Monthly Archives: May 2020

Carlton County uneven broadband – large swath unserved

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Pine Journal reports…

According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, vast swaths of rural Carlton County are either unserved or underserved by broadband internet services.

An unserved residence lacks any connection to a broadband network and underserved areas have access, but at speeds unable to support video chats or other frequently used online tools required for working and learning remotely. Most underserved areas of the county have download speeds of 25 megabits per second and 3 Mbps upload speeds.

Video chats, streaming services and other modern internet tools typically require 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds.

They take a look at what that means on the frontlines…

Brenda Nyberg, a grant writer for the Carlton County Economic Development Department, knows firsthand about the problems with slow or unreliable internet service. A Cromwell resident, Nyberg has been working remotely for most of the past two months and her three sons have been trying to continue school from home, putting enormous pressure on an area of the county that is underserved. Nyberg said she recently found out she can get internet access from Frontier, but potentially not at the speeds the family needs.

They are still investigating the service, but have been using an AT&T hotspot to access the internet.

“There are four of us trying to be online at the same time, and it is really tough,” Nyberg said. “It’s definitely not ideal. The speeds are slow, it’s unreliable, you get kicked off. It’s just really hard to have any long term connectivity.”

While larger cities and those relatively close to the I-35 corridor like Cloquet, Carlton and Moose Lake enjoy ideal speeds, the more rural communities like Cromwell, Wrenshall and Kettle River are underserved at best.

Charter Communications extends network in Rosemount (Dakota County)

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Sun this Week reports…

Charter Communications has announced a $1 million construction project to bring its fiber-optic network nearly 265 homes in the northwestern part of Rosemount.

As part of Minnesota’s Broadband Grant Program, Charter was awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its services to 40 unserved and 225 underserved locations in the northwestern Rosemount area.

Charter contributed $450,000 and Dakota County added $50,000, bringing the total investment to $1 million.

…

Expected to be completed by this fall, residents in these locations will have access to the company’s Spectrum Internet, Spectrum TV, Spectrum Voice, and Spectrum Mobile services.

Spectrum Internet offers starting speeds of 200 Mbps and connections up to 1 gigabit per second — exceeding the state’s speed goals for 2022 and 2026 — with no modem fees, data caps or contracts.

Policy changes make telehealth possible especially for non-COVID19 issues

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Faribault Daily News reports…

While the technology enabling the significant shift to telemedicine has been in place for years, most providers have preferred to stick with face-to-face appointments. In addition, Medicare and other health insurance often haven’t reimbursed care providers for virtual appointments.

On both counts, change has come rapidly. On March 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it would reimburse physicians for telehealth visits at the same rate as for in-person visits.

Effective March 1, the change covers checkups and medical care provided for any reason, not just coronavirus care. Medicare also expanded access by scrapping a rule that required all telehealth visits to take place on devices meeting federal online privacy and security standards.

U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar feel that doesn’t go far enough. Together, Minnesota’s two senators introduced the Health Care at Home Act last Friday, with the backing of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Psychiatric Association and other organizations. The bill is designed to reduce the gap in coverage for telemedicine visits in comparison to in-person visits. It also prohibits restrictions as to which particular medical issues are eligible for telemedicine reimbursement.

Other restrictions existed at the state level, including limits on the number of reimbursable telemedicine visits per week and a requirement that telemedicine appointments be conducted over video chat rather than by phone.

Maisha Giles, the Minnesota Department of Health’s behavioral health director, said her agency has worked rapidly to help care providers across the state adapt to telemedicine. In addition, she said, the department has provided flexible grant funding for providers.

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation Donate Nearly $100,000 to Help Residents in Twin Cities Experiencing Homelessness or Hunger

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Super careful readers will know that homelessness is something I care a lot about – so I couldn’t resist sharing this…

Nonprofits that help people experiencing homelessness and vulnerabilities in Minneapolis and St. Paul are facing immense challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are helping local organizations serve their clients during this crisis.

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation announced today nearly $100,000 to five Twin Cities nonprofits dedicated to helping those experiencing homelessness or hunger in Minnesota.

“One of AT&T’s core values is to Be There when people need us,” said Paul Weirtz, president of AT&T Minnesota.  “Now more than ever, our most vulnerable residents – and the organizations that support them – need help.  We’re proud we’ve been able to provide some support in Minnesota.”

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have donated to the following organizations:

  • The Salvation Army Northern Division: A $25,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation will support The Salvation Army’s relief efforts in response to the COVID-19 crisis.  The Salvation Army’s most important programs – food, emergency services and housing – remain open and are seeing increased demand.  For example, their Twin Cities service centers are experiencing a fivefold increase in demand for food.  At just one location, more than 260 families are seeking food a week, up from 50.  The grant will also support the Harbor Light Center, the largest homeless shelter in Hennepin County, and its relief programs that have been impacted by COVID-19.
  • People Serving People: A $25,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation will help People Serving People continue its mission to provide shelter, basic needs, early childhood education, and comprehensive support services to families experiencing homelessness and other adversities.  The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the shelter’s programs, operations and staffing, but the organization remains open and working to keep staff, guests, and the community safe.  Currently, People Serving People cannot utilize its nearly 7,000 volunteers, access is limited to the shelter, there is increased internet bandwidth, cleaning has been expanded to three times a day, and meals are delivered in disposable containers to rooms.  The grant will help People Serving People meet these increased costs to continue serving children and families in Minneapolis.
  • Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities: A $25,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation will help Union Gospel Mission cover increased expenses related to COVID-19, including added PPE supplies, transport, cleaning and triage costs, so it can safely continue its programs to fight homelessness.  The Mission provides safe shelter, emergency food, medical and dental care, education and substance abuse recovery services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.  The grant will help the Mission purchase much-needed facemasks, cleaning supplies and equipment rentals so the nonprofit can continue providing homeless services, shelter and food to those in need.
  • Second Harvest Heartland: A $12,500 contribution from AT&T will help Second Harvest Heartland as it works around the clock to get much-needed food to local families, partner food shelves, and other hunger-relief programs.  The demand for emergency food assistance has risen to historic levels due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Second Harvest has ramped up food distribution and redesigned services in response to a steep increase in local hunger due to the pandemic.
  • Hunger Solutions: A $10,000 contribution from AT&T will support Hunger Solutions as it works to address the surging demand for food resources as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Hunger Solutions has been helping implement new food shelf delivery models that maintain safety for staff, volunteers, and clients during the pandemic.  They have also been helping families and kids find out where they can get a free meal during the school closures, and providing Minnesotans with ways they can help members of their communities struggling with hunger.

OPPORTUNITY: FCC & IMLS Partner to address digital divide with CARES

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From the FCC…

The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it is partnering with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to promote the use of $50 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help address the digital divide during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  The agencies will team up to raise awareness of these funds among libraries and Tribal organizations, which can use them to increase broadband access in their communities.

The CARES Act allocated $50 million in funding to IMLS, the primary source of federal funding for the nation’s museums and libraries, to enable these institutions, as well as organizations serving Tribal communities, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.  This includes work to expand digital network access, purchase Internet accessible devices, and provide technical support services to their communities.

More than half of this funding was distributed through State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) in all states and territories based on population.  States and territories may use these funds to expand broadband access and prioritize their efforts to high-need communities using data on poverty rates, unemployment rates, and broadband availability.  IMLS has provided additional details regarding this funding availability directly to SLAAs.

Additionally, $15 million of this funding will be awarded through grants to libraries and museums, as well as Tribes and organizations serving and representing Native Hawaiians.  The goal of these grant programs is to support these entities and organizations in responding to the coronavirus pandemic in ways that meet the immediate and future COVID-19 needs of the communities they serve.  Grant proposals may include short- or medium-term solutions to address gaps in digital infrastructure.  For example, libraries may partner with community organizations to develop community Wi-Fi hotspot and laptop lending programs in underserved areas.  Applications are due June 12, 2020 with award announcements anticipated in August 2020.

“Now more than ever, it is critical that all Americans have access to broadband to participate in online learning, get medical care via telehealth, search for jobs, and stay in touch with family and friends,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.  “And many Americans rely on their local library for this connectivity.  So I’m pleased that Congress has provided funding to libraries and other entities to help them respond to the needs of their patrons during the coronavirus pandemic by bringing digital tools such as Wi-Fi and tablets into their communities.  We look forward to working with IMLS to ensure that our nation’s libraries and Tribal organizations know about this opportunity and how it can help bridge the digital divide, especially in rural and low-income communities.”

“We are called to respond to the urgent needs of our communities,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper.  “IMLS is focusing on bolstering the digital capacity of libraries and museums, helping them address the digital divide with the resources and direction provided by Congress and the White House through the CARES Act.  We are pleased to do this jointly with the FCC, which, under the leadership of Chairman Pai, has also taken a key role in addressing the pandemic and technological challenges in low-income, rural, urban, Tribal, and underserved communities.  This money and this partnership will make a difference in the lives of people across the nation.”

As part of the FCC’s collaboration with IMLS, the FCC will publicize these CARES Act resources, help conduct outreach to libraries as well as organizations serving Tribal communities regarding the CARES Act funding and other IMLS resources available to them, and provide information on broadband service providers that may be able to help.  The agencies will also share information on the availability of broadband and on the connectivity needs of libraries, including in rural areas, and work together to ensure that libraries across the country are aware that community use of Wi-Fi networks supported by the FCC’s E‑Rate program is permitted during library closures due to COVID-19.

For updates on the FCC’s wide array of actions to keep consumers connected during the coronavirus pandemic, visit www.fcc.gov/coronavirus.  For information on Chairman Pai’s Keep Americans Connected Initiative, visit www.fcc.gov/keepamericansconnected.

OPPORTUNITY: $1.5 Billion in New Grant Funding Available from Economic Development Administration for Broadband & Other Projects

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CTC Technology & Energy report…

The recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act added $1.5 billion to an existing grant program of the US Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration’s (EDA).

This is a significant opportunity, both because of the size of the allocation and its breadth of eligibility. The grants are available to local and state governments, non-profits, and other non-commercial entities that have a compelling case for using infrastructure projects (including broadband initiatives) to ameliorate the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis.

This is also an opportunity that demands quick action. EDA will receive applications and make awards on a rolling basis, so applicants with projects in advanced planning stages (and even those with a strong concept and an ability to quickly develop a project plan) should move rapidly to submit their applications.

Broadband Projects That Will Help Address Coronavirus Challenges Are Eligible

The EDA’s significant funding allocation—announced in an addendum to EDA’s notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) on May 7th—can be used for broadband projects (in addition to other types of projects) that will strengthen economic resilience, diversify the economy and workforce, or support recovery in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. (Examples of successful past projects can be found on EDA’s website—though we anticipate the new funding to be awarded to a broader range of broadband projects.)

2020 MN Broadband County Gig ranking. From 99 to 0 percent coverage. How do you rank?

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The new MN County broadband maps are now up on the Office of Broadband Development websites- showing percentage of each county with (and without) broadband access. Earlier I looked at how counties ranked for access to 25/3 (the 2022 MN State speed goal), to 100/20 (the 2026 speed goal) and now Gig access!  (You can download the full spreadsheet of MN county details for speeds or 100/20 and Gig.)

We haven’t looked at Gig access in the past so I’m just going to put it out there and say congrats to the top of the list and good luck to the folks are the bottom. (You can also download this info in a spreadsheet – which will likely be better formatted.)

County Gig Access Ranking
Beltrami 99.23 1
Stevens 96.79 2
Cook 94.5 3
Lake 93.23 4
Clearwater 89.32 5
Red Lake 83.18 6
Kittson 80.11 7
Lac qui Parle 78.96 8
Winona 76.16 9
Wadena 73.86 10
Steele 72.23 11
Wabasha 65.78 12
Itasca 62.89 13
Dodge 60.49 14
Grant 60.3 15
Goodhue 54.9 16
Hubbard 53.79 17
Big Stone 52.94 18
Rock 47.94 19
Cottonwood 47.58 20
Swift 47.52 21
Sibley 46.43 22
Crow Wing 43.99 23
Marshall 43.05 24
Mahnomen 43.01 25
Houston 41.17 26
Polk 40.95 27
Norman 40.08 28
Pope 35.34 29
Morrison 35.06 30
Todd 34.15 31
Becker 33.69 32
Olmsted 32.48 33
Freeborn 30.24 34
Cass 30.14 35
Rice 30.12 36
Roseau 27.93 37
Waseca 26.88 38
Douglas 26.61 39
Wilkin 26.04 40
Fillmore 26 41
Renville 25.87 42
Carver 24.3 43
Mower 23.29 44
Lincoln 19.73 45
Pennington 18.72 46
Otter Tail 18.38 47
Watonwan 17.17 48
Clay 15.6 49
Le Sueur 15.46 50
Hennepin 15.41 51
Traverse 14.57 52
Pipestone 12.47 53
Nicollet 11.99 54
Blue Earth 11.73 55
Aitkin 10.97 56
Stearns 10.34 57
Wright 9.66 58
Nobles 9.62 59
Koochiching 7.5 60
Chippewa 7.47 61
St. Louis 7.15 62
Chisago 6.79 63
Scott 6.77 64
Lyon 6.72 65
Dakota 4.94 66
McLeod 4.74 67
Carlton 4.01 68
Lake of the Woods 3.82 69
Meeker 3.19 70
Sherburne 3.09 71
Murray 1.88 72
Benton 0.79 73
Brown 0.78 74
Anoka 0.27 75
Washington 0.18 76
Yellow Medicine 0.17 77
Jackson 0.13 78
Isanti 0.12 79
Faribault 0.09 80
Ramsey 0.06 81
Kanabec 0 82
Kandiyohi 0 83
Martin 0 84
Mille Lacs 0 85
Pine 0 86
Redwood 0 87

2020 MN Broadband County Ranking for speeds of 100/20 – how do you rank?

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The new MN County broadband maps are now up on the Office of Broadband Development websites- showing percentage of each county with (and without) broadband access. Earlier I looked at how counties ranked for access to 25/3 (the 2022 MN State speed goal) soon I’ll look at Gig access. You can download the full spreadsheet of MN county details for speeds or 100/20 and Gig.

Here I look at how counties rank for access to 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up (the 2026 speed goal).

Top 10 MN Counties for Speeds of 100/20 (drum roll please)

  1. Rock 99.93
  2. Ramsey 99.84
  3. Lac qui Parle 99.57
  4. Swift 99.5
  5. Beltrami 99.25
  6. Hennepin 98.97
  7. Big Stone 98.6
  8. Dakota 97.42
  9. Anoka 97.14
  10. Pennington 96.95

The counties in bold are returning to the Top 10 list. Pennington is a new addition; they replace Stevens, which comes in at number 11 with a percentage of 96.79. Congrats and nice work to these counties‼

Bottom 10 MN Counties for Speeds of 100/20 (starting with worst)

  1. Kanabec 26.41
  2. Redwood 36.48
  3. Yellow Medicine 37.71
  4. Pine 39.13
  5. Lincoln 40.42
  6. Faribault 40.56
  7. Aitkin 46.66
  8. Isanti 48.63
  9. Todd 49.12
  10. Traverse 50.97

The counties in bold are returning to the Bottom 10 list. I want to congratulate the counties that are off the bottom 10 list!!

  • Becker from 87 to 50 (with 73 percent coverage up from 6 percent last year!)
  • Otter Tail from 82 to 64 (with 66 percent coverage)
  • Norman from 85 to 73 (with 54 percent coverage)
  • Mahnomen from 86 to 53 (with 72 percent coverage)

Finally my favorite statistic – the most improved counties.

Top 9 Most Improved County by ranking

  1. Becker improved by 37
  2. Mahnomen improved by 33
  3. Hubbard improved by 27
  4. Roseau improved by 10
  5. Kittson improved by 8
  6. Norman improved by 8
  7. Grant improved by 7
  8. Clay improved by 6
  9. Lac qui Parle improved by 6

You can download a spreadsheet of ranking for 2019 and 2020. Or see the full list below. I know the table will not transfer well to the website BUT it will be searchable.)

Rank 2020 Ranking 2019 Change in rank
Aitkin 81 80 -1
Anoka 9 8 -1
Becker 50 87 37
Beltrami 5 6 1
Benton 21 20 -1
Big Stone 7 5 -2
Blue Earth 42 39 -3
Brown 47 44 -3
Carlton 76 73 -3
Carver 20 23 3
Cass 66 68 2
Chippewa 29 31 2
Chisago 52 51 -1
Clay 23 29 6
Clearwater 22 17 -5
Cook 14 13 -1
Cottonwood 62 59 -3
Crow Wing 26 21 -5
Dakota 8 7 -1
Dodge 43 41 -2
Douglas 56 56 0
Faribault 82 77 -5
Fillmore 75 70 -5
Freeborn 27 25 -2
Goodhue 46 50 4
Grant 68 75 7
Hennepin 6 4 -2
Houston 57 57 0
Hubbard 18 45 27
Isanti 80 72 -8
Itasca 28 27 -1
Jackson 58 55 -3
Kanabec 87 84 -3
Kandiyohi 48 47 -1
Kittson 35 43 8
Koochiching 59 46 -13
Lac qui Parle 3 9 6
Lake 15 14 -1
Lake of the Woods 72 65 -7
Le Sueur 54 52 -2
Lincoln 83 76 -7
Lyon 36 30 -6
Mahnomen 53 86 33
Marshall 61 66 5
Martin 71 64 -7
McLeod 70 63 -6
Meeker 74 74 0
Mille Lacs 69 67 -2
Morrison 55 53 -2
Mower 40 36 -4
Murray 77 69 -8
Nicollet 41 37 -4
Nobles 34 40 6
Norman 73 85 8
Olmsted 16 15 -1
Otter Tail 64 82 -2
Pennington 10 11 1
Pine 84 81 -3
Pipestone 37 35 -2
Polk 17 19 2
Pope 51 54 3
Ramsey 2 2 0
Red Lake 30 26 -4
Redwood 86 83 -3
Renville 65 62 -3
Rice 31 28 -3
Rock 1 1 0
Roseau 38 48 10
Scott 19 18 -1
Sherburne 49 49 0
Sibley 67 61 -6
St. Louis 39 38 -1
Stearns 33 32 -1
Steele 25 22 -3
Stevens 11 10 -1
Swift 4 3 -1
Todd 79 79 0
Traverse 78 71 -7
Wabasha 63 60 -3
Wadena 13 16 3
Waseca 45 42 -3
Washington 12 12 0
Watonwan 60 58 -2
Wilkin 44 34 -10
Winona 24 24 0
Wright 32 33 1
Yellow Medicine 85 78 -7

2020 MN Broadband County Ranking for 25/3 speeds – how do you rank?

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The new MN County broadband maps are now up on the Office of Broadband Development websites- show percentage of each county with (and without) broadband access. It’s always interesting to use the new maps to see how the counties rank. Who is in the best shape in the short and long term? In this post I look at how counties rank when looking at access to 25 Mbps down and 3 up, which is the MN speed goal for 2022. (I will do another post that looks at 2026 goals of 100 Mbps down and 20 up and one on Gig access.) And I will compare to 2019 ranking.

Top 10 MN Counties for Speeds of 25/3

  1. Red Lake 99.99
  2. Rock 99.93
  3. Ramsey 99.86
  4. Clearwater 99.74
  5. Lac qui Parle 99.57
  6. Swift 99.54
  7. Beltrami 99.49
  8. Big Stone 99.48
  9. Hennepin 99.40
  10. Stevens 99.22

Great to see the top 10 with more than 99 percent coverage. The counties in bold were on this same list last year. Congrats to LqP for joining the list; it wasn’t much of a climb for them but nice all the same.

Bottom 10 MN Counties for Speeds of 25/3 (starting with worst)

  1. Redwood 44.59
  2. Todd 53.73
  3. Lake of the Woods 57.91
  4. Yellow Medicine 59.83
  5. Pine 60.24
  6. Kanabec 60.75
  7. Lincoln 60.91
  8. Fillmore 61.52
  9. Meeker 62.46
  10. Aitkin 63.62

Again the counties in bold were on this list last year. Both Redwood and Todd were listed at having greater coverage last year. I will dive into that when I look at County Profiles but it seems like perhaps providers are looking in greater granularity at the coverage this year or maybe updates were made to maps based on challenges from last year.

I want to cheer the counties who got off the bottom 10 list:

  • Marshall from 82 to 74
  • Murray from 81 to 78
  • Renville from 79 to 76
  • Martin from 78 to 38!!

You can download the full spreadsheet of MN county details or check out the table below. (I know the table will not transfer well to the website BUT it will be searchable.) Continue reading →

DFL Candidates in Le Sueur County talk about issues, including broadband

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Le Sueur County News reports current views from two incumbents and two newcomers who have won the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party’s endorsement to represent Le Sueur County and surrounding areas in St. Paul. Here’s what they say about broadband…

Rep. Lippert: “I ran for office initially and I’m running for office again because I care about small areas. I grew up in a town of 700 people in northwest Iowa and I’ve been an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ for 17 years serving small churches and small towns in Wisconsin and most recently in Northfield. I want small communities to have what they need and rural areas to have what they need. I want us to be connected to the rest of the state and for the state to see itself connected to us in small towns. Because it doesn’t matter what we look like or where we’re from, we all need high quality affordable healthcare, we all need to stay home when we’re sick, we need good schools for our kids, we need high speed broadband. That’s at the heart of why I’m running.”

Rep. Lippert: “With COVID-19 it’s shown us the disparities that were already there before COVID-19, but they’re even more clear. The geographic disparities are very clear right now and we need to make sure that rural communities are not left out or left behind.The broadband issue is really key. We need to make sure that kids have high speed broadband so they can do homework and people can do their jobs. The farm economy is a major concern. We just passed bill on the house floor yesterday that I was the lead author on that paused farm foreclosures until December 1. Making sure that farmers are able to bridge this gap and withstand the farm is really important. Paid family leave is something that is really important too. We need to make sure that when people are sick they have economic security to stay home and they don’t feel that they have to go to work to get a paycheck and risk others getting sick too.”

Prom [Erina Prom, vice chair of the Le Sueur-Henderson School Board]: “There’s a quote by an educator that I’ve been coming back to over and over. Just the idea of ‘Everybody talks about returning to normal.’ Normal wasn’t working and we shouldn’t actually go back to what it used to be. Together, we actually have an opportunity make a new normal that works for everybody. The quote is from Dwayne Reed and he says ‘I hope that our new normal today exposes what was wrong with our old normal yesterday and sets us up for for a better normal tomorrow.’ COVID-19 has laid bare so many inequities amongst Minnesotans and we have the opportunity to really go in and do more than a band-aid fix. We can address inequities in healthcare access and prescription drug coverage, we can address the inequities of internet across the state of Minnesota with border-to-border broadband, we have the opportunity to invest in clean energy across the state of Minnesota while also ensuring that it’s an affordable option.”

EVENT June 2: Minnesota Broadband Coalition Virtual Meeting

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From the MN Broadband Coalition…

Save the Date!
Minnesota Broadband Coalition Virtual Meeting

Tuesday, June 2, 2020
1:00 PM – 3:00 p.m.
Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/304599317
You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
– One-touch: tel:+16467493122,,304599317#
Access Code: 304-599-317
Agenda Coming Soon!

RAMS, Koochiching and Itasca Counties ask residents to take the broadband speed test and spread the word!

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An announcement and invitation from the partners…

TAKE THE TEST and SHARE THE LINK https://expressoptimizer.net/public/

Koochiching and Itasca County in partnership with the Range Association of Municipalities & Schools (RAMS) is pleased to announce the formal public kickoff of a crowdsourcing project covering the entire areas of both counties. This broadband speed testing initiative is being conducted by GEO Partners, LLC during a time when more people are at home per the Governor’s “Stay at Home” directive. This includes over 10,000 students (K-12) as well as parents required to work from home and thus should provide the most comprehensive, accurate accumulation of actual broadband speeds ever conducted in these counties while demand on the system is highest.

The data collected via a one minute speed test can be conducted from any device connected to your broadband signal including cell phones and will result in statistically valid data and mapping. This data will then enable any locale in Koochiching or Itasca County to utilize the validated information for a broadband expansion project and seek grant funding from the FCC, USDA or Border to Border state program. We anticipate a higher than normal volume of participation, partially because of all the students who are struggling to stay connected to their E Learning while living in rural areas in the county.  Collecting data from cabin owners across our lake enhanced counties will also be vitally important data.

Representative Rob Ecklund a Koochiching County resident and the chief author of a bill for broadband funding praised both Itasca and Koochiching County boards for their support of this project as he knows all too well how living without quality high speed broadband makes life more challenging.  Representative Sandy Layman from Itasca County took the speed test this morning and expressed how simple and quick the test was.  “My results were interesting as my download speed was almost half as much as the upload speed, so I will take the test again”, she stated.

School districts in both counties have already been contacted and asked to send a message to their students to “Take the Test” and help jumpstart these projects.  Both counties will ask county employees to participate; local businesses and social media will play an important role in getting the message out throughout both counties.  Koochiching Technology Initiative and Blandin Broadband will both play important roles in keeping the momentum going as the speed tests will likely run for 8 to 12 weeks.

RAMS, as an organization has been a strong advocate for broadband expansion across Northeastern Minnesota.  RAMS’ and the Commissioners of your counties, recognize that high speed quality broadband is a critical utility to economic development, education, business and virtual healthcare.  RAMS is grateful for the partnership with Koochiching & Itasca County on this project and encourages everyone to TAKE THE TEST and SHARE THE LINK https://expressoptimizer.net/public/   TAKE IT NOW! Your participation is important and no personal information will be collected.

Maps of the County speed tests will be accessible on the RAMS website: https://expressoptimizer.net/projects/Koochiching/speedtestmap.php

https://expressoptimizer.net/projects/Itasca/speedtestmap.php

Strut Your Stuff: Broadband projects with the GRIZZLIES (Cook, Orr and Bois Forte)

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Part of becoming a Blandin Broadband Community (BBC), is the opportunity to show off what you’ve been doing related to broadband in your community. It was great to hear from folks from the GRIZZLIES today. (Grizzlies is the mascot for North Woods School, which was opened in 2012 when the schools in Cook, Orr and Bois Forte were consolidated.)

It’s great to see how well the three communities work together. Really great.

And they provides a handy list of all of their projects:

  1. QuickBooks Online (Lisa Hyppa)
    The Grizzly’s continue to work with Lisa Hyppa to provide QuickBooks online education and program development to local business throughout our region. The intake of this program has given multiple local businesses the opportunity to manage their business online and educate themselves in basic accounting practices provided through Lisa.
  2. Cook Library WIFI Hotspots (Crystal Phillips)
    The Cook Library continues to Provide WIFI access points and computer access to Members of the Cook Library. During the Covid-19 crisis, the WIFI hotspots are in high demand. The success of this program has led to the procurement and disbursement of WIFI hotspots to all elementary students of the Nett Lake Elementary school in order to provide a means of communication between school children and teachers in areas where broadband is limited.
  3. Orr Center Wireless Buildout (Wendy Purdy)
    The Orr Center (Old Orr High School) was in need of new wireless equipment. Since the closing of the school, the original Cisco access points were in dire need of replacing. Local Tech guys Lou Pliml, and Evertt Huismann completed a wireless implementation of the school providing coverage to all areas of the building. Lou and Evertt donated a considerable amount of time chasing old cut out wiring and replacement of cabling to make this project a success.
  4. Wireless to Ball Fields Grizzly’s school (John Vukemanich, Lou Pliml, Evertt Huismann)
    The Grizzly’s school had a request to enhance its WIFI access to the ball fields surrounding the school. The school teachers and athletic programs utilize this WIFI to provide program access to the school children and athletic game broadcasting via you tube. This project got highly technical as it required fiber optic cabling to be installed within the school to the roof of the school. One directional Wireless bridge was installed on top of the school and the other on top of the Football field broadcasting house to make the wireless connection. An outdoor access point was then installed at the football broadcasting house connecting the teachers, students and media broadcasters to the school network. Local Tech guys Lou Pliml and Evertt Huismann installed and setup the equipment. Bois Forte Purchased and donated the fiber optic cabling and bridging equipment needed to provide the equipment between the school and Football field clubhouse.
  1. Art Unlimited- Website Design training
    Our original intention of this program was to develop a specific website tailored to all sports activities of the Grizzly’s school and have it built solely by Art Unlimited out of Cook. Throughout this website would be various content on games and activities with links for community members to watch local games being broadcasted via broadband through computer, iPads, iPhones etc.  Once we progressed, we revisited our intention and realized it was not in the best intention of the school nor the students. We then retailored the program such that Art Unlimited would train and teach various students on how to build and develop websites, gather information and how to manage sites properly. This project did not go unnoticed from the school district. In due diligence we notified the school district of our intention on providing school activity content via this newly created website and after a few short meetings they were ok with the project. This project has been indivertibly affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, but will still manage to go Live in June prior to the start of the upcoming years athletic programs.
  1. Zup’s Online Ordering Process
    Due to Covid-19, various community members reached out to us for assistance on how best to provide social distancing when forced to enter small community-based grocery stores. We decided that a web-based ordering system for food from the local Zup’s IGA would best satisfy the community’s needs and provide the protection necessary to safeguard a lot of the elderly and at-risk community members within our area. The website has been up and running and handling several requests per day. We are anticipating early June for completion as each item throughout the store must be accounted for and maintained throughout the website in a specific database. Local Web Designer Art Unlimited and Local tech guy Lou Pliml were influential on integration and implementation of this project. Zup’s IGA expressed their appreciation recently on the project and how it has aided their business throughout this epidemic.
  1. Nett Lake Fiber to the Home Project
    Due to the implementation of various broadband activities and projects throughout our region provided through the Blandin Foundation, the Bois Forte Reservation was successful in applying for DEED Fiber to the home funding to build out a complete fiber optic to the premise buildout. Other contributing sources of funding came through the IRRRB and Shakopee Reservation. No funding through the Blandin Foundation was used to acquire this grant funding, but was considered one of the primary sources of community-based involvement needed to prove that such a buildout is necessary and financially stable to implement within this region. Bois Forte is now researching funding opportunities to provide engineering costs and estimates to the communities that have close ties to the reservation. These community include the City of Orr, Cook, Tower, Soudan and the Greenwood Township area.

Broadband maps are unreliable – even in Minnesota

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Broadband Breakfast reports…

Broadband Breakfast Live Online panelists on Wednesday said that current broadband maps are insufficient and that they are harming the people they are meant to serve.

The forum was an opportunity for participants to describe the state of broadband in their respective areas as well as the applications of various services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Speakers included Glenn Fishbine, chief technology officer at NEO Partners, LLC, Eric Frederick, vice president for community affairs at Connected Nation, Brian Webster, CEO of Wireless Mapping Inc. and Russ Elliot, director of the Washington State Broadband Office.

The article include a map “showcasing areas in which Connected Nation had low confidence in broadband connectivity reports — which included almost all supposedly connected regions.” I’ve included it here and you can see what Minnesota looks like.

They used an example from Minnesota…

For example, a Minnesota broadband company called Radio Link Internet offers 300-megabyte symmetric wireless, which disqualifies areas under its service for grants. But a NEO Partners study found that Radio Link had not undergone an LTD speed test in the previous 12 months.

“We are seeing the impact of bad reporting by individual ISPs either because they’re clumsy or they don’t know what they’re doing or because the process is broken,” Fishbine said. “But this is taking a large number of communities out of the pool of potential grant applications.”

Webster said that for broadband maps to transition away from clunky inaccuracy, they have to move to the household level.

It’s hard to get good mapping. Broadband coverage changes almost daily. The ISP tends to report in broadband swaths, which can overstate coverage. Speed tests rely on so many moving pieces including broadband speed between the connection to the node, to the home and then the quality of the device. But these maps are important because eligibility for funding – for billions of dollars – is often based on mapping.

Pandemic exacerbates and shines a light on inequity in Minnesota

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MinnPost recently ran an editorial from Jane Leonard and Dane Smith from Growth & Justice on need for equity in Minnesota – a need that didn’t start with the coronavirus pandemic but the pandemic is pushing the inequity to the headlines. Here one example from the article…

An April 11 Star Tribune front-page story (“Spotty broadband, rural toll”) revealed a family on Minnesota’s Iron Range coping with COVID-19 by driving 15 miles to a McDonald’s parking lot and connecting to high-speed Wi-Fi there so that kids could do online homework and mom could do basic household business. Given the emerging importance of telehealth, rural regional leaders in the article emphasized once again that high-speed broadband in Greater Minnesota must now be considered basic public infrastructure, a matter of regional equity, and no longer an optional luxury.

They mention other inequities but of course broadband what interests me here. The mention the inequities in the context of a solution. For several years now, Growth & Justice has been working on a statewide blueprint to reduce inequities, unite Minnesota and lift us all up…

One of the featured recommendations in the Blueprint squarely addresses the rural broadband disparity and the urban “digital divide.’’ The report explains in detail how Minnesotans without high-speed internet can’t run their businesses, do their jobs, attend school, seek medical help, or function as consumers. The Blueprint proposes an ambitious multiyear state investment over at least a decade to ensure that construction proceeds regardless of location or market strength. In the COVID aftermath, robust and affordable anywhere-for-anyone broadband will continue to be central to the recovery and continued operations of our communities, economy and society at large.

COVID can be our crucible of long-term change for the better, if we choose. And our Minnesota Equity Blueprint could be the first draft of that new socioeconomic contract for a more inclusive, equitable and secure prosperity across the North Star State.