Monthly Archives: January 2022

Legislators Return to Saint Paul, Convene 2022 Session (Update from MN Broadband Coalition)

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From the Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition…

Return to Saint Paul, Convene 2022 Session

201 Republican and DFL lawmakers—as well as their hardworking staff—returned to the State Capitol today to convene the 2022 legislative session. Much like the first day of school, the first day of the legislative session consists of ceremonial procedures and housekeeping items. But committees are already scheduling their first hearings and work will soon be underway.  The specter of COVID is still hanging over the year’s work: the House has elected to conduct all their committee business virtually and the Senate will hold hybrid virtual and in-person meetings.

Two major forces will drive the action at the Capitol this year: a historic $7.7 billion surplus and the 2022 election, which includes every Representative, Senator, and the Governor on the ballot. Republicans and DFLers sketched out some of their spending priorities in the last few weeks, including a supplemental budget proposal with $170 million for broadband funding from Gov. Walz.
The Coalition will support the $170 million request in the governor’s supplemental budget proposal as well as pursue $110 million in unallocated funds from the Capital Projects Fund.
Senate Elects New President
Sen. David Osmek (R-Mound) was elected as President of the Senate today. Sen. Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) stepped down as President when he was chosen as Majority Leader by the Republican Caucus earlier this month. The Senate President oversees and manages the Senate chamber during floor sessions.
Broadband Hearing Scheduled for Wednesday
The House Industrial Education and Economic Development Committee will hold an informational hearing Wednesday, February 2, at 8:30 am. The Office of Broadband Development will present information on the Border-to-Border Grant Program and committee members will be able to ask questions. No bills will be presented or heard. You can find livestream (YouTube) information by clicking on this link.
MRBC Virtual Day on the Hill
A brief reminder to those who may have missed it, but our 2022 Day on the Hill will be March 30, 2022. Please mark your calendars and keep an eye out for more information in the coming weeks. The event will be held virtually again this year.

I’m thankful for broadband for…“allowing businesses to succeed” #MNthanks2broadband

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Today we are starting a new series (#MNthanks2broadband) of videos of Minnesota residents talking about broadband on the frontlines.

Thanks to Sarah Kuglin for sharing her gratitude today…

Soon, more money than ever will be available to rural communities looking to build better broadband. We are sharing stories from the frontlines to help motivate and inspire decisionmakers as they do the important work of planning for a tech-connected future in rural Minnesota. Let’s remind them that broadband is important to those who have it and those who don’t. We invite you to share this post on your social channels; tag someone you think needs to hear it. Or – share your own story!

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Record a short video – I’m thankful for broadband because…
  2. Post to social media with #MNthanks2broadband
  3. Tag a friend or favorite community-based organization and encourage them to share why they’re thankful for broadband.
  4. Get more instructions or contact me to help

Check out more video as they get posted: #MNthanks2broadband.

EVENTS Feb 3-Mar 31: Can broadband help beat the winter blues? Maybe with Kairos Clubhouse!

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Folks might remember Kairos Alive! , our most interactive partners at our first (2020) all online annual conference. They were the folks that got us jumping around and dancing between sessions. They have a weekly online program/concert/exercise series coming up that looks like fun. It might be a break in your business day and/or a chance to connect with loved ones who are more homebound, be that a grandparent, parent-of-a-newborn, or someone with compromised health issues. You can meet in the clubhouse…

Kairos Clubhouse!

Connect, Create, and Move for Wellbeing

Get your 9-week pass to the Clubhouse: Thursdays, February 3 – March 31, 2022, 10:30 – 11:15 AM Central and 1-1:45 PM Central. 

On Zoom and YouTube Live.

Experience joy, adventure, and friendship this spring in this 9-week research-based program from Kairos Alive. Building from over two decades of practice and expertise as performers, teachers, and artists, our work is informed by and contributes to a wide breadth of research ranging from social wellness, elder care, memory loss, and mental health. The Clubhouse will play with and explore music, dance, and storytelling from intercultural, intergenerational, and community-centered forms of art-making. Email info@kairosalive.org for the Zoom link and information about the program.

Crystal Valley Partners, Land O’ Lakes and Midco expand broadband to Trimont, MN

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KTOE radio reports…

Crystal Valley announced a collaboration with Land O’Lakes and internet service provider Midco to expand broadband internet access to residents of Trimont, MN and the surrounding community. Midco has installed high-speed broadband technology to three towers in the Trimont area including Crystal Valley’s Trimont location, improving access to broadband connectivity throughout the area. This effort to improve internet connectivity has the potential to directly benefit 1,595 residents in the rural area who are currently unable to access adequate broadband service at their homes.

CTC to Expand Fiber Footprint in Northeast Minnesota (Carlton and St Louis Counties)

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Great news from CTC…

Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC) recently secured a state-of-the-art, allfiber network spanning nearly 610 miles in northeast Minnesota, allowing them to provide high-speed, reliable internet services to businesses and residents throughout the area.

A newly established, long-term partnership agreement with the Northeast Service Cooperative (NESC) allowed for the growth. The network represents 3,160 route miles of fiber: a 20% increase in CTC’s service area. Most importantly, the move will boost the economic capacity of the region, more readily allowing for business growth and workforce development.

“Not only does this tie in with our strategic plan but it will spur business innovation and lead to more job opportunities,” said Kristi Westbrock, CEO/General Manager at CTC. “Plus, it will allow us to have a deeper connection with local cities and townships and more easily secure state and federal funding to get internet to those who need it most.”

“CTC has a proven track record serving Northern Minnesota with reliable telecommunications services and innovative business solutions”, said Paul Brinkman, Executive Director at NESC. “We are delighted to enter into a long-term partnership with CTC to expand high-capacity broadband access and job-creating business development in St. Louis and Carlton Counties.”

The fiber network spans the cities of Cloquet, Hibbing, Chisholm, Mountain Iron, Virginia, Eveleth, Gilbert, Biwabik, Tower, Ely, Aurora, and the surrounding areas and will provide broadband internet of up to 10 Gigabits. For more information and a map of the area visit http://www.goctc.com/NESC.

 

FCC looking at nutrition-like labels for broadband

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Good news for consumers as MSN reports…

Consumers would be able to easily compare rates for home and mobile broadband service under plans given an initial green light by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday.

The proposed new rule would require broadband providers such as AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. to show consumers standardized price data similar to the window stickers on new cars and the nutrition labels on packaged food. …

Under the proposal, internet service labels would include details on prices, data allowances, speeds, and the difference between introductory and regular rates. They would have to be prominently displayed at the time of sale to consumers buying either home broadband or mobile broadband plans.

The FCC is also asking for comment on the labels’ content as well as how the labels must be displayed—for example, whether companies will have to show them prominently on their marketing websites or simply provide a link. The FCC will take public comments on the proposal before completing the rules in the coming months.

Itasca County looks at the local digital divide before and after/during COVID pandemic

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Itasca County in the home county of the Blandin Foundation. KOOTASCA Community Action has created a helpful handout on the impact of the digital divide from 2019 to 2020. They have been working hard to close the gap but the divide has deepened during the pandemic…

The pandemic has only exacerbated the digital divide in Itasca County illustrated on the previous page. KOOTASCA has deployed nearly 70 hotspots alone since the beginning of the pandemic and the 4 local school districts have deployed well over 200. More than 97% of those devices have gone to families with children of all ages; however, whether it is low-income seniors and individuals in high risk populations, those now unemployed or underemployed, families with school age children, or families with children to young to go to school, the need to support working class Itascans of all backgrounds remains.

According to the rough estimates and survey information provided by the Itasca County School Districts, between 15-30% of students have needed home Internet access due to the pandemic. This is almost double pre-pandemic needs for children under age 18 (11%). The number of adults and seniors, for all community members, similarly positioned has almost certainly grown as well.

For those fortunate enough to have meaningful connectivity, it has long been clear that internet service is a key to many resources and opportunities. Now more than ever, though, it is critical to success and daily life.

The Itasca County Connected Community proposal provides an opportunity to address this tangible need with internet service and computer devices needed by Itascans, today.

KOOTASCA is ready to undertake this with our local government, school district, and community partners, as soon as possible, if approved.

Broadband Technology Options: Mini video lessons for communities

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The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality educators help communities navigate their futures. They have been working with our colleague Bill Coleman to create short micro-learning videos that highlight economic and community development emerging ideas, new research, best practices and lessons learned.

OPPORTUNITY: ILSR is Looking for a Communications Director

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The Institute for Local Self Reliance is looking for a Communications Director…

ILSR is looking for an experienced communications professional to join our team as Communications Director. We’re looking for someone near one of our three home offices in Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis, Minn.; or Portland, Maine but are open to candidates located remotely.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop and drive bold media strategies that garner earned media, advance ILSR’s policy goals, and highlight its expertise and thought-leadership, including pitching ILSR’s research and subject-matter experts to journalists and producers (30% of time)
  • Develop and execute the communications and media components of an organizational strategic plan, including identifying the best frame to communicate our mission, vision, and values (10%)
  • Harmonize ILSR’s written output (including reports, articles, podcasts, and newsletters) across its different initiatives, including by reviewing major written products and leveraging these products to advance ILSR’s broader message and brand (10%)
  • Manage a small communications team (10%)
  • Oversee ILSR’s web presence to maximize engagement with ILSR’s content (10%)
  • Develop and oversee execution of social media campaigns across all platforms, telling the story of ILSR’s work through engaging graphics, video, and other mediums (15%)
  • Collaborate with ILSR’s Development team on the Annual Report and occasional fundraising campaigns (5%)
  • Occasionally represent ILSR at meetings and events. (5%)
  • Administrative tasks (5%)
  • Some travel may be required …

How to Apply: 

Please send a cover letter addressed to John Farrell and Stacy Mitchell, résumé, and two writing samples reflecting your original work to hiring@ilsr.org. The cover letter should be no longer than 400 words, and include mention of how you learned about the position. The writing samples should be no longer than 1,000 words each (excerpts of longer pieces are welcome). Please submit all of these materials as a single PDF. The subject line of the email should say “Application for Communications Director.” We will begin reviewing applications on January 24, 2022. Check ILSR’s website for updated information.

Mobile apps help community with annual homeless count

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I write about broadband and I volunteer at various endeavors to support people experiencing homelessness. So I was eager to learn more about an app that would help with annual HUD count related to homelessness. GNC reports…

Every year, on a single night in January, communities across the country conduct an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness.

To make it easier to collect data during these point in time (PIT) counts, cities are using mobile apps to help volunteers and community coordinators collect and manage the data.

Massachusetts-based Simtech Solutions’ Counting Us application, due to be used in at least 50 regions this year, lets outreach teams input detailed information in real time so coordinators can validate data as it comes in. A second app, Show The Way, allows social workers to input more detailed data about individuals’ habits and experiences with location and demographic data, images and other indicators of vulnerability. The company’s technology has even helped some departments track COVID-19 in their homeless populations.

Because the PIT homeless count provides a snapshot of a community’s homeless population, and not a comprehensive survey, the data may not be complete.

In Minnesota, there are two counts per year. (COVID has forced some changes.) Last time I helped was January 2020; I administered surveys with people experiencing homelessness. (The picture is from that count; I brought a friend.)  It takes about 15 minutes to ask a series of sometimes intrusive questions. The folks I survey get paid (maybe $5-10). The January survey count is cold and the surveys are done at night. I usually get lucky with an semi-indoor gig but still my cold handwriting on paper for each person can’t be easy to decipher. And sometimes people are unable to give you exact answers – and to be fair sometimes at 4am, they lose a little interest. So it was interesting to hear how the app helps fill in some gaps and make follow up easier…

In the past, Houston would use a sample of the its PIT count to extrapolate demographic information about the homeless population, said Ana Rausch, vice president of program operations for the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston. “Now, we are asking the questions in person,” she said.

Since the interviews are captured with geolocation data, Rausch said that her department has also been able to find concentrations of encampments and deduce shifts in the unsheltered population based on new developments and construction.

“After the count, we have sent teams to those hotspots where people are densely packed together to engage them about housing, which is the eventual goal,” Rausch said. So, even if someone does not answer part of the survey, the volunteer is able to make a determination for a future follow up,” she said.

FCC Commits Another $240M in Emergency Connectivity Funding – including MN locations

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From the FCC…

The Federal Communications Commission today

announced that it is committing $240,888,016 in its eighth wave of Emergency Connectivity Fund program support.  The funding commitments will support over 600,000 students and provide funding for 693 schools, 55 libraries and 8 consortia in 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia.  The institutions are approved to receive nearly 683,000 connected devices and 182,000 broadband connections.  Since its June 2021 launch, the program has committed over $4.4 billion supporting all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia.

“In a little over six months, this program has helped over 12 million students across the nation get the digital tools they need to connect with teachers and online educational resources,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  “This program is an important part of closing the Homework Gap, and connecting library patrons across the country.”

The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education.  Total commitments to date are supporting over 10,500 schools, 860 libraries, and nearly 120 consortia for nearly 9.6 million connected devices and nearly 4.9 million broadband connections.  Today’s announcement includes over $98 million in commitments from Window 1 applications and over $142 million in commitments from Window 2 applications.

Here are the Minnesota folks who got money in this latest round:

  • Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School
  • KATO PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
  • ELLSWORTH SCHOOL DISTRICT 514
  • Great Oaks Academy
  • Gateway STEM Academy
  • ST JOHN THE BAPTIST SCHOOL
  • INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DIST 287
  • SEVEN HILLS PREPARATORY ACADEMY 4159-07
  • SAGE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL 4087-07
  • COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE 4181-07
  • NEW CENTURY SCHOOL 4240-07
  • THE JOURNEY SCHOOL 4258-07
  • CONCORDIA ACADEMY
  • ST PASCAL REGIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL
  • COMMUNITY OF PEACE ACAD-4015
  • MINNESOTA INTERNSHIP CENTER CHARTER SCHOOL
  • FRIDLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT 14
  • NEW MILLENNIUM ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL 4143-07
  • STRIDE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL 4142-07
  • ST FRANCIS XAVIER SCHOOL
  • ST. JOSEPH 0110-31-001
  • ALEXANDRIA SCHOOL DISTRICT 206
  • OSAKIS SCHOOL DISTRICT 213
  • MINN NEW COUNTRY SCH-DIST 4007
  • BRECKENRIDGE SCHOOL DIST 846
  • NEW YORK MILLS ISD #553
  • ASHBY SCHOOL
  • ST. AGNES
  • United Community Action Partnership, Inc.
  • WARREN-ALVARADO-OSLO S D 2176
  • GREENBUSH-MIDDLE RIVER SD 2683
  • ROTHSAY PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST 850
  • PELICAN RAPIDS SCHOOL DIST 548
  • BARNESVILLE SCHOOL DIST 146
  • ST MICHAEL’S SCHOOL
  • ST MARY’S SCHOOL
  • CHISAGO LAKES SCHOOL DIST 2144
  • KELLIHER SCHOOL DISTRICT 36
  • ESKO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 99
  • CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT 911

What MN needs to do to achieve the infrastructure bill’s broadband goals

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Borrowing the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society’s recap of The Brooking Institute’s (Blain Levin) outline of the Steps the states should take to achieve the infrastructure bill’s broadband goals…

To accomplish the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s broadband goals, Congress made states the key decision-makers, with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration providing oversight. This piece lays out nine actions every state should take in the development and implementation of its broadband plan:

  • Publicly establish a vision for using broadband to improve residents’ lives

  • Build institutional capacity to achieve the plan’s goals

  • Develop and publish a comprehensive timeline

  • Engage communities and stakeholders in development of the plan

  • Improve mapping, data collection, and modeling—and bookmark the funding to pay for it

  • Develop a comprehensive plan for availability, adoption, and utilization

  • Coordinate state and local action to lower the cost of deployment

  • Establish a competitive grant process

  • Establish a process to enforce commitments

Got an issue with your broadband service? File a Complaint with the FCC

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I feel like I should have known about this earlier – but better now than never. Residents can file a complaint with the FCC on a range of issues – including phone and Internet…

If your complaint is about a telecom billing or service issue, we will serve your complaint on your provider. Your provider has 30 days to send you a response to your complaint. We encourage you to contact your provider to resolve your issue prior to filing a complaint.

They don’t promise to “fix” your problem but it looks like they will try to find some answers and that your experience may help inform their policy work…

These complaints help inform FCC enforcement and policy work and may be shared with other Bureaus and Offices internally.
In some instances, we will provide you with a referral to another federal, state or local agency that can better address your complaint.

I often hear from folks who have issues with their service – and I’m happy to continue to hear from folks but I also encourage folks to use this form to be heard. We can’t expect the FCC (or policymakers) to know what’s happening on the ground if we don’t tell them.

Maybe it will help you get answers; maybe it will help the FCC better represent consumers.

Save the Date!  MN Rural Broadband Coalition Virtual Day on the Hill – Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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I’m sure more info will be available soon but never too early to block out the date…

SAVE THE DATE!
MRBC Virtual Day on the Hill
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Via Zoom 
Details and Registration Coming Soon!

Sytek deploys 100 miles of fiber to server Morrison County and looks at the ReConnect Broadband grant to continue

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Brainerd Dispatch reports…

Sytek, a telephone and internet provider located in Upsala, was awarded a Minnesota Border to Border Broadband Grant in 2020 and has since placed 100 miles of fiber, extending service to 300 additional homes.

“I am thrilled to hear that Sytek is working hard with the resources available to provide broadband service to hundreds of additional homes in our community,” said grant supporter Rep. Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, in a news release. “I look forward to supporting their bid for additional grants to extend service to more rural homes in the future, and I thank them for doing hard work to ensure Central Minnesota residents have the resources they need to support local students, employees, and businesses.”

Sytek will be seeking an additional grant from the Reconnect Broadband program, which would allow them to serve up to 1,000 more homes in rural Minnesota.