Monthly Archives: January 2021

Telecom Industry Wants Federal Broadband Initiatives to Support Training

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I was very excited when I first read this headline, because I assumed training meant digital inclusion training – for folks at all rungs of the digital inclusion ladder. What it really seems to mean is apprenticeships to help build the network, not necessarily use the network.

In a joint letter to the White House and Congress, the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), INCOMPAS, NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA), the Telecommunications Industry Association, USTelecom – The Broadband Association, the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) asked for any infrastructure legislation to include support for broadband-related job skills.

The industry expects as many as 3 million jobs to be created as a result of expansion of 5G communications. The technology is also expected to contribute $500 billion annually to the economy, according to the associations.

The letter proposes that apprenticeship programs would offer diversity, safety and good-paying jobs. The industry already employs some 672,000 workers, while average annual wages are in excess of $77,500.

I’m a big proponent of education (I have two Master’s degrees) so I’m warm to any sort of training to help people get better jobs. But I’d love to see some training on how to use the network too – both in terms of closing the digital divide and making sure people have basic skills to find a job, write an email, work from home but also the education to create new jobs for themselves, pursue dreams and innovate.

EVENT Jan 29: MN Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

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The MN Broadband Task Force is meeting on Friday. Here’s the login info:

January 29 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Click here to join the meeting Or call in (audio only)
+1 763-317-4323,,989314741# United States, Plymouth
Phone Conference ID: 989 314 741#

Here’s the agenda…

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.                Welcome, Task Force Introductions, Attendee Introductions and Approval of Minutes from December 18, 2020 Meeting
10:15 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.  Status of 2020 Annual Report
10:20 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.  Office of Broadband Development Update
10:40 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.  Focus for 2021

  • Topics
  • Presenters
  • Meeting Locations (post-virtual meetings)

11:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  Break

11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.  ask Force Organization

  • Subcommittee or Other Structure
  • Assign Topics
  • Assign Task Force Members to Subcommittee or Other Structure

12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Public Comment, Other Business, February Meeting Plans, Wrap-up

EVENTS: Blandin Broadband Lunch Bunch Feb Topics: Talking with MN Leg (Feb 10) & Digital Navigators (Feb 24)

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Well, the first month went so well we are continuing the Broadband Lunch Bunch sessions – alternating between Broadband Infrastructure and Digital Use and Equity. The idea is to get colleagues in a shared space, introduce a topic and talk. Infrastructure will happen on the second Wednesday of the month and Digital Use and Equity on the fourth. Please note! The Digital Use were originally scheduled for the third Wednesday but we realized that conflicted with the NDIA (National Digital Inclusion Alliance) monthly 101 webinars.

(Side note: If you previously registered for the Digital Use and Equity events before – please re-register. The registration were unfortunately lost in the date transition – but we learned something new!)

Talking with Legislators about Broadband (Feb 10 noon to 1pm CST)
Last fall, we heard a lot about the importance of broadband from legislative candidates across the state and across the aisle.  The commitment will now be illustrated by votes soon to be taken on appropriations bills in St. Paul.  Legislators tell us that they need to hear from constituents to keep an issue at the top of the priority pile.  What are the best ways to do this?  What is your experience with talking with legislators?  What can we learn from other issue advocates?  Be ready to share your success stories, failures and lessons learned.  Register here 

Digital Navigators What, how & why (Feb 24 noon to 1pm CST)
Digital Navigators are individuals who help people (or organizations) through the process of finding the best digital solutions to meet their needs. It scored highly on our interest survey last month and we have (at least) two Lunch Bunchers who are willing to share their expertise with the group – one national and one focused on Minnesota schools. So please come with questions, ideas and solutions. Register here.

State of Broadband in US (Q4, 2020): tracking access and affordability

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Broadband Now Research recently released their latest report on broadband access in the US. I am most interested in the access versus affordable comparison at speeds of 25/3 and 100/25. They define affordable as $60/month or less.

Here’s how Minnesota sits:

  • 92.36 percent access to 25/3
    70.08 percent access to affordable 25/3
  • 68.63 percent access to 100/25
    21.1 percent access to affordable 100/25

You can get an updated and more detailed version of the report from the Broadband Now website. (They get their data by combining government and private sources.

Free WiFi Access Points

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Thanks to Danna MacKenzie, former Office of Broadband Director, I became aware of a great opportunity from a national non-profit organization – the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC.org) .  The initiative is called Project Connect.  You can see details under the COVID 19 tab on their web site, including the application form.  They have a great FAQ on their web site with all of the details.  This organization comes highly recommended.

The have the resources to install an external wi-fi access point on a public or private building, all for free.  They also help the host ensure that everything is secure.  They also provide some ongoing, but limited support on the access point management.

The local host must provide the Internet access, either through their existing access or with a new separate Internet service.  Most hosts are public entities like cities or libraries, but it could be a local grocery store.  Having a place to park or sit is important.  The access point can be located inside, such as in a community room of an affordable housing development, but public access is required.  Smaller communities might identify one site; larger communities might think about identifying sites that are at least 1/2 mile apart.  There seem to be few restrictions.

ITDRC uses paid staff and a corps of qualified volunteers to do this work.  It takes 30-60 days for equipment to be installed.  For those interested, they generally use Ubiquity access points.

Complete information is on their web site.  They would prefer that each site host complete their own application so that all the information goes directly into their system.

Let’s keep them busy in Minnesota!

Chattanooga sees $2.69 billion in community benefit over 10 years from Gig Network

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EPB reports…

Newly-released, independent research documents $2.69 billion in community benefit during the first ten years since EPB of Chattanooga built America’s first Gig-speed community-wide network and used it to establish the nation’s most advanced smart grid power distribution system.

Here’s how they come up with that number…

Key Community Benefits from Chattanooga’s Advanced Infrastructure:

  • Job creation and retention: The fiber optic infrastructure directly supported the creation and retention of 9,516 jobs which is about 40% of all jobs created in Hamilton County during the study period.
  • Lower unemployment rate: According to the study, since Chattanooga’s fiber optic network was deployed, it has helped keep the local unemployment rate lower. This effect has been magnified since the outset of the COVID crisis when fiber optics helped many businesses transition their employees to remote work very quickly. According to the latest available numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hamilton County’s unemployment rate was 4.7% in November which is significantly lower than Tennessee’s rate (5.3%) and two percentage points lower than the U.S. unemployment rate (6.7%) for the same period.
  • Bridging the digital divide for education: Having Chattanooga’s fiber optic network in place allowed EPB to join with Hamilton County Schools and other local and state partners in launching HCS EdConnect, a fiber optic broadband internet service provided at no charge to economically challenged families with K-12 students. Designed to continue providing the service for at least 10 years, HCS EdConnect represents a lasting solution for bridging the digital divide among students. Currently more than 12,000 students have internet access to continue their studies from home through HCS EdConnect.
  • Reduced power outages: Related to the smart grid’s ability to quickly re-route power around storm damage and other problems, the study documents a 40-55% annual decrease in outage minutes providing EPB customers with an average of $26.6 million in savings each year by helping them avoid spoilage, lost productivity, and other negative impacts.
  • Decreased environmental damage: The smart grid has helped EPB decrease carbon emissions by 7,900 tons through demand management and reduced truck-miles.
  • $110 million in Smart City research: In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy designated Chattanooga as a Smart Grid Living Laboratory. Since then, EPB has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a range of other national and local research partners, like the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Center for Urban Informatics and Progress, to play a significant role in more than $110 million in Smart City Research.

It’s hard to put your arms around the benefits of a broadband network. How much do I save doing my banking online rather than drive to the building? I save time and gas. My work is entirely online – how much do I get paid. Just two examples. Now multiply that by households throughout a community and think about every occasion during the day you save/make time and money by going online. Ironically, this is easier to do during a pandemic and never have we missed going to the bank more – but you get what I’m saying.

It’s helpful to see how Chattanooga has done this and it’s amazing to see the results. Ten years gives enough time for the statistics to catch up to the street value.

Governor Walz budgets $50 million for broadband grants for 2022 (none for 2023)

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Governor Walz has released his budget for the next biennium. On pages 21-22, he outlines $50 million for the MN broadband grants – for the first year of the biennium (2022). This compares to the $120 million introduced in the MN House and expected in the Senate…

Recommendation : The Governor recommends $ 50 million in FY 2022 for the Border -to -Border Broadband Grant program. The recommendation allows the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to reserve up to 3% of grant funds for program administration and broadband mapping.

Rationale/Background: Access to robust broadband is now recognized as a critical factor in the economic and social sustainability of all Minnesota communities. The need has only grown dramatically since the start of the pandemic. The state has a broadband mapping program which annually gathers current information from all providers about where broadband internet is available and at what speeds. While great progress has been made over the last several years, with 91% of households and businesses having access to a moderate level of service that meets the state’s 2022 goals; only 87% of rural homes and businesses have access at this minimum definition. In addition, the state as a whole is at 73.6% of homes and businesses meeting the 2026 broadband goal of access to 100Mbps/20Mbps service.

…

Proposal: This proposal funds the Border -to -Border Broadband Development Grant Program in FY 2022. This funding commitment will build on several years of public and private investments in broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas of the state and will facilitate meeting the statutory goal of border -to -border access of 25Mbps/3Mbps broadband service by the year 2022 (§237.012) and begin to pave the way for achieving the state’s 2026 goal of reaching everyone with a service capable of delivering 100Mbps/20Mbps.

Here is the expenditure review for the Broadband Development in DEED (from page 4) with dollar amounts in thousands…

  • FY2018 (Actual) – $28,744
  • FY2019 (Actual) – $586
  • FY2020 (Actual) – $23,898
  • FY2021 (Estimate) – $21,725
  • FY2022 (Forecast Base) – $648
  • FY2022 (Gov Recommendation) – $50,648
  • FY2023 (Forecast Base) – $662
  • FY2023 (Gov Recommendation) – $662

Here’s a chart the Governor has included to show the impact of previous grant investments…

Minnesota speed tests –spreading to other states and a competition is formed. Time to take a test!

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I love a competition in January – from St Paul Winter Carnival Treasure Hunt to beating others states at taking state broadband speed tests. And while I have my Carnival button, just incase I find the medallion first, I’m feeling better about the odds for winning the most speed tests award.

Regular readers will know that GEO Partners have partnered with Minnesota Broadband Coalition to encourage people throughout Minnesota to take the broadband speed tests. Traditional broadband maps have been built largely on broadband provider-supplied data; GEO Partner maps are built on user-supplied data. Well, Kentucky is the latest state to take on the user-focused mapping, largely with the help of the Center for Rural Development.

GEO Partners report in an email…

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced today the launch of the Kentucky Broadband Speed Test, a crowd-sourcing project that will gather data from Kentuckians needed to expand internet home access for distance learning, telework and telehealth. Kentuckians can take the free, anonymous speed test from Jan. 19 to Feb. 18 at ewdc.ky.gov/Initiatives/Pages/KBI.aspx.

 

This means four states are using the mapping:

You can see from the map, that Minnesota’s definitely in the running but here are the map stats:

  • Minnesota has mapped 32,171 locations.
  • Washington has mapped 32,307.
  • Kentucky is at 10,984 (as of Sunday)– but they have only been up a few days.
  • Main has mapped 10,083

We’re going to need a burst of energy to get the most mapped!

EVENT Feb 2: Women in Ag Network sixth annual conference

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The Women in Ag Network conference is not a perfect fit for all readers, but a look at the agenda is a reminder of how important broadband is to all aspects of agriculture business…

“Building Bridges, Cultivating Connections” is the theme of the sixth annual Women in Ag Network Conference. The event will be a day of learning and networking for women involved in agriculture. The conference will be held virtually on February 3 from 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Michele Payn, CSP, principal of Cause Matters Corp, will be the keynote speaker. There will be three tracks of breakout sessions to choose from: Bridging the Gap with Social Media, Cultivating Management Best Practices and Connecting Farmers and Consumers through Marketing. The day will end with a panel discussion, “Direct Marketing: Taking it to the Next Level,” which will feature women who have taken marketing of their agriculture ventures to a new level.
For more information and to register visit z.umn.edu/WAGNConference21.

Twitter is looking to crowdsource truthiness

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USA Today reports…

Twitter is enlisting its users to help combat misinformation on its service by flagging and notating misleading and false tweets.

The pilot program unveiled Monday, called Birdwatch, allows a preselected group of users – for now, only in the U.S. – who sign up through Twitter. Those who want to sign up must have a U.S.-based phone carrier, verified email and phone number, and no recent Twitter rule violations.

Twitter said it wants both experts and non-experts to write Birdwatch notes. It cited Wikipedia as a site that thrives with non-expert contributions.

“In concept testing, we’ve seen non-experts write concise, helpful and easy-to-understand notes, often citing valuable expert sources,” the company wrote in a blog post.

I’m glad that they are looking into checks and balances in the system. But I’ve worked as a librarian and I’ve done search engine optimization; they are similar, but not the same. SEO can sell books and a librarian can get you the right book. One is easier to monetize.

EVENT Feb 17: 5 Tech4Good Trends for Nonprofits in 2021

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Tech Soup is hosting an interesting online meeting for nonprofits. It’s at 9am PST (or 11am CST)…

What are the top emerging trends in digital and how will nonprofits be impacted?

Where should we focus our attention (and resources) in 2021?

Join us for a fast-paced one hour event of mini-presentations on the trends, tools, and techniques nonprofits should use to create more impact.

“How Nonprofits Can Take Advantage of the Internet of Things”, with Gena Dellett

Learn about creative ways nonprofits are incorporating the many “smart” tools that fill our lives into their missions. From using IoT data to share impact with donors to increasing the reach of emergency service programming, everyday objects are transforming how nonprofits deliver on their missions. Getting started is not as hard as you think.

“Amplifying Human Relationships Using Tech” with Ruoyun Xu Killian

Digital has become our primary form of connection in our post-pandemic world. We are being met with a constant array of new technologies to build a bridge between the digital and physical. In this talk, Ruoyun Xu Killian, Digital Marketing Strategist, will teach you how to navigate these new trends and continue to amplify the human relationship that you have built with your audience online. She’ll showcase how new trends like short-form video, Usergenerated content (UGC), and social commerce can help your organization continue to create the impact that you seek.

“Beyond Virtual Volunteer Management: Tech & Trends in the Age of COVID” with James McGirr

GivePulse CTO James McGirr shares how technology has allowed for-impact organizations to pivot opportunities during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Innovations include technical solutions and trends that make staff, centers and activities safe, capabilities to simplify coordination of virtual and remote volunteers, and mechanisms to increase engagement when everyone is just zoom’d out.

“Why Should Nonprofits Embrace AI?” with Aysha Samrin

AI is no longer a complicated tool built exclusively for large tech companies, data scientists, and engineers. Organizations in every industry, from healthcare to finance to nonprofits, now have access to AI-based tools at affordable prices.

In this session, you will earn how Artificial Intelligence can elevate your nonprofit.

Top Broadband Brass in Biden Administration: Girl Power

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Benton reports on recent (acting) additions to the President Biden’s broadband team.

At the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel as Acting Chair…

President Biden designated FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission. Rosenworcel was first appointed to the FCC by President Barack Obama, taking her seat on May 11, 2012. Although President Obama renominated her for a second term in May 2015, the Senate failed to act on her nomination and she briefly left the Commission on January 3, 2017. With strong support from Senate Democrats, Rosenworcel was renominated by President Donald Trump and regained her seat on August 11 of that year. Prior to joining the agency, she served as Senior Communications Counsel for the Senate Commerce Committee under the leadership of Senator John Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Before her time on the Hill, Rosenworcel was a key staffer of FCC Commissioner Michael Copps.

At the NTIA, Evelyn Remaley as Acting-Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information…

Admittedly we first saw this news in a Tweet from Politico reporter John Hendel, but the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s website confirms that Evelyn Remaley is the new Acting-Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.

Most recently, Remaley served as NTIA’s Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development. In that role, Remaley led a team of experts providing senior policy support to the head of the NTIA (when it had one during the Trump administration), the Secretary of Commerce, and the White House on issues impacting the Internet and digital economy. In addition, Remaley led the Department’s Cybersecurity Policy efforts.

At the FTC, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter as Acting Chair of the Federal Trade Commission…

Finally, President Biden designated Rebecca Kelly Slaughter as Acting Chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Slaughter has served as an FTC Commissioner since May 2018. As a Commissioner, Slaughter has been an advocate for greater resources for the FTC and promoted equity and inclusion efforts. She has championed aggressive use of the FTC’s authorities. She has also been particularly outspoken about combatting systemic racism, growing threats to competition, and the broad abuse of consumers’ data. Before joining the FTC, Chairwoman Slaughter served as Chief Counsel to Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), now the Senate Majority Leader.

The meetings are becoming more gender-balanced but as someone who has been sitting around a broadband table for 25 years, often in the extreme minority, I love to see this! The Benton article includes links to a number of related articles.

MN Legislature is looking at broadband as a pandemic imperative – funding amount starts in House at $120 million

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Mankato Free Press reports…

Area lawmakers say broadband funding will be a crucial issue in this year’s legislative session, but no one is certain just how much the state will spend.

COVID-related regulations and lockdown efforts exacerbated Greater Minnesota’s need for better internet access over the past year, giving urgency to the Capitol’s annual debate over broadband infrastructure.

Democrats and Republicans have argued over broadband funding levels in recent years, as well as what type of broadband technology to use.

They mention the recent House committee meeting…

Democratic Rep. Rob Ecklund, of International Falls, introduced a $120 million broadband funding proposal earlier this week, the latest in a series of similarly sized DFL bills over the past few years. While Republicans agree broadband will be a priority this year, many are reluctant to support a bill that large in light of a projected $1.3 billion state budget deficit.

“It’s a nice dream,” said Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake. “I’m just glad that they’re willing to support broadband.”

There are questions about federal aid…

Complicating the issue is the looming federal aid money from the stimulus proposal Congress passed in December. States are expected to get about $300 billion in funding for various issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which includes about $7 billion marked for broadband efforts.

It’s unclear how that broadband money will be divvied up. Local lawmakers say they have yet to hear from federal officials how much they’ll receive or whether they’ll have to provide matching grants to accept the aid.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, said she expects federal aid to cover the state’s immediate broadband industry needs as there’s a backlog on building supplies. Yet she also said broadband is “one of the biggest issues ever for economic recovery of the state.”

Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, agreed, saying the state should invest as much as it can in broadband this year to make up for the lack of access some in Greater Minnesota face.

Senator Draheim to introduce bill soon…

Draheim and Frentz have been key negotiators on broadband issues over the past few years. Draheim said he expects to introduce broadband legislation soon that would also include requirements for companies to ensure they connect all households in a project area, as well as follow through on promised services.

Also thinking about issues of speed goals…

Draheim also said he’d like to see the state increase its 2022 broadband goals of 25 mbps download and 2 mpbs [should be 3 mbps] upload speeds. Minnesota has a 2026 goal of all homes and businesses having access to 100 mbps download and 20 mbps speeds.

Senator Aric Putnam highlights need for broadband (St Cloud)

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St Cloud Times posts a column from Aric Putnam (Minnesota Senate District 14A) including his interest in working on better broadband…

Outside my committee work, I’d like to work on legislation that protects the livelihoods and legacies of family farmers, expands broadband access, and helps make housing more affordable.

Kandiyohi County (MN) is looking for more fiber in 2021

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West Central Tribune reports…

Connie Schmoll, from the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, hopes 2021 is the year a major broadband project is started in underserved areas of the county. She presented information Tuesday to the Kandiyohi County Board, looking for board support on a potential project that could require financial backing from the county.

Here’s a list form of the various opportunities:

  • A survey conducted in Kandiyohi County last year of internet availability and usage showed many were not happy with their internet as the pandemic added significantly to the data being used at homes across the area.
    The good news is there might be fiber broadband expansion on the horizon. Late last year LTD Broadband was one of the winners of the Federal Communications Commission Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction. …
    “They are going to be providing fiber in a large portion of the south part of the county,” Schmoll said.
    While that would reduce the number of underserved households, there would still be pockets of need.
  • There is some positive news on that front. The Federated Telephone Cooperative has been allowed to expand its service area.
    “They are interested in Kandiyohi County, to move into our county, especially the west side and northern area of our county,” Schmoll said. “That was a huge plus.”
  • Schmoll is hoping to bring together a fiber broadband project with at least three rural townships in partnership with Federated, which has said it will provide 25 percent of the project costs.
    A similar project that never quite got off the ground in Dovre, Hamre and St. John’s Townships was estimated to cost close to $4 million and the service provider was only willing to provide 15 percent of the cost.
  • A Border to Border Broadband Development Grant from the state, if awarded, could provide up to 50 percent or $5 million toward a project. However, the state Legislature has not yet approved funding for another round of grants for this year, Schmoll said.
  • County Administrator Larry Kleindl said even if every township in the county wanted that $25,000 for a broadband project, the county could financially make it work.

And end with a statement that shows the level of priority in the area…

“The viability of our rural areas is literally at stake here,” said Commissioner Steve Gardner. “I don’t believe that we as a board can afford to be bashful about supporting financially the efforts to bring broadband to all of these underserved areas.”