based telecom and broadband companies
  • “Working on behalf of rural broadband companies who are working on behalf of their customers”
  • 40% of the landmass, 5% of the population
  • 95% of member companies provide service to schools and libraries
• Rural Broadband’s place in Washington
  • Growing awareness in congress
  • Video Clip
• Partnerships
  • Rural areas that served by larger providers are still underserved
  • Deploying broadband is hard
    • Expensive
    • Competitive
    • Technical
    • Highly regulated
  • Benefits of partnership
    • Marketing assistance
    • Finding new customers
  • Case studies
    • Ninestar merger
    • CTC & Arrowhead

Wrap up

• Rural telecommunication companies need help expanding
• Don’t overbuild in existing areas
• http://www.partnersinbroadband.com/