Border to Border Broadband: Transforming Minnesota Oct 23-24
The broadband conference was a big hit. You can get video and notes on all of the sessions:

• Closing Reflections on the 2018 Broadband Conference https://wp.me/p3if7-4Q1
• Broadband 101 https://wp.me/p3if7-4PB
• Approaches to Broadband-Based Economic Development https://wp.me/p3if7-4PD
• Introducing the New Blandin Broadband Communities https://wp.me/p3if7-4PF
• Climbing the Digital Use Ladder: Digital Inclusion, Adoption and Innovation https://wp.me/p3if7-4PJ
• The Net Benefits of Broadband Adoption: An Empirical Case Study of Rural Indiana https://wp.me/p3if7-4PL
• Prioritizing Digital Equity in an Age of Uncertainty https://wp.me/p3if7-4PP
• By the Numbers: A Workshop on Calculating the ROI of Rural Broadband for Your Community https://wp.me/p3if7-4PR
• What it Takes: Community Champions Share their Playbook for Pursuing the Broadband They Want and Need https://wp.me/p3if7-4PP
• Broadband Advocacy: Creating the Message https://wp.me/p3if7-4PV
• Tools to Track and Build Community Demand https://wp.me/p3if7-4PT
• Get to Know the Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition https://wp.me/p3if7-4PX
• Community Broadband Feasibility Charrette Presentations https://wp.me/p3if7-4PZ
• Provider Response to Community Charrettes https://wp.me/p3if7-4QD

Office of Broadband Development Launches Speed Test
The Minnesota Office of Broadband Development launched a new tool that will allow Minnesotans to test, map and report various broadband internet speeds across the state. https://wp.me/p3if7-4QL

Broadband in the Elections

• Candidate Tina Smith noted for work in broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ra
• U.S. Sen. Tina Smith presses administration to quickly change tax rules blocking cooperatives from expanding rural broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4R4
• Letter to the Editor in Grand Rapids supports Tina Smith and her work on broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4QT
• Letter to editor supports Grabowska in 23B https://wp.me/p3if7-4Rc
• Candidate Isenor in 21B supports better broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4R8
• Candidate Tom Wyatt-Yerka has big plans for broadband in 16A https://wp.me/p3if7-4R2
• Duluth News Tribune supports Candidate Rob Ecklund in part because of broadband efforts https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mz
• Candidate Julie Sandstede calls out need for border to border broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4L5
• Candidate Rob Ecklund calls out need for border to border broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4L2
• What should be a hot topic in the election? Broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4Km
• FCC Commissioner Carr was in Dakotas and Minnesota for Senate 5G field hearing and rural broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4K1
• Both Gubernatorial candidates discuss broadband at forum in Willmar https://wp.me/p3if7-4JZ
• Farmers need better broadband to take advantage of precision ag benefits https://wp.me/p3if7-4JW
• Candidate Tina Smith is talking about rural broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4JS
• District 9A Candidates are talking about broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4JO
• Candidate Ellison recognizes need for better rural broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4JK
• Candidate Joe Radinovich gets plug for being plugged into broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4Jy
• Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Releases Final Annual Report https://wp.me/p3if7-4Jt
• Senator Klobuchar calls out importance of broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-4Jp

Local Broadband News

In October, the Blandin on Broadband blog posted broadband profiles for each county in Minnesota:

1. Aitkin County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Kq
2. Anoka County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Kt
3. Becker County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Kw
4. Beltrami County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Kz
5. Benton County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KC
6. Big Stone County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KF
7. Blue Earth County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KI
8. Brown County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KL
9. Carlton County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KP
10. Carver County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KS
11. Cass County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KV
12. Chippewa County https://wp.me/p3if7-4KY
13. Chisago County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ld
14. Clay County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Lg
15. Clearwater County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Lj
16. Cook County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Lm
17. Cottonwood County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Lp
18. Crow Wing County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ls
19. Dakota County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Lv
20. Dodge County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ly
21. Douglas County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LB
22. Faribault County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LE
23. Fillmore County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LH
24. Freeborn County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LK
25. Goodhue County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LN
26. Grant County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LQ
27. Hennepin County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LT
28. Houston County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LW
29. Hubbard County https://wp.me/p3if7-4LZ
30. Isanti County https://wp.me/p3if7-4M5
31. Itasca County https://wp.me/p3if7-4M8
32. Jackson County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mb
33. Kanabec County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Me
34. Kandiyohi County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mh
35. Kittson County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mk
36. Koochiching County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mn
37. Lac qui Parle County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mq
38. Lake County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mt
39. Lake of the Woods County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Mw
40. Le Sueur County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MB
41. Lincoln County https://wp.me/p3if7-4ME
42. Lyon County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MH
43. Mahnomen County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MK
44. Marshall County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MN
45. Martin County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MQ
46. McLeod County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MT
47. Meeker County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MW
48. Mille Lacs County https://wp.me/p3if7-4MZ
49. Morrison County https://wp.me/p3if7-4N2
50. Mower County https://wp.me/p3if7-4N5
51. Murray County https://wp.me/p3if7-4N8
52. Nicollet County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nb
53. Nobles County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ne
54. Norman County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nh
55. Olmsted County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nk
56. Otter Tail County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nn
57. Pennington County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nq
58. Pine County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nt
59. Pipestone County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nw
60. Polk County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Nz
61. Pope County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NC
62. Ramsey County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NF
63. Red Lake County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NI
64. Redwood County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NL
65. Renville County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NO
66. Rice County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NR
67. Rock County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NU
68. Roseau County https://wp.me/p3if7-4NX
69. Saint Louis County https://wp.me/p3if7-4O0
70. Scott County https://wp.me/p3if7-4O3
71. Sherburne County https://wp.me/p3if7-4O6
72. Sibley County https://wp.me/p3if7-4O9
73. Stearns County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Oc
74. Steele County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Of
75. Stevens County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Oi
76. Swift County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ol
77. Todd County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Oo
78. Traverse County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Or
79. Wabasha County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ou
80. Wadena County https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ox
81. Waseca County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OA
82. Washington County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OD
83. Watonwan County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OG
84. Wilkin County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OJ
85. Winona County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OM
86. Wright County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OP
87. Yellow Medicine County https://wp.me/p3if7-4OS

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• Nov 12: Deadline for Minnesota Dep of Commerce RFI on Internet of Things https://wp.me/p3if7-4Ja

We are looking to add MN broadband-related events to the Blandin on Broadband blog calendar. https://wp.me/P3if7-4yG If you have an event you’d like to add please send it to atreacy@treacyinfo.com

Stirring the Pot – by Bill Coleman

Moving a community broadband initiative forward requires a mystical blend of community leadership and technical/financial knowledge meeting opportunity.  When I review the many successful broadband projects, I see that each project has a unique mix of these elements.  For me, community leadership is the most interesting facet.  Leadership can emerge from almost anywhere. My friend and former colleague Karl Samp used to say, “The great thing about being in a rural community leader is that you do not need a title, you just have to start doing things.”

Yet there is something essential about having elected officials strongly engaged in these broadband initiatives. Volunteers can gather and analyze information or put together an outline of a strategy or deal. Technical experts can define the best technology options.  But when it comes to actually making things happen, it usually takes a mayor, town supervisor or county commissioner to bring the legal and financial authority of the local government to the table. Convincing local officials to assume that role can be the most challenging task for the local broadband activists. For some leaders, hearing the broadband stories of woe is enough to convince them to act. Other leaders want hard facts  based on data to be convinced. Thankfully, there is a growing set of tools that can provide return on investment (ROI) data for community broadband initiatives.

At the recent Border to Border Broadband Conference, there were two examples of ROI analysis methodologies – one presented by Ann Treacy and Bernadine Joselyn and one created at Purdue University. Luckily, the former model is quite simple to calculate and easily understood. I encourage you to take a look at these session notes and complete the calculator found here.  https://wp.me/p3if7-4PR.  For those reading this with strong data skills, the Purdue model can be found here: https://wp.me/p3if7-4PL. Both models emphasize that the widespread community benefits to broadband investment far exceed the private sector business case for that investment, thus the need for public sector investment to deploy the necessary broadband investment.

For those pursuing improved broadband networks, please take a shot at using these tools with your broadband team.  I think that it will be enlightening for your group – both for the numbers created and possibly more importantly, the discussion that the analysis facilitates with local elected officials.  It would be great to hear your reports.