- 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
- Open and voluntary membership
- 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
- Owning our Future: The Coming Ownership Revolution
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
- The roots of the cooperative movement
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/