Monthly Archives: June 2022

OPPORTUNITY: Advocacy and Campaigns Manager job at Muninetworks (ILSR)

Posted on by
Reply

The Institute for Local Self Reliance is looking for an Advocacy and Campaigns Manager…

Advocacy and Campaigns Manager

The Advocacy and Campaigns Manager will join ILSR’s Independent Business team, which works to expose the consequences of corporate concentration and build support for local, state, and federal policies that check monopoly power and build thriving, equitable communities. In this role, you will report to the Senior Policy Advocate to execute campaign strategies and manage relationships with allied organizations and coalition partners, including a coalition of nearly 30 independent business groups and alliances advocating for antimonopoly reforms. This role holds a range of advocacy and campaign coordination responsibilities, including:

Responsibilities

Campaign Coordination (40%)

  • Cultivate and manage relationships with allied and partner organizations, including gaining an understanding of partners’ internal priorities to inform campaign strategy
  • Coordinate an existing table of partners, including facilitating engaging, productive meetings, and coordinating joint campaign actions, such as press events and sign-on letters
  • Recruit, organize, and support partners and small business owners for media interviews, op-eds, and engagement with federal and state policymakers
  • Identify, recruit, and develop new partners and small business owners for advocacy
  • Maintain and manage a campaign database and various tracking systems

Advocacy (40%)

  • Work alongside the Senior Policy Advocate and ILSR’s communications team to develop messaging and communications materials for the campaign, including:
    • Prepare communications materials such as talking points, small business testimonials, and social media content showcasing monopoly power’s direct impact on small businesses
    • Create rapid response materials for campaigns and distribute to coalition partners
    • Draft other written materials for the campaign on behalf of coalition partners
  • Interview and capture the stories of small business owners and partners for written and/or video statements
  • Coordinate with ILSR’s research and communications staff to produce content, including videos, for advocacy campaigns
  • Draft weekly email updates to inform campaign members of updates and news
  • Develop and maintain the coalition’s social media channels
    • Write, edit, update, and schedule digital content using social media management, email marketing and website content management systems to mobilize partners
    • Create and maintain a content calendar to keep team and partners informed and coordinated on plans and strategy
    • Analyze engagement data and identify online strategies to grow the coalition and increase its impact

Other Advocacy Support and Administrative Tasks (20%)

  • Support ILSR’s Independent Business Team, including the Senior Policy Advocate, in their engagement with policymakers

  • Develop expertise on monopoly power and small business

  • Maintain policymaker, partner, and ally lists

  • Monitor policymaker activities

  • Miscellaneous administrative tasks as directed by supervisor

Duluth plans to pursue MN Border to Border funding

Posted on by
Reply

CBS3 Duluth reports…

Broadband access in Duluth has been an ongoing headache for many residents and business owners.

Now, city leaders are working on a plan to address the problem.

They are going to pursue Border to Border funding…

“The City of Duluth is looking and proposing to City Council to go and seek some border to border grant funding to do a pilot project of fiber internet access here in Lincoln Park,” Nygren said.

Fiber internet access is faster than what is currently offered in Duluth — cable and satellite.

“Fiber is the difference between using a fire hose to get your internet access versus somebody’s garden hose,” said Nygren.

The plan doesn’t increase taxes.

Funding would come from grants, the community investment trust fund and a few other sources.

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe gets $3.1 million funding (ARPA) to boost entrepreneurship

Posted on by
Reply

Senator Smith’s website reports…

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $3.1 million in federal funding for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, Minnesota to boost tribal entrepreneurship. Specifically, the funding, provided through the American Rescue Plan’s Indigenous Communities program, will enable the construction of a tribal business incubator to help small businesses and start-ups access technical assistance they need to increase and expand their operations.

“This federal funding will make a real difference for the Mille Lacs Band Reservation, helping establish a business incubator that will boost small businesses and spur entrepreneurship,” said Klobuchar. “I’ll keep pushing to make sure our tribal communities have the resources they need to pursue economic opportunities.”

“Minnesota’s Tribal Nations have deep cultural and economic significance across our state,” said Smith. “I am pleased to announce this investment in the Mille Lacs Band reservation in Minnesota, which will help to grow and diversify the local economy. This investment, made possible by the American Rescue Plan, will create jobs and generate private investment so that the local economy can build back stronger in the wake of the pandemic.”

“President Biden is committed to ensuring that our communities are provided with the resources they need to diversify and grow their economies,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe business incubator project will spur private investment and job creation throughout the reservation.”

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Indigenous Communities program, which allocates $100 million in American Rescue Plan funding specifically to support the needs of Tribal Governments and Indigenous communities. The program supports these partners to develop and execute economic development projects they need to recover from the pandemic and build economies for the future.

Klobuchar and Smith have long worked to strengthen economic opportunities for Minnesota’s tribal communities. In April, they secured over $1 million in federal funding to provide emerging businesses in the Mille Lacs Band with necessary support and technical services.

Senator Tina Smith leads Indian Affairs hearing on infrastructure in Prior Lake MN

Posted on by
Reply

Senator Smith’s website reports…

U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) chaired a productive field hearing for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, focusing on how Tribal Nations can utilize funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Senator Smith helped pass this historic investment in our country’s infrastructure last fall. The hearing was hosted by Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community at the Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake.

The purpose of this hearing to understand how these transformational infrastructure investments can benefit Tribal Nations in Minnesota.  This bill has $13 billion for Tribal-specific programs and set-asides.  I am committed to making sure this funding is equitably distributed and accessible to Tribal Nations, and that it makes lasting impact.

These $13 billion will help address the longstanding infrastructure inequities in Tribal communities—inequities that impact the health, economic well-being, and safety of Native peoples.  Here are some highlights:

  • There’s $3.5 billion for Indian Health Service sanitation facilities—that will make drinking water safe and improve sewage and waste disposal systems.
  • There’s $3.8 billion for roads and bridges on Tribal lands, to make roadways safer for cars and pedestrians.
  • There’s $2 billion for broadband on Tribal lands, which will improve access to education, telehealth, and economic opportunities.
  • There’s $200 million for climate resilience, so that Tribal Nations can plan for and implement responses to climate change.

 

OPPORTUNITY: RFP for Broadband engineering and services in Crow Wing County

Posted on by
Reply

The Brainerd Dispatch posts a RFP…

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS BROADBAND ENGINEERING AND BROADBAND SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE CROW WING COUNTY CDBG-CV BROADBAND PROJECT The Board of Commissioners of Crow Wing County, Minnesota, will receive proposals from all interested providers of High-Speed Internet/Broadband services for affordable, reliable high-speed Internet access for residential, business, and government constituents within Crow Wing County. The specification packet is available through the Crow Wing County Administrator’s Office, Historic Courthouse, 326 Laurel St, Ste 13, Brainerd, MN 56401, telephone 218-824-1067, e-mail coadmin@crowwing.us. Proposals shall be received by the Crow Wing County Administrator no later than 5:00 PM on July 5, 2022. Crow Wing County reserves the right to waive any irregularities and to reject any or all proposals or award upon such basis as they may deem to be in the County’s best interest. /s/ TIMOTHY J. HOULE, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CROW WING COUNTY, MINNESOTA

Duluth is looking at expanding fiber and reducing costs through competition

Posted on by
Reply

Duluth News Tribune reports…

Duluth reports that just 6% of it residents have direct access to a high-speed fiber optic network at present. In her “State of the City” address earlier this year, Mayor Emily Larson said Duluthians struggle with “unreasonably high prices, unreliable service or no viable access altogether.

“This is unacceptable and holding us back as a community,” she said.

In April, the Duluth Economic Development Authority approved up to $65,000 in funding to hire Entrypoint LLC to examine the prospects of building out a city-owned fiber optic network. The same firm, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has also advised the city of Superior as it developed plans for a $31 million open-access network, that would be municipally owned and equally available for multiple internet service providers to use.

Update…

On Monday night, the Duluth City Council received an update on that analysis and received its first glimpse of a proposed Digital Access Master Plan.

The document proposes Duluth launch a pilot project in Lincoln Park next year at an anticipated cost of $7 million to $9 million. This would involve building out a primarily underground fiber optic network to serve about 1,900 customers next year.

After a full year of operating that network, Duluth would then decide whether to continue building out a city-wide network at an anticipated total cost of $76 million to $79 million.

If the Lincoln Park pilot project plan gains council backing, Chris Fleege, director of Duluth’s planning and economic development division, said up to $4 million could be drawn from levy-neutral one-time economic development funding sources within the city’s general fund.

They plan to apply for a Border to Border grant and recoup costs through service fees to customers…

Larson said the fiber optic network promises to result in real savings and dramatically improved service for residents.

“We are already, as a community, paying a significant amount to ensure that there is connectivity,” she said, pointing out that the city collectively pays about $29.5 million annually for service to 36,000 households, with customers paying an average of about $68 per month.

“With this plan, we know and have the data that … the total monthly cost to residents would be between $30 and $55. That is a significant savings,” she said.

 

Update on East Central Energy’s push to get better broadband to Isanti, Chisago, Kanabec, and Pine Counties

Posted on by
Reply

The Isanti-Chisago Country Star gives an update on East Central Energy’s journey to providing better broadband to residents within ECE’s electricity service area, which includes around 65,000 members over 14 counties, including Isanti, Chisago, Kanabec, and Pine Counties. Here’s an abridged look at the timeline that Isanti-Chisago Country Star provides…

  • ECE’s Board of Directors, back in November 2021, approved moving forward with developing a plan for a full-fiber-to-the-home project. According to a press release announcing the plan, ECE stated that the cost of such a project could be as much as $300 million. Because of that, ECE Vice President Ty Houglum stated that the only way ECE could make it work would be through appropriate outside funding.
  • During the June 15 North 65 Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Jahnz expounded on that position.
    “What we’re doing right now is a campaign to raise awareness that ECE is a great candidate to provide fiber-to-home across our service territory,” Jahnz said. “We are working with state and federal folks to talk about why that’s important and why we can be the best option for that.”
  • Jahnz said that in March, ECE applied for its first grant, which is for “a little bit of Wisconsin, a little bit in Pine County, a little in Kanabec, stretching over to Mille Lacs and up to Aitkin.” (see shaded area on map)
    He said that one grant would be $48 million in scope, with it equally being divided between the grant and a low-interest loan.
  • Besides that snafu [LTD Broadband may get RDOF funding – but I’ve written about that before], however, Jahnz is confident ECE will be able to obtain funding for a majority of its members’ areas.
    “To date, the area that we’re talking about, no one wants to go,” he concluded. “Even with funding, no one wants to go there. It’s one thing to get the money to build it. It’s another thing to have the wherewithal to maintain it, take care of it, repair it. We’ve been here 85 years, and I think we do a pretty good job of standing things back up when they fall down.”

EVENT June 29: Le Sueur County Broadband Planning Fair 2.0

Posted on by
Reply

An invitation for folks in Le Sueur County, a good idea for leaders in other counties…

We are hosting another Le Sueur County Broadband Fair! We have updated information from the last fair.

  • Again meet providers, learn about future plans for Le Sueur County, an opportunity to buy BBQ dinner.

June 29th, 2022
Le Sueur County Fairgrounds
4 H Building
320 S Plut Avenue
Le Center, MN. 56057
3pm to 7pm

  • Our updated survey has new data on speed testing and mapping for county planning.

  • Forward this email, invite your friends and neighbors to the event. Here is a link to download the flyer, print and post:

  • Post the Event flyer

  • Visit event page

  • Like our Facebook Page: Le Sueur County Broadband Initiative

  • Our next event will be in August at the Le Sueur County Fair, look for our broadband booth.

EVENT June 30: NTIA’s Middle Mile Application Information Webinar

Posted on by
Reply

From NTIA…

Title: Internet for All Webinar Series – Applicant Portion of the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program Application

Date: Thursday, June 30, 2022

Time: 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Description: This webinar will provide an in-depth look at how eligible entities can access the NTIA Grants Portal and apply for the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program. This webinar will also provide applicants with technical assistance and prepare them to write high-quality applications. With $1 billion in funding, the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program provides funding for this vital part of our nation’s high-speed network and will reduce the cost of bringing high-speed internet to unserved and underserved communities.

Register Now

Register for more of our upcoming Internet For All webinar series sessions:

 

Please note: all webinars will occur from 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET. All presentations and recordings will be available on the BroadbandUSA website under the Past Events tab approximately 24 to 48 hours after a webinar ends. 

For any questions about our Internet For All Webinar Series, please email InternetForAll@ntia.gov.

The skinny on Fixed Wireless vs Fiber

Posted on by
2

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society have published a report on Fixed Wireless Technologies and Their Suitability for Broadband Delivery.  The full report is detailed and will be a great asset to folks in the policy and planning trenches making decisions about what to choose where and when. For the rest of us, there are helpful charts that give us a understandable look at key characteristics (such as cost)…

And the executive summary also helps put things into perspective for folks who need to understand it but not deploy it…

  • Fixed-wireless technologies will continue to improve but will not match the performance of fiber-optic networks—primarily because the existing and potential bandwidth of fiber is thousands of times higher than wireless. Also, fixed-wireless networks have inherent capacity limitations that sharply limit the number of users on a network using a given amount of spectrum.

  • Fixed-wireless network coverage is adversely affected by line-of-sight obstructions (including buildings and seasonal foliage) and weather. While a fiber network can physically connect every household in a service area (and deliver predictable performance), it is significantly more complex for a fixed-wireless network to deliver a line of sight to every household in a service area.

  • Scalability is a critical challenge to fixed-wireless deployments, both technically and financially. A given amount of wireless spectrum is capable of supporting a given amount of network capacity. If the number of network users increases or users need more bandwidth, the network operator must increase the spectrum (which is both scarce and extremely expensive—and may not be possible), upgrade the technology, or add antennas. It is challenging to design a fixed wireless network that will provide sufficient, robust upstream and downstream capacity and reach all the addresses in unserved areas.

  • The fastest fixed-wireless technologies (such as those that use millimeter-wave spectrum) are effective in delivering short-range service to closely grouped households in urban and suburban settings. These technologies are largely unsuitable for serving rural communities because of the typical geographic dispersion of addresses and the lack of mounting structures (such as towers or building rooftops).

  • Fiber is sustainable, scalable, and renewable. It offers greater capacity, predictable performance, lower maintenance costs, and a longer technological lifetime than fixed-wireless technologies. Fiber service is not degraded by line-of-sight issues and is not affected by the capacity issues that constrain fixed wireless networks.

OPPORTUNITY: Broadband funding for Iron Range in MN

Posted on by
Reply

IRRR announces broadband (and other) grants available to the area they service in Northeastern Minnesota…

Broadband Infrastructure

Broadband Infrastructure grants assist projects that help households and businesses reach the State of Minnesota broadband Speed Goal.

Whitney Ridlon, 218-735-3004, Whitney.Ridlon@state.mn.us

Eligible applicants: Cities, townships, nonprofits, tribal governments and governmental entities created pursuant to Minnesota Statutes located within the agency’s service area. Multi-organization collaboration is encouraged.

FY23 Broadband Infrastructure grant guidelines

Grant Application Portal and Forms

FY20 – FY21 Broadband Infrastructure grant program evaluation

Libraries to partner with FCC to share info on broadband funding

Posted on by
Reply

The FCC reports…

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Crosby Kemper, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly promote public awareness of federal funding opportunities for broadband.  The partnership will work to generate efforts to promote the availability of affordable broadband programs, in light of the significant role that libraries and other community anchor institutions play in promoting digital access and inclusion.

“Libraries are some of our most trusted institutions—and rightfully so. They serve as community hubs connecting library patrons to a host of services, including providing internet access that many may lack at home.  The FCC has long enjoyed working side by side with them to support digital access opportunities, which is why I’m excited about this expanded partnership to raise awareness of broadband funding programs,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel.  “Internet access is essential for modern life. We need to make sure everyone, everywhere, has a chance to connect.  This new partnership with help us do that. Working with IMLS to spread the word about these important programs, will help meet the connectivity needs of communities across the country.”

“The FCC’s E-Rate program, its Emergency Connectivity Fund, and so many other initiatives have benefited libraries and their communities, particularly the most underserved and under resourced, that it has always been needful for IMLS to work closely with FCC staff and Commissioners,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “We are honored to work with Chairwoman Rosenworcel to make sure the generous funding provided by Congress and the administration, as well as targeted universal service support, reaches many, even most, of those who historically have been unable even to apply for the funds available to them.”

Wall St Journal looks at LTD-RDOF broadband situation

Posted on by
Reply

The Wall Street Journal is covering the LTD-RDOF issue…

The top dollar winner was LTD Broadband LLC of Las Vegas, which won rights to $1.3 billion to extend fiber-optic cable to rural communities scattered over 15 states, in some cases beating out local competitors.

LTD has since missed deadlines to be certified by local regulators in six of the 15 states, prompting the FCC to block the company’s access to the broadband funds there. At least 275,000 people live in affected areas of those states, census and FCC data show.

LTD asked the FCC for more time to be certified, but the agency denied that request. LTD is appealing the FCC’s decision in four of the six states.

In nine other states, FCC officials are still reviewing LTD’s ability to do the job, even though the agency has authorized more than 300 other bidders to move forward.

Corey Hauer, LTD’s chief executive officer, blamed the missed deadlines on bad advice and actions by an outside lawyer. He said LTD has begun building fiber networks even without the federal funds and expressed optimism that officials will reconsider.

Some commentary on why the auction was held as it was…

FCC officials said they designed the auction to maximize upfront participation.

“You want an open process so that new entrants can come in and compete,” said FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who was part of the Republican FCC majority that enacted rules for the auction.

Mr. Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC’s new Democratic chairwoman, both said they would support reviewing the front-end requirements for future broadband programs.

LTD is now undergoing post-auction vetting, a process Ms. Rosenworcel said is used to “weed out nonqualified bidders.”

The next round of federal broadband funds will be managed not by the FCC, but by states and the U.S. Commerce Department, who are jointly empowered to choose projects that will receive $42.5 billion for broadband deployment program in last year’s infrastructure bill.

The problem is that post-auction vetting is like your brother calling “ever dibs” on the last piece of cake in the fridge; if he isn’t going to eat, the cake will just spoil. LTD was by definition the only bidder allowed to submit long form proposals in many areas. That leaves those communities hostage and in the end, if LTD can’t meet the requirements, the money will be lost to the state.

Howard Lake (MN) gets Hometown Grant award from T-Mobile (Wright County)

Posted on by
Reply

T-Mobile reports…

In April 2021, T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced T-Mobile Hometown Grants, a $25 million, five-year initiative to support the people and organizations that help small towns across America thrive and grow. Since the program’s start, T-Mobile has given more than $4.4 million dollars to kickstart 100 community development projects across 36 states, including the latest grant winning recipients.

The list includes Howard Lake…

Howard Lake, Minn.: Construct a community library facility to provide vital connectivity resources such as public-use computers and Wi-Fi, tele-commuter conference room and a soft interview space for the local police department.

OPPORTUNITY: GIS Intern at Muninetworks (ILSR)

Posted on by
Reply

An opportunity with the Institute for Local Self Reliance…

ILSR is looking to hire a Geographic Information Systems Intern. This person will work with our GIS and Data Visualization Researcher, as well as the rest of the Community Broadband Networks team, on original research projects that advance the mission of the initiative. The GIS intern can expect to receive hands-on experience using R, QGIS or ArcGIS Pro, Tableau, and Excel.

The internship is available to undergraduate students, graduate students, and other interested individuals who can commit to 20 – 40 hours per week. Pay is $16 per hour. This is a fully remote position unless the successful candidate lives near one of our offices and is interested in an in-person work setting.