Monthly Archives: December 2020

Technology is a helper in getting access to mental health support during the holidays

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The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the impact the pandemic is having on our mental health and offers some tips to help improve your mental health. Two of the three suggested actions include technology – the other two are recognize when you are feeling down and get some exercise. Here are the tech steps…

  • Telehealth appointments are available: Talk therapy can be well-suited to video or audio-only sessions, and a smartphone may allow more privacy than a home computer. An initial appointment will likely be a screening, potentially followed by a recommendation to start a course of therapy.
    “Telehealth is available. Would I say it’s pervasive? I think it’s working to become pervasive,” said Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of NAMI.
  •  Connect with others: “Connection is a kind of antidepressant,” Duckworth said. Phone calls and video chats are good, but it doesn’t have to be with family — book clubs, Alcoholics Anonymous and grief support groups are all active online now. Don’t be afraid to break the ice for someone else who might benefit from more connection.
  • Use a helpline: Phone-based helplines include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Minnesota Warmline (651-288-0400) and the state Crisis Text Line (Text MN to 741741). The Minnesota Farmer and Rural Helpline is available at 1-833-600-2670 or by texting FARMSTRESS to 898211.

Southern Minnesota looks at impact of RDOF funding to LTD in rural Le Sueur, Steele and Waseca counties

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Faribault Daily News reports on the RDOF award to LTD, especially in their area…

Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission formally allocated $9.2 billion in rural broadband grants, with Minnesota receiving more than $400 million, the fourth largest of any state.

The biggest winner both nationally and in Minnesota was LTD Broadband. A Nevada-based company, LTD currently provides broadband service throughout the Upper Midwest through a network of more than 1,800 wireless towers covering more than 50,000 square miles. LTD’s service area is centered around southern Minnesota, but it stretches as far south as Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as far west as Huron, South Dakota, and as far north as Alexandria.

With the new grant funding in hand, LTD is set to dramatically expand its reach, entering into a dizzying array of new markets. In Minnesota alone, it’s set to reach more than 100,000 new customers.

A significant number of those new potential customers will be local. A map of the winners created by Cooperative Network Services shows LTD’s projects would dramatically expand fiber-optic coverage locally, especially in rural Le Sueur, Steele and Waseca counties. Rice County would see increased fiber-optic coverage as well, but in more limited areas. Richland Township in the county’s southeast corner is projected to be the project’s biggest beneficiary, but Shieldsville and Bridgewater townships will also benefit.

Statewide, LTD gobbled up more than three-quarters of funding, leaving little room for other providers. One exception was in Nicollet County, where Illinois-based Consolidated Communications picked up a small project near North Mankato and Texas-based AMG Technology Investment group got one funded near Nicollet.

They seem optimistic…

While he knew that the federal government was going to spend big on rural broadband, Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha expressed surprise that such a large allocation was given to a company he hadn’t even heard of before the announcement.

“We were surprised a relatively unknown company got the majority of the money versus the providers that already exist within the county,” he said.

But cautious…

Still, whether or not the company will be able to achieve its huge promises is a fair question, and one that concerns Le Sueur County Administrator Darrell Pettis. While Pettis is familiar with LTD, he noted they traditionally provide only fixed wireless through the air, not fiber optic.

Pettis noted that completing much more modest fiber-optic installations on time has proven a challenge at times even for providers with a great deal of experience providing fiber-optic internet, like CenturyLink and Frontier Communications.

In a worst case scenario, LTD’s ambitious broadband expansion plans might not even make it that far. LTD’s proposal will be scrutinized in greater detail and could be rejected through the FCC’s Long Form application process, which is not even due until Feb. 15.

Should LTD’s plans fall through at one point or another, Pettis said that would leave the county in a tough spot because areas covered through the federal dollars take themselves out of the running for assistance through the state’s Border to Border Broadband Development Grant Program.

Klobuchar Broadband Provisions Signed Into Law as Part of Year-End Package

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From Senator Klobuchar‘s office…

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, announced that several of her key broadband priorities were included in the year-end omnibus package signed into law. These provisions include funding to ensure students with the greatest financial need have access to high-speed internet based off Klobuchar’s Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act and funding to implement the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act, bipartisan legislation to improve the accuracy of the FCC’s broadband availability maps which was signed into law in March.

“In 2020, every family in America should have access to high-speed internet, regardless of their zip code,” said Senator Klobuchar. “The pandemic has exposed how critical broadband is to staying connected to work, school, health care and more. These provisions will help bring us closer to ensuring all Americans have access to high speed internet by improving the broadband data collection process and connecting our college students with the greatest financial need to vital internet services.”

The following provisions were included:

  • Connecting College and University Students in Need: The provision includes funding to ensure college students with the greatest financial need have access to high-speed internet based-off the Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act. The package includes $285 million funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs), their students, and minority-owned businesses near those colleges and universities.
    • The funding can be used to purchase routers, modems, wi-fi hotspots, tablets, and laptops. Funding recipients must prioritize students eligible for the Pell Grant or the FCC’s Lifeline program; approved to receive unemployment insurance benefits; currently receiving other need-based financial aid; or earning less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level (i.e., $39,300 for a family of four in the contiguous U.S.). The legislation also allows for connectivity funding for minority-owned businesses near those higher education institutions and establishes the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to carry out programs to expand access to broadband at and in communities around HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs and other MSIs.

Introducing Blandin Broadband Lunch Bunch twice-monthly online discussion series

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The Blandin Broadband Team is kicking off a new virtual series for 2021 – the Blandin Broadband Lunch Bunch. It will happen the second and third Wednesdays of the month from noon to 1pm.

Meetings will alternate between Broadband Infrastructure and Digital Use and Equity. The idea is to get colleagues in a shared space, introduce a topic and talk. We learned at the 2020 Broadband conference that people really enjoyed the opportunity to talk and we often found that the wisdom is in the room, even in a Zoom room. Topics will be announced monthly and may include some experts to get the ball rolling. Here’s what we have for January:

Lunch Bunch on Broadband Infrastructure Jan 13: Everything You Want to Discuss about RDOF

The FCC’s Rural Development Opportunity Fund is a game changer for rural broadband development.  Are the pending results of the reverse auction a win, loss or is the game still in play.  Come bring your questions, share what you know  and tell the group how the RDOF auction is changing your local broadband strategies.

(Register now – for the first, all or several of the upcoming sessions.)

Lunch Bunch on Digital Use and Equity Jan 21: Share a success story

Session moved to Jan 21, to not conflict with the inauguration on Jan 20.

Pleasure join us for the inaugural Lunch Bunch on Digital Use and Equity Jan 21 from noon to 1pm. It’s an opportunity to talk turkey with colleagues and cohorts around Minnesota and beyond! Normally they will be on a specific (but loose) topic but to get the ball rolling, I wanted to invite planner and folks from the front lines to share their best stories of success. Please come and brag!

It will give us some good ideas to replicate. It will give us stories to share with legislators. Most of all, it will help set the stage of success for 2021!

(Register now – for the first, all or several of the upcoming sessions.)

Catch up with RS Fiber on latest Muninetworks’ Community Broadband Bits podcast

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It’s always interesting to hear what’s happening with RS Fiber. They have been innovative and yet straightforward with their broadband solution. Local Self Reliance’s Chris Mitchell talked to a few folks in the years to hear what happening now…

We’ve written a lot about RS Fiber, a broadband cooperative operating in two rural counties in south-central Minnesota. This week on the podcast Christopher talks with two representatives from the cooperative which serves almost three thousand members in Renville and Sibley counties. Our first guest is Jake Reiki, a corn and soybean farmer and Board Chair for RS Fiber. We’re also joined by Jenny Palmer, City Administrator for Winthrop and Treasurer for the cooperative.

Christopher, Jake, and Jenny talk about the trials that shaped a network which fostered some division but which the community now takes for granted, its hybrid fiber and wireless approach to connectivity, what having fast, affordable broadband has done for families and business in the area, and where the network sits financially moving ahead as it continues to expand and see robust, steady growth.

Rosemount City review – included broadband update through Charter

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Sun This Week Reports…

Rural residents of Rosemount got some good news in 2020 when Charter Communications announced a $1 million construction project to bring its fiber-optic network to nearly 265 homes in the northwestern part of the city.

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.

AT&T to build FirstNet tower in Cook County

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Minneapolis Star Tribune reports…

The Cook County Board on Tuesday approved a lease agreement allowing AT&T to build a tower on public land, a decision that sparked controversy among locals and visitors who prefer the region remain off the grid.

Rena Rogers, Cook County’s management information systems director, said the cellphone provider asked to construct a tower near Gunflint Lake so that first responders can access the company’s FirstNet service. Members of the public will also receive regular service. …

The tower will also have room to hold three service providers, should competitors like Verizon or T-Mobile want to venture Up North. Currently, service stops about halfway up the Gunflint Trail.

It was interesting to hear the importance places on the aesthetics of the tower…

“We’re trying really hard to find a balance between service and minimizing impact,” Rogers said.

The new structure will be less than 200 feet tall and built near an existing radio tower “to protect the view shed,” she said. It will not be lit at night to protect the area’s night skies — an asset increasingly used to promote regional tourism.

I understand the conundrum but I don’t hear a “con” for technology deployment now the way I used to years ago. But it’s nice to know that they are thinking about all sides.

PBS Voices looks at Life without the Internet – especially during a pandemic

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The beauty of sharing this in the platform. So I’ll keep my notes brief. It’s just something to share on your family Zoom call over the holiday to help them understand that some folks can’t even Zoom this year because they lack adequate broadband…

Pew looks at opinions of Americans on COVID and Technology

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Pew has been surveying people about their use and opinion of technology during the pandemic…

Over the course of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, Pew Research Center has studied Americans’ attitudes about the role and effectiveness of various technologies and their views about digital privacy and data collection as it relates to the pandemic. Here is what we found.

The tables really say it all – so that’s what I’m going to include below. The table includes the dates that people were surveyed. Most seem to be April, but not all. I can’t wait to see how/if opinions change over time.

General…

Affordability…

    Technology as tool against COVID… 

NTCA and the Fiber Broadband Association ask FCC to look at 100 Mbps speed goal

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Media Post reports…

The Federal Communications Commission should define broadband as internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps in both directions, up from the current benchmark of 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream, trade groups for rural broadband carriers and fiber carriers argue in a new regulatory filing.

The current standard “does not reflect what American consumers need today, let alone tomorrow,” NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association and the Fiber Broadband Association write in comments filed Friday.

“As we look back, the Commission has significantly and repeatedly underestimated consumers’ need for robust broadband service, opting for ‘here and now’ short-term metrics that could not conflict more squarely with long-term objectives and the long-term nature of infrastructure deployment,” the organizations add. “Based on the record in this proceeding, the 25/3 Mbps speed metric does not reflect today’s reality.”

Here are some of their reasons…

The rural broadband association and fiber broadband association argue in their new filing that many people currently need connections greater than the 25/3 benchmark.

“On any given day, for example, multiple family members in a single household might connect to their home networks on separate devices at the same time to engage in remote learning on Google Classrooms, telework on Citrix, access telehealth services on Teladoc, apply for jobs through LinkedIn, chat with family on Zoom, share their views on Twitter, stream a movie on Netflix, and play “Fortnite” with friends across the country and around the world. A 25/3 Mbps connection is not sufficient to support these activities,” the groups write.

They add that people’s need for bandwidth will only increase in the future, as technologies like 8K video and virtual reality take hold.

This is similar to a debate that the MN Broadband Task Force has touched upon in their last two meetings. Some want to push the Minnesota speed goal; some want to investigate it next year. Bad news, investigate next year won out in the report. Good news, symmetrical speeds were put into the mix in discussion topic in the report.

Klobuchar Broadband Provisions Included in Year-End Package Passed by Senate, Expected to be Signed Into Law

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Big news from Senator Klobuchar, especially on broadband mapping and college kids in need of better broadband…

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, announced that several of her key broadband priorities were included in the year-end omnibus package passed by the Senate and expected to be signed into law. These provisions include funding to ensure students with the greatest financial need have access to high-speed internet based off Klobuchar’s Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act and funding to implement the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act, bipartisan legislation to improve the accuracy of the FCC’s broadband availability maps which was signed into law in March.

 

“In 2020, every family in America should have access to high-speed internet, regardless of their zip code,” Klobuchar said. “The pandemic has exposed how critical broadband is to staying connected to work, school, health care and more. These provisions will help bring us closer to ensuring all Americans have access to high speed internet by improving the broadband data collection process and connecting our college students with the greatest financial need to vital internet services.”  

 

The following provisions were included:

  • Connecting College and University Students in Need: The provision includes funding to ensure college students with the greatest financial need have access to high-speed internet based-off the Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act. The package includes $285 million funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs), their students, and minority-owned businesses near those colleges and universities.
    • The funding can be used to purchase routers, modems, wi-fi hotspots, tablets, and laptops. Funding recipients must prioritize students eligible for the Pell Grant or the FCC’s Lifeline program; approved to receive unemployment insurance benefits; currently receiving other need-based financial aid; or earning less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level (i.e., $39,300 for a family of four in the contiguous U.S.). The legislation also allows for connectivity funding for minority-owned businesses near those higher education institutions and establishes the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to carry out programs to expand access to broadband at and in communities around HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs and other MSIs.

Autonomous Cars deliver KFC to customers in China with 5G help

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Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) reports…

In China, the popular fried chicken franchise KFC launched an innovative new way to deliver orders door-to-door using autonomous vehicles linked to 5G networks. This system is completely contactless, eliminating potential exposure customers may have with workers or delivery drivers amid the pandemic. The ‘food trucks’ deliver food and offer walk up services, where customers could use a QR code to complete the transaction and grab their food, similar to that of a vending machine.

It’s worth a visit to the original article to see the vehicle. It’s like a convenience store hot food setup with wheels. A year ago this would have seem sort of silly. Now is seems genius. I wonder what we’ll think a year from now. It does keep people safe from disease but it also takes away a job that at least in the US was the kind of job where you could make fast money without extra education if you were willing to work long shifts, be quick and friendly.

OPPORTUNITY: Take a Local Priorities for a National Broadband Stimulus Survey (by Jan 8, 2021)

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Get some good ideas and/or share some good ideas with people who are going to magnify the sharing to help us all! (Deadline January 8, 2021.)

HR&A Advisors and CTC Technology & Energy – together as the Broadband Equity Partnership – are conducting a survey for government and non-profit broadband leaders to shape priorities for broadband investment and equity in the Biden-Harris administration. They will be working with the Benton Institute to publish the results of this survey and plan to communicate to the new administration and communities about these issues. Findings will be analyzed in aggregate, with all individual responses kept confidential.

The Broadband Equity Partnership is seeking responses from State and local government leaders – including CTOs, CIOs, Economic Development heads, and other decision-makers – and non-profit leaders working with the public sector. They would be most grateful if you would share the link widely with your networks. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and will be open through midnight on January 8, 2021.

https://www.research.net/r/LQ87DPJ

If you have any questions, the survey administrators can be reached at survey@broadbandequity.org.  With your support, we are very excited about the survey’s potential impact in translating Federal policy to locally-based solutions.  Happy holidays!

Congress agrees on pandemic stimulus deal – including $7 billion for broadband

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The New York Times reports…

Congressional leaders on Sunday reached a hard-fought agreement on a $900 billion stimulus package that would send immediate aid to Americans and businesses to help them cope with the economic devastation of the pandemic and fund the distribution of vaccines.

The deal would deliver the first significant infusion of federal dollars into the economy since April, as negotiators broke through months of partisan gridlock that had scuttled earlier talks, leaving millions of Americans and businesses without federal help as the pandemic raged. While the plan is roughly half the size of the $2.2 trillion stimulus law enacted in March, it is one of the largest relief packages in modern history.

It includes $7 billion for broadband access…

The agreement is also expected to provide billions of dollars for testing, tracing and vaccine distribution, as well as $82 billion for colleges and schools, $13 billion in increased nutrition assistance, $7 billion for broadband access and $25 billion in rental assistance. The agreement is also expected to extend an eviction moratorium set to expire at the end of the year.

Governor’s Broadband Task Force Approves Report, Funding Recommendations

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From the MN Broadband Coalition…

The Governor’s Broadband Task Force met today to conduct a walkthrough of a draft of their annual report to the Minnesota State Legislature. The Task Force voted unanimously to approve their report, pending technical edits.

The Task Force is recommending:

  • $120 million per biennium for the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program in DEED’s base budget. This funding figure was based on estimated cost to deploy service in areas that do not have access to the 2022 speed goal of 25mbps download by 3mbps upload.
  • All future expenditures by the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program must be spent on projects that meet the 2026 speed goal of 100/20.
  • $700,000 for the Office of Broadband Development per biennium for staffing and program oversight.
  • The Task Force should review state speed goals in 2021 and consider a new symmetrical state speed goal of 100/100 by 2028.
  • Operating annual fund of $1.5 million to the Office of Broadband to address challenges to broadband access.
  • Develop strategy to improve communications between agencies and private ISPs to eliminate or minimize disruptions in service as well as consider a plan to connect more challenging rural locations of Minnesota.

The Coalition initially recommended “at least $70 million in ongoing funding” for the state grant program and is currently reviewing the Task Force’s $120 million recommendation. We will update you with any recommended changes to the Coalition’s 2021 Legislative Platform if the committee concurs with the Task Force.