Monthly Archives: January 2018

Broadband Efforts in Aitkin County – Wifi filling the gap between the haves and have-nots

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This month I am traveling with the Blandin crew to visit various Iron Range Broadband Communities – communities that have been making a concerted effort to improve broadband access in their area. This week we stopped by Aitkin to talk with the folks on the front lines. It was fun to hear about what a difference better broadband and better tools are making. A highlight was the woman who was able to get her GED through remote studies and is now able to take college classes – what a game changer!

Here are notes on the different projects…

Long Distance Learning

PCs for People distribution meant they were able to get computers to students. One recipient got her GED online – facilitate through the home computer in Deer River. Thinking about telepresence for teaching. We’ve been successfully been having online classes since the beginning of January (3 weeks). Now students have access to the teacher all week – otherwise the schedule was set by location.
What classes? Reading skills, Start your career, Money management. These classes prepare them for GED, Acuplacer (college) and computer skills for the workplace.
Great in better weather.
What speeds do you need? Not much – 10 Mbps
How do students take to technology?  We are experimenting together. It’s nice to have students in the classroom to start. But there are students who are whiz kids who have been showing me new things. And there are some students who need a little bit more help. Running an application or getting sound to work are tasks that can be a hiccup.
Students can also access from home. Some just use the cell access through the phone.
Which students qualify? 17 or older and unenrolled from high school. SO 20s, 30s, 40s or older
Seniors are able to use the program too – for employment programs
Lessons learned: I had fear about teaching online. I was nervous. That fear can show – I just wish I had known the technology better before I started. Teachers need to know the subject they’re teaching. So it is with technology too – but technology constantly changes.
See an up tick for customers using technology? It’s been fantastic – it means I can see people more often. Suddenly I can see people in Aitkin more often.
There is an option to meet privately with students online – so I could help them get signed up with SNAP or other private transaction.
This gives the ability to do adult basic education classes in places where we couldn’t do before.
We can archive and save.
Outside of the classroom – We have diverse people on the foundation board – in lots of locations. Remote access opens the door to easier meetings.

East Central Regional Library Mobile WiFI

14 mobile hotspots to check out – will be available soon.
Planning on 3 week checkout period – and if there’s no one waiting you could keep it longer
We anticipate no charge for patrons.

Aitkin HS – WiFi on the buses

4 portable units – for buses going to activities after school; otherwise going to the buses going the longest routes
The use Exede and it’s been working well.

WiFi to increase bandwidth at Long lake Conservation

Two problems – not enough bandwidth coming in
They use Exede and it works well
WiFI access shows up at about 25 Mbps – so people can make presentations
It’s been one of several positive changes that has helped turned things around both for staff but also economically
This works because our services has better data caps, you can do different logins, and we ask visitors to leave their smartphones at home.

WiFi at Berglund Park
Continuation of previous project
Recently upgraded the park in many ways
WiFi is almost as necessary as water.
Working on Hill City too. Line of sight was difficult to get with the trees so they’re working on government buildings – if they can get 8 access points they can make it work. Just need the order fulfillment. Working on tower over ethernet.
Just need SCI to extend fiber.

Administrative
Programming workshops that can use the conference centers
Be nice to bring in a speaker or something that can be conferenced into all locations.

Aitkin County Landing Page
Includes a calendar that draws from local high schools and other resources
Includes Public Notices.
Using Google Calendars to create the compilation.

PCs for People
82 computers distributed

Infrastructure
CAF 2 (Frontier & CenturyLink) only requires 10/ Mbps service – where state definition/goal of broadband is 25/3. So there’s a disconnect. We did some surveys. Everyone in CenturyLink area had issues. Frontier businesses were in marginally better shape. Realtors have lost sales in Aitkin County due to poor broadband.

We had $450,000 (over 3 years) for projects for broadband projects that would meet state speeds. We asked providers to extend broadband. Mille Lac Energy & CTC got a state grant and that helped the industrial park. SCI also got a grant in the first round near Shamrock (Big Sandy Lake) – it’s the top valued township because of the prices of the home. They did Bridge Road. The response was so good they looked to expand. We were working on just a little bit more fiber into the ground. We also did another grant with SCI near Mill Lacs lake – it will be done next year. We know we’re successful because CenturyLink is now coming to us to talk. We say – if you want to do it, we’re happy to work with you. The 927 exchange will be upgraded from CenturyLink. We had one customer go from dialup to DSL and they were happy.

UN sets broadband goals for 2025

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Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development recently released their international goals for 2025…

Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development 2025 Targets:

  1. By 2025, all countries should have a funded national broadband plan or strategy, or include broadband in their universal access and services definition.
  2. By 2025, entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries, at less than 2% of monthly gross national income per capita.
  3. By 2025 broadband / Internet user penetration should reach: 75% worldwide, 65% in developing countries, and 35% in least developed countries.
  4. By 2025, 60% of youth and adults should have achieved at least a minimum level of proficiency in sustainable digital skills.
  5. By 2025, 40% of the world’s population should be using digital financial services.
  6. By 2025, unconnectedness of Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises should be reduced by 50%, by sector.
  7. By 2025, gender equality should be achieved across all targets.

“Best thing you can do to improve water quality in rural Minnesota is give farmers internet”

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Nicollet County commissioners and department heads met to talk about mental health and agriculture with state and federal representatives – including Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, Rep. Clark Johnson, DFL-North Mankato, Chuck Ackman, Southern Minnesota outreach director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Shawn Schloesser, field representative for Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato and Bree Maki, Sen. Tina Smith’s Southern Minnesota outreach coordinator.

Crow River Media covered the meeting, including the part where access to broadband became a solution to their issues…

All of the legislative representatives want to push for broadband internet service, even to the most rural parts of Minnesota.

“It’s one of the responsibilities of government to provide this infrastructure,” Johnson said.

Bree Maki, Sen. Tina Smith’s Southern Minnesota outreach coordinator, said that they’re looking for hard-wired connections, not wi-fi hotspots.

Federal government funding builds out smaller cities, to theBree Maki, Sen. Tina Smith’s Southern Minnesota outreach coordinator tune of $270 million in Minnesota in 2016, Ackman said.

In the past, he said, township supervisors wanted to talk about annexation. Now, they want to talk about broadband. For those in rural Minnesota, access to reliable broadband will allow use of drones and precision agriculture, which could limit the amount of chemicals used in agriculture.

“There’s an argument to be made that the best thing you can do to improve water quality in rural Minnesota is giving farmers internet,” Ackman said. “It’s going to be a game changer.”

Sherburne County talk top legislative issues – broadband makes the list

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Hometown News Source reports on a meeting earlier in January where policymakers met with folks in Sherburne County about legislative priorities. Legislative attendees include Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake; Rep. Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River; Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, Rep. Jim Newberger, R-Becker, Sen. Jerry Relph, R-St. Cloud and Rep. Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, who is speaker of the House. A seventh legislator, Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Milaca, was represented by his legislative assistant….

The county is interested in increasing rural area broadband fiber access.

Assistant County Administrator Dan Weber said a 2014 survey found that more than 60 percent of respondents felt their broadband access was inadequate then or would be in the future.

Since then, the county has received grants to improve access. Additional funding was provided through a federal program. As a result, Sherburne’s rank with regards to access to broadband has gone from 49th to 31st out of 87 counties, with the percent served rising from 74 percent to 85 percent. More, however, needs to be done, he said.

The county also supports the creation of a competitive freight rail economic grant program to improve rail infrastructure and spur economic development.

Weber said there is a lot of undeveloped land in Sherburne County near rail lines, but it isn’t necessarily shovel ready.

What some MN broadband providers are saying about the Net Neutrality repeal

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Two Minnesota companies sent comments into the FCC in the Matter of Restoring Internet Freedom (aka Net Neutrality repeal) through their membership in American Cable Association (Velocity Telephone, Inc./Gigabit Minnesota and Sjoberg Cable). Here are their views on the impact of Net Neutrality to their business.

Jim Hickle with Velocity declared…

The economics of our business were harmed at the FCC’s Title II decision. Velocity competes with incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) CenturyLink and Frontier, as well as cable companies Comcast and Charter. As a company, we work to expand broadband to unserved communities. We see our role as a disruptive factor to ILECs and Cablecos in the market and believe that building fiber to provide high speed Internet access service builds a market, attracting a competitive response. Although we would like to continue to expand our fiber, the costs and burdens of compliance following the FCC’s decision in its 2015 Open Internet Order to reclassify broadband Internet access as a Title II telecommunications service have negatively affected our fiber plans. Title II reclassification has increased our regulatory compliance expenditures, had a direct and adverse impact on our ability to finance improvements and invest in our plant, and has decreased our incentive and ability to innovate.

The major impact of the Title II reclassification and the uncertainty regarding what it would mean for us has been increased costs, as we have spent additional time and money to understand the new regulatory obligations.

Dick Sjoberg with Sjoberg’s declared…

Uncertainty as to what Title II reclassification would mean for us has increased our costs related to regulatory compliance and consulting fees, harming the economics of our business. None of the services we offer had ever been classified as common carrier service by the FCC or our state public utility commission prior to the FCC’s reclassification decision. Up until that time, we had zero experience with either the key statutory Title II obligations that require the offering of our service in a just, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner, nor did we have experience with the FCC’s rules and decisions implementing these requirements. The Title II decision and the Internet General Conduct standard opened the door to a host of burdensome new regulatory requirement at both the federal and state levels, dramatically raising the level of regulatory requirements facing our company. In particular, the potential for rate regulation in the future remains, even if the FCC has not chosen to impose ex ante rate thus far. The decision and the uncertainty it engendered increased our regulatory compliance expenditure, had a direct and adverse impact on our ability to finance improvements and invest in our plant, and decreased our ability to innovate and offer customer new features an services.

Broadband making the short list in public discussions in Marshall

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The Marshall Independent reports on the Theater of Public Policy’s recent event in Marshall. They are an improv group that encourages public conversations. It was fun to see that broadband made the show…

For part of the program, Danger interviewed Wyatt-Yerka, who is running for Minnesota House District 16A. The event’s original interview lineup also included Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes, but Byrnes had to cancel his appearance, Walker said.

Wyatt-Yerka said, after listening to the small-group part of the program, that audience members had some of the same concerns as many people in the region. Getting more reliable broadband Internet access was one of those concerns. Wyatt-Yerka said some of the problems in getting broadband in the region had to do with cost, and while there were state broadband grant programs, the fees to apply could be a deterrent. He suggested decreasing the application fees.

House Communications Subcommittee Introduces Third Round of Broadband Infrastructure Bills

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Keeping an eye on what’s happening on the federal level with the help of the Benton Foundation…

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced a third series of bills introduced by subcommittee members on expanding broadband infrastructure in rural America. The bills aim to advance broadband deployment in disaster areas, as well as support innovation and remove obstacles to expansion.

  • Restoring Economic Strength and Telecommunications Operations by Releasing Expected Dollars (RESTORED) Act (HR 4832), sponsored by Rep Kevin Cramer (R-ND), would permit companies eligible for funds under the Universal Service Fund’s High-Cost program to elect up to a 7-month advance payment of such funds to aid in the restoration of services in Presidentially-declared disaster areas.
  • Connecting Communities Post Disasters Act (HR 4845), sponsored by Rep Pete Olson (R-TX), would provide a 5-year categorical exclusion from environmental and historical reviews for communications facilities in Presidentially-declared disaster areas to aid the replacement and improvements to such facilities.
  • The Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure (HR 4842), sponsored by Rep John Shimkus (R-IL), would exempt broadband facilities from environmental and historic preservation reviews on federal property that have already granted another communications facility on the same property. The bill would exempt broadband facilities that meet certain parameters from environmental and historic preservation reviews in existing rights-of-way. The bill would exempt expansion of broadband facilities from environmental and historic preservation reviews if the expansion of the broadband facility is no more than 30 feet in any direction.
  • Broadband Deployment Streamlining Act (HR 4847), sponsored by Rep Susan Brooks (R-IN), would direct the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to issue regulations within 1 year to streamline applications processes to locate or modify communications facilities on public lands. The bill would Amend Section 6409 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (47 USC 1455) to institute a firm shot clock by which applications must be granted or denied (an application is deemed granted if the agency fails to grant or deny within the allotted time). The bill Would require a GAO report evaluating accuracy and reliability of data collected for the National Broadband Map.
  • H.Res. 701, sponsored by Rep Bill Flores (R-TX), expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that environmental and historic reviews of broadband facilities should be narrowly tailored and proportional to lands that are physically impacted by the deployment of such facilities.

Dakota County Broadband Joint Powers Agreement

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Thanks to Dakota County for sharing notes on their Dakota County Broadband Joint Powers Agreement from Mendota Heights. It’s a good model for anyone else looking at community broadband. Here’s a quick take from the document…

Introduction The City Council is asked to authorize the execution of a Joint Powers Agreement with Dakota County, cities in Dakota County and Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA) to create a Dakota County Broadband joint powers entity to manage the Dakota County Fiber Network.

AT&T Boosts Minneapolis Area Mobile Coverage for Pro Football’s Big Game

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I had to use this picture my mom took at the big game last week (against the Saints)

Big news for sports fans from AT&T…

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 22, 2018 – AT&T* is boosting cellular capacity throughout Minneapolis in preparation for football’s Big Game.

When fans head to Minneapolis for the highly anticipated Big Game, they can expect a better mobile experience to share special moments.

We’ve been working for over a year to boost the network in Minneapolis for the Big Game. We’ve done this through a series of permanent and temporary upgrades throughout the city, so fans will be connected as soon as they arrive. They can share moments on social media during the week-long pre-game festivities, back at their hotels and at the stadium during the Big Game—faster and easier than before.

In total, we’re investing more than $40 million in our Minneapolis wireless network.

Better coverage in the stadium

At the football stadium in Minneapolis, we’ve upgraded the Distributed Antenna System (DAS). It will now offer nearly 220% more LTE capacity than at the start of the 2017 pro football season. And more than 800 antennas hidden throughout the venue will help manage heavy wireless traffic. This gives fans strong coverage throughout game day – from tailgating to the trophy presentation.

A DAS consists of strategically placed antennas that distribute the wireless network coverage throughout the stadium. These antennas manage the wireless capacity in heavily trafficked areas, like football stadiums. This brings better, more consistent wireless coverage to customers indoors and out.

Better coverage out of the stadium

But we didn’t stop with the stadium. We’ve also upgraded or installed new DAS at 16 locations throughout the Minneapolis area. Fans can enjoy better coverage in hotels, arenas, airports, convention centers, among other venues.

We’ve upgraded the DAS at the airport and installed a new DAS at the convention center in Minneapolis. We’ve also installed a new DAS at NOMADIC LIVE! at The Armory to enhance coverage for all the fans headed to the concert venue each night, including DIRECTV NOW’s Super Saturday Night.

“When fans head to Minneapolis to cheer on their favorite team, we want them to have a great network experience—whether they’re making a call, checking email or sharing their favorite moments on social media,” said Scott Mair, president AT&T Operations. “But the network enhancements in Minneapolis won’t go away after the Big Game. They’re permanent and will continue to benefit customers. It’s just one way we’re continuing to invest in our Minneapolis wireless network.”

We’re also deploying 10 Cell on Wheels (COWs) to handle expected increased wireless network demands for the Big Game. COWs are temporary towers AT&T will use to help improve reliability and data speeds for the week leading up to and during the Big Game.

Where to find the COWs:

  • Near Summit Avene and 35E
  • On Nicollet Avenue to cover pre-game events
  • A Super COW in the Stadium Commons area
  • Near Mystic Lake for pre-game concerts
  • Near the Mall in Bloomington to support visitors
  • North and south sides of the Stadium

How to take advantage of 5G Evolution

We also recently launched 5G Evolution in parts of Minneapolis. That means we’ve upgraded cell towers with ultra-fast LTE Advanced features like 256 QAM, 4×4 MIMO and 3-way carrier aggregation. These features, along with our upgrades, are providing faster speeds and a better experience for customers with compatible devices.

These devices include the LG V30, Moto Z2 Force Edition, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8+, Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and the Netgear Nighthawk Hotspot router.

We expect crowds of over a million people, but we’re ready with 122 new or enhanced nearby cell sites. These investments mean Minneapolis residents can celebrate the Big Game over the AT&T network at home, work and on the go.

We invested more than $200 million in our Minneapolis and Bloomington, Minnesota areas wireless and wireline networks between 2014 and 2016.

To learn more about AT&T coverage in Minneapolis or anywhere in the U.S., go to the AT&T Coverage Viewer. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, go to the AT&T network news page.

Steve Kelley’s take on federal funding and rural broadband

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The University of Minnesota recently interviewed Steve Kelley about President Trump recent Executive Order to expand access to broadband internet in rural America.

Here is one of their questions…

How likely do you think it is that the federal government will provide the level of funding necessary?
“The recent tax cut legislation will put limits on the federal budget, limiting the resources available from the federal discretionary budget.  The FCC has not shown an inclination to increase the fees that help subsidize rural telecommunications so it seems unlikely that the federal government will play a role.  The President has floated the idea of using tax cuts or credits to increase infrastructure investment but it is uncertain whether such new tax benefits will be large enough to increase rural investment.”

Lyon County gets results of broadband feasibility study

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The Marshall Independent reports on the results of Lyon County’s broadband feasibility study. Lyon County was part of a project with Chippewa, Lincoln, Murray, Pipestone and Yellow Medicine counties who collectively hired CCG Consulting and Finley Engineering were selected to look at possibilities for expanding broadband Internet in the area…

At Tuesday’s meeting, engineer Chris Konechne of Finley Engineering and Doug Dawson of CCG Consulting presented a draft version of the Lyon County study.

Some areas of Lyon County already have broadband Internet access, including Marshall and Tracy, the study said. Parts of the county served by Woodstock Communications have fiber access, and Minnesota Valley Telephone had plans to build fiber lines, the study said. In addition, Midcontinent Communications received a grant last year to improve broadband speeds in Taunton, Minneota and Ghent.

The study looked at rural areas of Lyon County served by CenturyLink and Frontier Communications, including the communities of Green Valley, Cottonwood, Amiret and Florence. The study also looked at the possibility of building fiber lines in Balaton and Lynd.

The study looked at two main options for expanding broadband access in Lyon County. One would be to build buried a fiber network within the area of the study. However, that plan would require running fiber along 811 miles of streets and roads, the study said. It would also be much more costly, Konechne and Dawson said.

The second option the study looked at would be to bring fiber access to towns in the study area, and serve rural customers with wireless broadband.

Dawson said one of the positive aspects of building a hybrid network was that it would bring fiber access to more people in Lyon County, while leaving infrastructure that could be expanded later.

They also went over costs…

The draft study also included costs of assets like fiber and wireless towers needed to launch the different plans, assuming the project would have a 70 percent customer penetration rate. Asset costs for a fiber network in the rural study area were about $19.98 million, or $21.99 million if the cities of Lynd and Balaton were included. Asset costs for a hybrid network of fiber lines and wireless Internet were about $5.87 million, or $7.89 million if Lynd and Balaton were included.

Next step is public meetings, which they are planning.

Why is Lori Swanson suing the FCC over Net Neutrality repeal?

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MPR News recently interviewed Lori Swanson on her decision (with 20 other attorney generals) to sue the FCC. I’m going to share a chunk of that interview here…

Now, internet service providers have come out and said they don’t plan to change people’s browsing or streaming speeds now that net neutrality has been repealed. They don’t want to anger their customers. What is the concern there?

Internet service providers claim they don’t want to change it, yet they’re against a federal law that would prohibit them from changing it. And in fact, in the past, before we had net neutrality, internet companies have done exactly the kind of things I’m talking about, where they’ve blocked content of potential competitors to be able to favor their own interests.

The concern really here is a consumer protection issue, because the concern is that the price of internet will go up for people when internet companies can charge fees or gerrymander the way in which people access the internet. But it’s bigger than that. It’s really a democracy protection issue, too. The internet is the way that many people access information, and it’s important in a democracy to have access to a wide range of viewpoints to have an informed electorate.

Isn’t all of this something the marketplace can regulate? If you don’t like how your provider delivers internet service, you can switch to a different one.

You know unfortunately, that’s not the case because there really isn’t much competition with Internet companies. You look in rural parts of the state, we’ve got a major problem in Minnesota with broadband access, where many communities have no access to the internet or if they do, you might have one internet provider. Even in many other communities, maybe you have two providers. Well, if either one provider or two providers are doing the same things, you really can’t shop around as a consumer and go somewhere else.

Conversely, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said that net neutrality has led to less investment in high speed internet infrastructure and made it hard for small Internet providers to stay competitive — such as the rural parts of Minnesota.

My concern is just the opposite, that actually this is going to have a detrimental impact on rural Minnesota even more so, because this isn’t the type of access to the internet — you know, one of the concerns is actually Mr. Pai, who is now the chairman of the FCC, used to be a lawyer for Verizon, one of the very companies that would substantially benefit from the repeal of net neutrality. And one of our concerns in the lawsuit is that the FCC claimed that they were relying on various comments submitted to them to make their determination. And in fact, under federal law, when an agency passes or gets rid of regulations, they have to do it based on evidence and based on facts and what’s in the public record.

Broadband Efforts in Orr, Cook and Bois Fotre Band – digital inclusion classes, broadband upgrade and new equipment

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This month I am traveling with the Blandin crew to visit various Iron Range Broadband Communities – communities that have been making a concerted effort to improve broadband access in their area. We rounded out our trip to day with the Grizzlies – aka the communities of Orr, Cook and Bois Forte Band.

Here’s the presentation:

Notes (these notes are rough because they mirror the PPT – I tried to add points of the conversation that might be helpful to other communities):

Grizzlies Classes

  • A wide range but for the community and in the school.
  • Classes went well. We were surprised at which ones really took off. QuickBooks, iPad/iPhone and Basic Windows were a popular classes. Less popular classes were: email accounts, buying and selling and computer protection. Other classes that didn’t work out well – social media, bring your device, web design and online employment opportunities.

How were classes advertised?

  • Local papers
  • Via social media
  • Weekend training
  • Provide 1 on 1 training for Quickbooks for business owners
  • Have second training on hand for more than 5 attendees
  • Incentive such as purchasing software for Quickbooks for business owners.

Lessons Learned:

  • Don’t schedule of football/volleyball…
  • Advertise more effectively
  • Never schedule a class on Thanksgiving
  • You’re not going to make everyone happy
  • Trainers were terrific

Equipment

IN Library – WiFi hotspots in library – they have 5 with 24 checkouts. Mostly folks from townships are checking them out. People are amazed at the opportunity and how fast they are. They have questions about cost (there is none for patrons). There’s a 7-day checkout period and people have been pretty good about getting it back. The supply and demand are well matched now.

At Orr Center – Switches for internet connectivity, TV and rolling cart and 5 laptops.

Telecom/Broadband Update

  • All new fiber was dropped from Cook to several areas (along highways) (used CAF 2 from CenturyLink)
  • New fiber into the reservation – VBSL drops by summer. So anyone within miles of the highway will get DSL (speeds dependent on distance)
  • They are building based on population density.
  • T-mobile is installing equipment in towers (then going through NESC) – hope to be a cheaper options. Verizon is part of some conversations.

We should require  broadband providers to look for existing fiber before they build out with public funding.  A provider recently overbuilt a network using CAF 2 funding – if they had used existing infrastructure they could be offering FTTH instead of DSL to community members.

Cell access to shaky in Orr.

We might be looking at wifi on the buses in the future.

And video:

Chisholm MN Broadband Efforts – wifi on buses, in parks, to check out and an upcoming coworking space

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This month I am traveling with the Blandin crew to visit various Iron Range Broadband Communities – communities that have been making a concerted effort to improve broadband access in their area. We started in Chisholm.

Here’s the presentation:

Notes on  their projects:

Chisholm/Balkan Broadband Projects:

Wi-fi on Busses:

Organization:  Chisholm Public Schools ISD #695

Coordinator:  Joe Phillips, Chisholm Public Schools IT Director

Wi-fi to be installed on two school busses owned by the district.  Allowing for students taking longer bus trips to have access to the internet.  Busses may be used for community events such as the Chisholm All Class Reunion or Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days.

Completed

Community Website/Portal:

Organization:  City of Chisholm/Chisholm Area Chamber of Commerce/ISD #695

Coordinator:  Amy Rice, Chisholm Development & Economic Director

Developing a Community Portal and Calendar to provide a “go to” website for all community activities.  The portal will be used to market for economic development, tourism, growing population, the school district, city and chamber.  The three main entities involved will also develop websites that will interact with the portal.  Uploading calendar events and keeping information current.

In-process

Community Hot Spots:

Organization:  Chisholm EDA

Coordinator:  Amy Rice, Chisholm Development & Economic Director

Installing community hot spots in three locations, Chisholm Public Library, the Lake Street Pocket Park and the Balkan Community Center.  Each organization will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and costs associated with the hot spots.

Completed

Ipad/Portable Hot Spot Check-out @ Chisholm Public Library:

Organization:  Chisholm Public Library

Coordinator:  Katie Christensen, CPL Director

Purchased ten portable hot spots as well as web access for each device.  The devices will be checked out of the library.  Security features and insurance will be provided on devices.   The Library will be responsible for continuing costs associated with the project.

Completed

Chisholm/Balkan Broadband Projects:

Community Training Project:

Organization:  Chisholm Community Education

Coordinator:  Dr. Janey Blanchard, Chisholm Community Education Director/Superintendent ISD #695

Monthly community training on all things broadband.  A monthly presenter will train on a specific topic relating to broadband, internet, social media, security and many more.  Student aides (CHS Seniors) will be trained by a mentor in order to provide help to attendees.  Monthly meetings for the first 12 months are planned, additional topics will be added depending on community input.  Our Community Portal will be showcased as well as the Hot Spot Checkout System at Chisholm Public Library.  Other partners will include the Chisholm Area Chamber of Commerce, ISD #695, Chisholm Public Library and area banks and medical facilities.

In-process

MDC Broadband Access:

Organization:  Minnesota Discovery Center

Coordinator: Ethan Bexell, MDC

The Goal is to provide broadband access at the Minnesota Discovery Center that is reliable, affordable and provides speeds adequate for a museum, educational facility, premier meeting facility and area attraction.

In-progress

“Business Perks” Building:

Organization:  Chisholm EDA

Coordinator:  Amy Rice, Chisholm Development & Economic Director

We plan to create rental space for part-time/temporary/startup businesses with access to technology.  For example high speed internet service, webinar access, skype, google hangout and other options.  Staffed by an intern from our local community college, in addition to an intern opportunity with UMD-CED we plan to have that person also provide social media marketing and e-commerce training to our downtown businesses free of charge for the first year of operation.  We are looking at a building that is adjacent to our new downtown Pocket Park, with the recently installed Hot Spot equipment in the park we plan to expand that to cover the building. Plans call for a coffee hub in the front of the building that will have a side door opening to the Pocket Park.  The coffee shop will be open for the facility renters and eventually we hope to have it run as a viable business.  The space will be an incubator/business development tool, training center and brain hub for the community.  In-Kind partners will provide art work/decoration for the property.  Partners will include the IRRRB, AEOA Business Energy Retrofit Program, the Chisholm Community Foundation, Chisholm EDA, Chisholm Downtown Revitalization Committee, UMD-CED, Hibbing Community College and the Chisholm Area Chamber of Commerce.

In-process

And video of the meeting:

 

Ely MN Broadband Efforts – Feasibility study, community portal and helping local businesses do online marketing

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This month I am traveling with the Blandin crew to visit various Iron Range Broadband Communities – communities that have been making a concerted effort to improve broadband access in their area. Here are some of the highlights from Ely…

Feasibility Study – still in process with Design Nine. We’ve had some pole ownership issues and we have some pre-engineering work done. We’re looking at wireless in remote areas, such as YMCA camp. Now – how do we go from study to doing? We will be meeting with Frontier soon. The Timber Jay New had an article on the provider lately – that helped start a conversation.

PCs for People – distributed 50 PCs to families. Everyone loved them. No problem solving was involved. The project has helped the school talk about using more technology. It’s making parents happy. We selected the families not only by first come, first serve so that folks with perceived needs had a greater opportunity. We still have more folks who could use a PC. We are looking at bringing computers to older folks. In fact we’ve had school kids working with seniors to help them get on Facebook, email and use other tools that keep them engaged. The PCs for People folks are really nice.

We’ve got money from the Northland Foundation to continue on with the high schoolers working with seniors.

Ely Portal – http://elyite.com/ for tourism and recruitment. Includes videos with Ely community members. We’re hoping to be done March 1. We won’t be doing a community calendar because we already have several in the area. Mission is to recruit people to visit as tourists, as new community members and drawing from retired community.

Tech Center – newest project. There is a site established. Space has been donated by a local law firm. We have local hardware and software experts – to help us get started. There’s a committee and we’re starting this like a business. Hope to open April 1. There is fiber to the building – but it’s 15 years old. We have a new Executive Director at Incredible Ely.

Helping Local Business Better Use technology – funding for 7 businesses; got 31 applications. Created a website for online applications. Half the people who visited the site went to apply. Hoping to grow revenue through

Businesses in the area spend about $1400/month on digital marketing. That’s more than other areas so we could help get them smarter. Each business will get about 20 hours or consulting.