The MN Broadband Task Force met Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association in Brandon MN. Folks really seem to be thinking about the impact of BEAD funding in several ways:
- Concern about state funding to supplement BEAD funding
- Concern that MN will have enough MN companies/workers to deploy broadband, which means training, certification, regulation and funding to support local work
- Need for better MN data
- Need to look at MN speed goals
There were presentations from Gardonville, PCs for People, HealthMed, a chat with Senator Putnam and updates from OBD.
10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Welcome + approval of minutes from August 19th, 2024, Task Force Meeting
Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband
10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Introduction to Gardonville Coop Telephone Association
Dave Wolf, CEO, Gardonville Coop Telephone Association
Gardonville is diversified with a coop creamery, wireless ventures, member of telecom consortiums, data center (including Google access). They connect to the 511 Bldg. Much of the traffic is local or cached. Less than 30 percent of traffic actually traverses the internet. We are concerned about cyber attacks. We have never seen such activity.
Challenges:
- 30 day lead time on payments to cable.
- Bad weather
- We have 10 x equipment in inventory
- Prices for equipment (cable et al) changes wildly
- Material pricing is moderate now. We expect a 20 percent increase once BEAD really starts
- There’s a 2-year waiting period for heavy equipment
- Fiber is 10 gig to location
- Need a trained workforce
I am on the Task Force because I wanted folk to know what it took to get broadband to rural areas. It takes more than cash. This has been great networking.
Questions:
Q: Are there any other data centers you need to support?
Yes we have a sister data center in Abercrombie SD
Q: How long has the data center been here?
In 2008
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Introduction from Senator Putnam
Senator Aric Putnam, Chair Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development
Wonder about approaches to broadband next session. We need to respect jurisdiction – which means coming through my committee (Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development). I’m not career politician. I want to make sure that broadband stuff is being talked about with broadband people. People in St Paul don’t understand the complexities.
If there are issues that are broadband adjacent to broadband – such as workforce development – I would like to be a resource. I’m vice chair of high education committee. Maybe there are ways to get people to join the broadband field. I can forward your interests.
It would be nice to meet before session, but maybe a smaller group. Maybe in December.
Questions:
Q: Appreciate your leadership on all things broadband. You navigated well. Will Ag Committee have all things broadband – including funding?
If the word broadband is in the bill, I want to hear it.
Q: Thanks.
Q: What is most helpful for us to get to you to do your job?
Frequent communication, patience and candor. Acknowledge that my powers are limited. I am as earnest as it gets. I like to hear why an idea is good or bad – that scope of information allows me to advocate better for your needs.
Q: What are you hearing from colleagues about broadband?
We really just want to write the check and not think about it. We don’t talk about it. Everyone says it’s important. We should talk more. We had conversations about labor last session. One issue with the discussion was that we didn’t have the relationships in part because legislators felt like we just needed to write the check. Also folks seem to think this issue is new. We didn’t really talk about broadband a lot – I want to fix that. I haven’t heard a lot yet.
Q: Do you have a perspective on digital access and equity?
I don’t think we have a good grasp in St Paul. We need to focus on need, not geography. The core concern is who is in need. We need to think of broadband as a utility.
Q: About butter – a lot of dairy produces are putting in robots to wrap butters, milk cows et al – both require broadband!
I want to create a fun to help smack to medium sized farms use technology but that only works if they have broadband.
Q: Broadband in ag space needs a lot of support – dairy and all industries. Are you doing any work on eliminating monopolies as barriers to broadband access in rural areas?
I agree on tech in ag. We are working on monopolies ( pro democratization) in agriculture – but that might fall into Commerce Committee. I don’t know as much about consolidation in broadband. Would love to learn more.
Comments from Senator Westrom:
Broadband is important, especially in rural MN. I’ve been hearing about the one-off pilot project. We know providers have served the easier to serve and need to get to other areas. How do we think that’s working?
Answer: Line Extension is a self-registering program. There have been 3 rounds (in process in round 3). Providers can bid on extension applications. Last round we had $13M in ask from 1600 people with only $6M left in coffers. With BEAD there will be people who are stuck with satellite so we think this program will remain valuable.
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Sub-Group progress share out + updates
Affordability & Digital Equity
- ACP wind down in impacting people
- Looking at lifeline – will there be something more robust?
- Challenges around hiring and getting approved for broadband work. (Getting licensed for low voltage work.) Will lack of transparency lead providers to seek for assistance out of state?
- How can we prepare the workforce to do the deployment work in state? (Training and certification.)
- Concerns about insurance and bonding availability.
Economic Opportunity & Workforce
- Talked about challenges in economic impact – not a lot of data. There’s national data but now that Blandin isn’t doing the work we don’t have as much local data. (PCs for People might be able to help with some data.)
- Workforce challenges and access to folks to deploy broadband once BEAD becomes available
- There is worry that so much MN building will go to non-MN companies
- CTC is doing an interesting internship program to look at
Mapping, Funding, & Policy
- Challenge: State speed goals may not reflect on what’s actually happening
Recommendation: Look at changing speed goals to meet with what’s happening – even in OBD current goals - Challenge: Funding for Line Extension and Border to Border is important – even in BEAD world
Recommendation We need funding outside of BEAD – especially where funding falls short - Challenge: need to make sure workforce is ready
Recommendation Separate funding from policies - Challenge: Community planning
Recommendation State funds for Lead for America
11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. PCs for People
Casey Sorenson, CEO, PCs for People
Susan Miller, National Manager – New Markets, PCs for People
A nonprofit that provides computers, low cost internet and computer repair to low income families. We fund our mission by providing secure, responsible electronics recycling as a free service for businesses and use the proceeds and equipment to provide the life changing benefit of digital access
Questions:
Q: You have applied for NTIA competitive grant?
Yes. We hope to bring more resources to MN
Q: What’s cost for PC?
Free to $150.
Q: What’s broadband cost (hotspot)?
$30/month
Q: Where does money come from?
Try to be self-sustaining. Blandin was helpful, especially at start and getting MN into rural MN.
11:25 a.m. – 11:35 a.m. Break
11:35 a.m.—12:00 p.m. HealtheMed, Inc. – A MN-based Public Benefit Corporation
Steve Pontius, CEO, HealtheMed (formerly founder of MinuteClinic)
Ron Mandelbaum, Executive Vice President & Co-Founder, HealtheMed
HealtheMed is a mission driven and innovative tele-health provider dedicated to enriching the lives of underserved populations all across the State of Minnesota. Through our innovative “Clinic@Home” digital system of health we keep Medicaid waivered participants in the community longer by enabling coordination and access to the essential supports they need, in the comfort of their own home. We want these important citizens to become more independent and live as fulfilling a life as possible which they are now able to achieve with our technology enabled high-engagement system. Closing the digital divide and bringing broadband to the underserved is a necessary and key driving force in creating greater health equity.
Questions:
Q: What if patient is travelling?
There will be a mobile app Jan 2025.
Q: How do you reach customers (counties)?
It depends. There are counties that we know we can’t help because they lack access. Within counties we can work in some communities and supplement with hotspots.
We have had to help folks who have lots their ACP.
Q: How much bandwidth do you need?
For application, not much – 25/3. The robust portal is more. Medical waivers will not pay for apps, but will pay for telehealth portal systems.
We help healthcare workers be more efficient.
Q: Do you coordinate with NAMI?
We haven’t heard of them. But we can look.
Q: Do any providers help with cost?
Comcast has Essentials low-cost options. We have worked with others as well.
Sometimes foundations help with costs too.
Q: Have you identified where waiver clients have located? What areas lack the infrastructure?
Marshall, Lyon, Pope counties need help. We need someone on the ground to help.
Q: Do you have numbers or data to demonstrate the economic impact?
We have limited healthcare records but are trying to work with a partner to show the engagement.
Q: Do you know patient-to-patient what a difference this can make?
We know costs are less that in-person assisted living onsite. The ROI is staggering.
Q: What is cost?
$15-20
Questions from presenter:
Can you make us more visible?
Could you help us connect us to others?
12:00p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Office of Broadband Development Overview + BEAD and Digital Opportunity Updates
Bree Maki, Executive Director, OBD
Diane Wells, Deputy Director, OBD
Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead, OBD
- Brief introductions to staff members.
- Working on agency requests to Governor
- New staff person joins tomorrow
- BEAD – working on RFP for cost to serve (figuring out how much we need to get broadband to everyone)
- Waiting on round 10 grant announcements got $126M in request for $50M budget
- Waiting on digit equity capacity grant approval from NTIA
- BEAD volumes – volume 2 should be in approval process
- BEAD – hosting webinars with providers
- BEAD Challenge process – challenge 30 days is done, rebuttal 30 days is done next week. We expect de-duplication efforts after Border to Border and ReConnect grants are announced
- Working on major update to MN maps with Connected Nation
- Expect subgrantee process – maybe in March 2025. We need to know locations first
- Looking for grant management system – portal will look different from past Border to Border grants
- Hope to do prequalification process for subgrantees beforehand
- We are tracking with what might be required to support funding grants for two-year process
Questions
Q: Have you had compliance issues?
Not yet. We withhold 10 percent of funds until we confirm everything is done. There have been some hiccups but no real issues.
12:15 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Other Business, October 21st Meeting Plans, Wrap-up
Nothing
Next two meetings likely in St Paul to work on recommendations and reports.
12:20 p.m. – 12:35 p.m. Sub-Group meeting time (moved to another time)
12:35 p.m. – 1p.m. Tour of Gardonville Coop headquarters & demonstration
Tour for in-person attendees; meeting adjourned at 12:30pm for virtual guests