EVENT Today 11am: Senate COVID 19 Working Group 11am (virtual) – agenda looks interesting

I mentioned this meeting the other day but the agenda is out and it looks interesting for those of us interested in broadband…

Working Group facilitated by the MN Senate through Zoom. Limited public testimony will be taken. Email andrew.eilers@senate.mn by 5 p.m. Thurs-Apr 2. Include your name and organization, if applicable. Once you are registered you will be provided with the Zoom Mtg ID and a password. Testimony will be limited to 2 minutes or discretion of the chair. Participation thru Zoom is capped at 100. Public may view livestream coverage on the MN Senate’s facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/MNSenate/

Agenda:
Update from MN Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED),
Commissioner Steve Grove

Covid -19 impacts on business
– Laura Bordelon, MN Chamber of Commerce
– Mandy Wroolie, Minisota Play Café
– Forest Cyr, MN Nursery and Landscape Association
– Janet Leonard, Styles on Cliff Inc.
– Joel Vikre, Vikre Distillery

Global View of Jobs and Economy, Dr. Neel Kashkari, Minneapolis Federal
Reserv

 

Looking at the attachments, I’ll pull out their most salient points…

MNCOGI (MN Coalition on Government Info) …

MNCOGI extends its thanks to the members of the Senate COVID-19 Response Working Group for the adoption of remote technology to facilitate the recent meetings of this body. Our thanks also go out to the Senate staff involved with the logistical and technical undertakings necessary to conduct such remote hearings. MNCOGI would specifically like to highlight the public testimony feature of these remote hearings, and we would encourage the Senate to: 1. Adopt remote meeting/hearing protocols (with contemporaneous public access via the internet) across all Senate committees during the duration of the pandemic emergency, and; 2. Include a public testimony feature in all such meeting and hearings

Minnesota Employment Services Consortium (MESC) and WorkforceNext (WFN)…

[one of five recommendations] Provide technology capacity funding to existing grants to address major equity challenges for low-income people and communities of color, which already have the lowest levels of digital access. Specifically to provide participants access to affordable computers and internet access for distance training and other employment services.

Minnesota Hospitality. I’m going to include a screen shot of their letter so you can see how prominent their one tech remark is…

There is no telework option for this industry.

Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers…

Another major concern is that a large number of the small business clients that MCCD and our members work with are sole proprietors who are unable to collect unemployment. Furthermore, while many small businesses are figuring out new ways to engage with customers, many do not have access to reliable internet or the technology needed to be connected to their peers and their primary clientele. Although we are thankful that the State has provided emergency assistance programs, many of our small business clients will face difficulty pulling together the financial documents needed to apply for emergency loans and assistance programs.

Recommendation from Group of Nonprofits…

Allow distance interactions and telehealth engagements. All grants and contracts must be revised to provide flexibility for remote delivery of services. Many contract requirements currently prevent this from occurring and/or are not billable services.

EVENT April 9: Blandin Broadband Leadership Webinar – Community Broadband Surveys

As the need for better broadband everywhere becomes more evident every day, are you – as an elected official, government staff or concerned citizen – wondering how to get your community or county on the right path to fixing the problem?  Would you like a better understanding of how to organize your area, select the right technology, attract the right project partners and obtain the necessary project, including grants, funding?  The Blandin Broadband Leadership Webinar Series is for you.

The fourth of ten webinars – Community Broadband Surveys – over the next five weeks is April 9 at 9 am CDT.  Join Doug Dawson of CCG Consulting, Tom Johnson, County Coordinator for Nobles County and Nancy Hoffman, Executive Director of the Chisago County EDA/HRA as they talk about best practices in designing, implementing and interpreting community broadband surveys.

  • Doug has operated a number of ISPs and is a highly regarded community broadband consultant. Understanding the marketplace – who wants the service, what will they pay and who is the competition – is a critical requirement for successful broadband projects.  Doug will provide an overview of the entire survey process, including discussing the importance of the survey questions, the different ways to implement and promote the survey and results analysis.
  • Tom Johnson will talk about their experience in survey implementation in Nobles County and how the results led to successful broadband deployment. Tom will discuss the value in having key stakeholders participate in and promote the survey.
  • Nancy will explain the different survey approaches used to build community support for broadband and to attract broadband provider interest to invest in Chisago County.

Click here to complete the week two pre-webinar survey. Your responses will help inform the presentations and kick-off the Q&A.
Handouts:
Week Two Worksheets.
Corning Fiber Optics
Next Century Cities Toolkit (or download the PDF)
WISPA Graphic
Broadband Now
Maine Broadband Institute Guidebook 

Join us by clicking here.

EVENT April 7: Blandin Broadband Leadership Webinar – Broadband 101

As the need for better broadband everywhere becomes more evident every day, are you – as an elected official, government staff or concerned citizen – wondering how to get your community or county on the right path to fixing the problem?  Would you like a better understanding of how to organize your area, select the right technology, attract the right project partners and obtain the necessary project, including grants, funding?  The Blandin Broadband Leadership Webinar Series is for you.

The third of ten webinars – Broadband 101 – over the next five weeks is April 7 at 9 a.m. CDT.  Join Carl Meyerhoefer of Calix and Tim Johnson of MVTV Wireless as they share their expertise in helping to create and spread a shared broadband vision in their area.

  • Carl will provide an overview of fiber optic networks, including technology choices between passive optical networks (PON) and Ethernet and considerations in deciding whether to bury fiber or hang it from existing poles. He will also inform attendees about the prospective benefits of publicly owned networks to support future innovation.
  • Tim will discuss the various flavors of wireless technologies, including information on the varying capabilities of different radio spectrum in terms of bandwidth and distance. He will also discuss about the prospective impact of 5G in rural areas.
  • Together, they will talk about the mutuality of fiber and wireless technologies so as to connect people in a variety of ways for various purposes.

Click here to complete the week two pre-webinar survey. Your responses will help inform the presentations and kick-off the Q&A.
Handouts:
Week Two Worksheets.
Corning Fiber Optics
Next Century Cities Toolkit (or download the PDF)
WISPA Graphic
Broadband Now
Maine Broadband Institute Guidebook 

Join us by clicking here https://zoom.us/j/308862200 or typing 308 862 200 in the Zoom mobile app.

Minnesota Health Insurers Announce Plans for Coverage of COVID-19 Testing and Treatment

PR Newswire reports…

The Minnesota Council of Health Plans announced today that Minnesota’s nonprofit health plans are voluntarily waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 in-patient treatment for enrollees as part of a framework to support and protect the health of Minnesotans amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

And telehealth is part of their 4-step solution…

  • Testing. Health plans do not want cost barriers to prevent Minnesotans from receiving appropriate testing for COVID-19. …
  • Treatment. To the extent permitted by law, health plans are now waiving cost sharing for in-network COVID-19 hospitalization on fully insured, individual and group health plans through May 31, 2020. …
  • Network Adequacy and Out-of-Network UtilizationMinnesota health plans are working closely with the Walz administration to consistently verify that their provider networks are up to date and are adequate to handle an increase in utilization, and that relevant processes are in place when requests for out-of-network utilization are received.
  • Telemedicine. Minnesota’s health plans encourage anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) or who has potentially been exposed to the virus, to seek health care in a manner that minimizes the potential exposure of others, which might include first calling a provider or utilizing telehealth services. Telemedicine is an effective care-delivery method that allows patients to visit providers without exposure to potential risk of infection.
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield/Blue Plus of Minnesota
  • HealthPartners
  • Hennepin Health
  • Medica
  • PreferredOneUCare

Hosting a Zoom event? Learn how to guard from the goonies!

It’s been amazing to see people improvise in so many ways in our new world. For example, moving meetings online with tools like Zoom. I’ve attended a bunch, I’ve hosted a few – and I’m leading a webinar on How to Use Zoom on April 8. (It’s going to be a great chance to kick the wheels, speak or share your screen if you haven’t been active on Zoom yet!)

Unfortunately some of the proverbial bad guys have also found a way to wreak havoc in online meetings. I have heard of several meetings that have been cancelled or cut short due to trolls – or what I’ve heard called Zoom Bombers – jumping in being chaotic, disruptive, inappropriate and hateful. Luckily Zoom has a few recommendation to keep the baddies at bay…

  • with the email they were invited through, they will receive this message:

This is useful if you want to control your guest list and invite only those you want at your event — other students at your school or colleagues, for example.

  • Lock the meeting:It’s always smart to lock your front door, even when you’re inside the house. When you lock a Zoom Meeting that’s already started, no new participants can join, even if they have the meeting ID and password (if you have required one). In the meeting, click Participants at the bottom of your Zoom window. In the Participants pop-up, click the button that says Lock Meeting.
  • Set up your own two-factor authentication:You don’t have to share the actual meeting link! Generate a random Meeting ID when scheduling your event and require a password to join. Then you can share that Meeting ID on Twitter but only send the password to join via DM.
  • Remove unwanted or disruptive participants:From that Participants menu, you can mouse over a participant’s name, and several options will appear, including Remove. Click that to kick someone out of the meeting.
  • Allow removed participants to rejoin:When you do remove someone, they can’t rejoin the meeting. But you can toggle your settings to allow removed participants to rejoin, in case you boot the wrong person.
  • Put ‘em on hold:You can put everyone else on hold, and the attendees’ video and audio connections will be disabled momentarily. Click on someone’s video thumbnail and select Start Attendee On Hold to activate this feature. Click Take Off Hold in the Participants list when you’re ready to have them back.
  • Disable video:Hosts can turn someone’s video off. This will allow hosts to block unwanted, distracting, or inappropriate gestures on video or for that time your friend’s inside pocket is the star of the show.
  • Mute participants:Hosts can mute/unmute individual participants or all of them at once. Hosts can block unwanted, distracting, or inappropriate noise from other participants. You can also enable Mute Upon Entry in your settings to keep the clamor at bay in large meetings.
  • Turn off file transfer:In-meeting file transfer allows people to share files through the in-meeting chat. Toggle this off to keep the chat from getting bombarded with unsolicited pics, GIFs, memes, and other content.
  • Turn off annotation:You and your attendees can doodle and mark up content together using annotations during screen share. You can disable the annotation feature in your Zoom settings to prevent people from writing all over the screens.
  • Disable private chat:Zoom has in-meeting chat for everyone or participants can message each other privately. Restrict participants’ ability to chat amongst one another while your event is going on and cut back on distractions. This is really to prevent anyone from getting unwanted messages during the meeting.

CenturyLink Donates $25,000 to PCs for People

Big news from PCs for People and CenturyLink…

The COVID-19 pandemic is making the need for equitable access to technology essential across the nation. Families desperately need computers for home learning, access to telehealth, tools for newly laid-off individuals, and access to the world during a time of extreme isolation. PCs for People is uniquely positioned during this unprecedented time to help low-income individuals obtain affordable technology.

“The need to digitally connect our underserved communities is more vital than ever.  The incredible donation of $25,000 from CenturyLink will make an immediate impact for those needing computers during these extreme circumstances.” – Tina Stennes, PCs for People National Communications Director.

CenturyLink, a technology leader, is making computers even more accessible with a generous $25,000 donation to PCs for People. This donation will immediately impact 500+ individuals with financial assistance towards the purchase of a desktop computer.

“At CenturyLink, we see the important role connectivity plays in our everyday lives, from students completing their homework to employees getting their work done on time when they can’t be in the office”, said Stephanie Calhoun, CenturyLink vice president, talent management. “We are proud to provide this donation to support PCs for People’s mission to help Americans in need stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”

To support current social distancing requirements, CenturyLink is also covering the cost of shipping so individuals and families can have their computers shipped directly to their homes. To be eligible, you must meet PCs for People’s eligibility requirements, provide documentation, and live in a market served by CenturyLink. To apply for assistance, please go to https://www.pcsforpeople.org/centurylink/

Computer packages include (cost will be $20 for individuals after financial aid is applied); 17” monitor, keyboard, mouse, power cords, Windows 10, LibreOffice, antivirus software, 1-year hardware warranty, and free shipping.

CenturyLink has been a long-time partner of PCs for People. The company has recycled over 300 computers and 1,000+ pounds of e-waste using PCs for People’s secure IT Asset Disposition and recycling services.

 

MN Community Care moves services online to keep patients safe – changes in Medicare reimbursement help

Business Wire reports…

Minnesota Community Care, the state’s largest federally qualified health center, is activating a full transformation of its system to implement community mitigation strategies and reduce the spread and impact of COVID-19. Effective April 1, 2020, the organization will actively transition its sites, services, and programs to immediately respond to the current status of COVID-19’s spread in Minnesota.

“We are at the epicenter of COVID-19’s impact on the most vulnerable populations among us – the unsheltered, uninsured, and historically underserved,” says Reuben Moore, the CEO of Minnesota Community Care. “This transition will increase access to testing and respiratory care for the uninsured and underserved. It will also maintain access to in-person essential medical services in a safe environment for those in need.”

A key feature of the transformation is a redesign of Minnesota Community Care’s ambulatory care delivery sites. East Side Clinic has been structured as a testing and respiratory sick care site while La Clinica is being dedicated to well-care and telehealth delivery. Patients will also have access to drive-up pharmacy and lab services, and emergency dental care. This will separate sick and well patients, and ensure a safe environment for vulnerable populations to access care.

The addition of telehealth has been quick work…

In addition to transforming care delivery sites, Minnesota Community Care has also created a telehealth practice in less than two weeks. The practice will ensure continuity of care for primary care, mental health, and substance use disorder patients.

Finally, Minnesota Community Care is leveraging its 40-year partnership with St. Paul Public Schools to maintain operations at its Health Start School-Based Clinic in Gordon Parks High School. Through the clinic, all youth (up to age 22), regardless of school enrollment, will be able to access essential medical services, sexual health services, and tele-therapy.

“In under two weeks our team has been able to completely transform our system,” says Moore. “It really shows how dedicated we are to addressing the critical needs in our community.”

Part of what makes this possible is the changes in Medicare reimbursement, as JD Supra reports…

In response to COVID-19, CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) has broadened access to Medicare telehealth services on a temporary and emergency basis for the duration of the Public Health Emergency. Under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act’s waiver authority and the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, Medicare recipients can now receive a wider array of healthcare services from their providers without having to leave their homes.

This waiver allows Medicare to pay for telehealth visits, including office, hospital and other visits, virtual check-ins, and e-visits, furnished at the patient’s own home. Telehealth services may be provided by doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and licensed social workers. The goal of this waiver is to expand the use of technology to help limit the community spread of the virus by providing routine care to Medicare beneficiaries, especially vulnerable beneficiaries and beneficiaries with mild symptoms, at home. CMS has prepared detailed telehealth and telemedicine toolkits for General PractitionersEnd-Stage Renal Disease Providers, and Long-Term Care Nursing Facilities.

EVENT April 3: Senate COVID 19 Response Working Group 11am (virtual)

I appreciate the effort to make these accessible to folks sheltering in place…

Friday, April 3, 2020 – 11:00 AM
COVID 19 Response Working Group
Chair: Sen. Paul E. Gazelka
11 a.m.
www.facebook.com/MNSenate/
Working Group facilitated by the MN Senate through Zoom. Limited public testimony will be taken. Email andrew.eilers@senate.mn by 5 p.m. Thurs-Apr 2. Include your name and organization, if applicable. Once you are registered you will be provided with the Zoom Mtg ID and a password. Testimony will be limited to 2 minutes or discretion of the chair. Participation thru Zoom is capped at 100. Public may view livestream coverage on the MN Senate’s facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/MNSenate/
Agenda:
Agenda to be announced – related to Economic Relief and Recovery

Setting the Vision: Blandin Broadband Leadership Webinar Archive

Thanks to the presenters and attendees for joining the latest Blandin Broadband Leadership Webinar: Setting the Vision. Here we have the description, video archive, slides when available and chat transcript (get handouts discussed in the session here)…

The second of ten webinars over the next five weeks is April 2 at 9 a.m. CDT.  Join Bernadine Joselyn, Blandin’s Director of Public Policy and Engagement, Rich Sve, Lake County Commissioner, Mark Erickson, citizen volunteer from south central Minnesota and Betsy Olivanti from Minnesota’s Iron Range as they share their expertise in helping to create and spread a shared broadband vision in their area.

And chat that happened during the session Continue reading

Next Century Cities applauds the FCC’s efforts to increase spectrum available for WiFi

The latest from Next Century Cities…

Today the ​Federal Communications Commission (FCC) circulated draft rules permitting unlicensed devices to operate in the 6 GHz band. The proposal would allow unlicensed devices to share the band with incumbent licensed services, making 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use.
Spectrum is a public resource that fuels wireless connectivity. ​The airwaves are allocated by the FCC to support mobile, satellite, broadcasting, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth networks — among other purposes. Wi-Fi networks, in particular, are essential in areas that do not have access to cable or fiber wireline.
Francella Ochillo, Executive Director, said: “The nationwide coronavirus shut-in has exposed the urgent need to connect every community, especially those in hard to reach areas. Cities, towns, and counties that are still waiting for fixed broadband connections could immediately benefit from wireless solutions that ultimately depend on access to spectrum. We applaud the FCC’s efforts to expand which populations benefit from this underutilized resource.”
Ryan Johnston, Policy Counsel, said: “Chairman Pai’s proposal would help support connectivity nationwide during this national emergency. As more people are asked to work, learn and live from home, this spectrum allocation could decrease congestion on wireless networks and complement wireline connections. It would also provide immediate options for unserved and underserved communities to get online​.​” ###
Next Century Cities ​ is a non-profit membership organization of over 200 communities, founded to support communities and their elected leaders, including mayors and other officials, as they seek to ensure that all have access to fast, affordable, and reliable internet access. Next Century Cities celebrates broadband successes in communities, demonstrates their value, and helps other cities to realize the full power of truly high-speed, affordable, and accessible broadband. For more information, visit ​
http://www.nextcenturycities.org

Tips for rural groceries during COVID-19 available through U Libraries

Sometimes broadband isn’t the conduit to better business – it’s the road to learning about how to create better business and such is the case with a UMN Extension’s just in time research resources. The University of Minnesota reports…

University of Minnesota Extension is helping Greater Minnesota deal with the COVID-19 pandemic by developing emergency meal plans and pickup and delivery models for rural grocery stores to deliver to their customers.

And the University Libraries is an important partner in getting the word out, said Kathy Draeger, adjunct professor and Statewide Director, U of M Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships for U of M Extension

And the latest example includes tips for rural grocery stores during coronavirus threat…

Extension’s mission includes making an impact by “connecting community needs and University resources to address critical issues in Minnesota.” And the role of University Archives in this case helps fulfill its mission, which is in part, to provide U of M resources openly and broadly, said Erik Moore, head of University Archives and co-director of the University Digital Conservancy, the digital arm of the U Archives.

Moore said that as of last week, the COVID-19 Emergency 14-day Meal Kit had been downloaded more than 3,300 times, from Ely, Minn., to towns in Australia.

The meal kit fact sheet helps grocers working in their communities to “prepare and deploy pre-made boxes with 14 days of emergency food that is healthy, shelf stable, easy to prepare, [and] calorie sufficient for vulnerable populations facing hardship due to coronavirus.”

The Tips for Small Town Stores: Curbside Pickup and Delivery Model — uploaded a few days ago — provides basic instructions for grocery stores to include curbside pickup and delivery in order to “protect worker safety and address COVID-19 concerns while still maintaining the movement of groceries into communities for distribution.”

Grant projects that help ABE students learn online – and a call for more grant proposals

Southwest Initiative Foundation recently posted about a previously funded project that happily left adult student able to continue learning, even under coronavirus distancing conditions…

Students in Southwest Adult Basic Education are working toward skills they need to enter the workforce. As COVID-19 moved learning online in Minnesota for all ages, ABE students and staff were prepared to keep learning thanks to a Grow Our Own grant. The grant, awarded in 2018, supported online access for students to participate in classes using Adobe Connect web conferencing.

Southwest Adult Basic Education (ABE) – Marshall Region Program Manager See Moua-Leske recently sent us an update and thank you:

With the unprecedented events that have taken place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of web conferencing has never been more important as we use alternative routes to reach our students. We have been able to be a resource to other programs in the state in helping them implement online classes. We couldn’t have done this without your support. Thank you!”

Adobe Connect web conferencing allow students to participate and contribute to classroom instruction from a remote site for classes. This project was the first of its kind in adult basic education.

And they are looking for more good ideas to fund…

Southwest Initiative Foundation is offering Grow Our Own responsive grants to support nonprofits directly serving southwest Minnesota communities for work related to Grow Our Own. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the deadline to apply for this grant has been extended to July 1, 2020 at 5 p.m. Find grant guidelines and application details on our grants page.

EVENT April 2: Center for Education Reform MINI-FEST on digital learning

This looks fascinating to me – and might be to anyone who is working on remote or online education right now…

The Center for Education Reform (CER), a leading voice in promoting education opportunity, will host a virtual mini-fest featuring the world’s leading Ed Tech developers and educators to address innovations available now as policymakers, educators and families nationwide are racing to catch up with a tidal wave of ideas, programs and services for digital learning. Topics will include everything from Early Ed to the Workforce, and AI, VR and more.

WHEN: Thursday, April 2, 2020 – 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM ET

FORMAT: Panel discussions with live Q&A from audiences around the world

EXPERTS:
Jeanne Allen, CEO and Founder of CER (moderator)
Anne Brown, VP, Waterford Institute
Jamey Heit, Co-Founder, and CEO, Ecree
Sam Caucci, Founder and CEO, 1Huddle
Janine Caffrey, CEO, Lexplore
Ulrik Christensen, CEO, Area9 Lyceum
Ash Kaluarachchi, Managing Director, StartEd
Lucilla Crosta, Co-founder and CEO, Edulai
Jeff Kwitowski, SVP, Public Affairs and Policy Communications, K12 Inc.
Michael Moe, Founder, GSV

RSVP: Register here for this Complimentary Virtual Event and you will be emailed login credentials and event details

How are the cable companies experiencing broadband demand in Minnesota during COVID-19 threat?

NCTA is compiling data on how cable providers are experiencing broadband demand – nationally and by state – since the coronavirus threat…

Over 72 million homes and businesses across America subscribe to broadband delivered by cable providers. With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, these connections are more important than ever, as our nation adapts to the realities of “social distancing” and many of our daily activities have moved online…

To better explain how changing consumer demand is affecting network usage and performance, NCTA members are joining together to report key metrics during the pandemic (reported below) that will better inform the public regarding usage trends and network performance. Companies currently reporting include: Charter, Comcast, Cox, GCI and Midco, and others will be added in the coming weeks.

 

Here are their main takeaways…

  • Both upstream and downstream peak usage is up, but networks continue to perform well
  • Provider backbone networks have significant capacity and show no signs of congestion
  • Upstream peak hours in many regions have shifted from late evening towards afternoon
  • Downstream peak hours are still primarily during the evening

I was interested in two things. First check out the increase in upload use:

We’ve always said that download supports consumers and upload supports producers. It looks like production increased is happening at a faster percentage. And the peak time for upload has shifted from late evening (perhaps when people used to come home from work) to mid-afternoon (now that more of us are working from home). And as you’ll see below Minnesota’s upload growth outpaces national.

It would be great to see percentage of download traffic to upload traffic. And assuming they maintain this tool, it will be great to see how the numbers change over time. Also, it would be nice to see this for all providers and down to county level data.

EVENT April 16: NTCA 5th Annual Rural Video and Broadband Study Webcast

Looks like an interesting webinar…

5th Annual Rural Video and Broadband Study Webcast

Attendees will learn the latest video and broadband consumption behaviors from a research study that exclusively interviewed rural consumers. This data will be benchmarked against results from 2016-2019 to identify trends that are critical to your strategic video and broadband planning. Attendees will also learn how they can get a free copy of this research study.

Panelists: Scott Meyer and Melissa Waddell, Innovative Systems
Thursday, April 16, 2020 1:00 pm
Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
Register now