Author Archives: Ann Treacy

About Ann Treacy

I have a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. I have been interested or involved in providing access to information through the Internet since 1994, when I worked for Minnesota’s first Internet service provider. I am pleased to be a part of the Blandin on Broadband Team. I also work with MN Coalition on Government Information, Minnesota Rural Partners, and the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

Trump pre-announces $1 trillion proposal for rural broadband

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According to Bloomberg, President Trump is touting a plan to come out soon for rural infrastructure and will include $1 trillion for broadband…

“I will be including a provision in our infrastructure proposal — $1 trillion proposal, you’ll be seeing it very shortly — to promote and foster, enhance broadband access for rural America also,” Trump said in remarks Wednesday evening at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after touring agricultural facilities on campus, the first of two speeches planned that evening. “We will rebuild rural America.”

Access to high-speed internet has become a concern of farm lobbies worried that lower adoption rates in rural areas is slowing economic development. Only 55 percent of rural residents have access to downloads faster than 25 megabits per second, compared to 94 percent in urban areas, according to a 2016 Federal Communications Commission report.

Spectrum Digital Education Grant Program from Charter

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Charter Communications is launching a Spectrum Digital Education Grant Program.  It will be supported by a $1 million commitment from Charter Communications to improve digital education.  The program will provide funding to local non-profit organizations within Charter’s 41 state footprint (includes some MN communities) for educational programs, public service announcements to educate and raise awareness about digital literacy, and educational webinars and workshops.

Details as well as criteria for funding are available on their website.   Applications will be available for download and accepted June 30, 2017 – August 11, 2017

Webinar June 28: Feasibility of Building Your Own a Broadband Network

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Looks like an interesting webinar from SNG…

Join Us For a 30 Minute Webinar and find out…

Is a Locally-Owned Network Right for You?
Uncovering the Costs and Benefits as a First Step

June 28th, 2 PM EDT

Rural towns, underserved areas, and even urban areas are finding that the time to take their broadband future into their own hands may be now. Building a network is a big investment-but for many communities, the benefits outweigh the costs.

How can you know if that might be true for you? Join Strategic Networks Group on June 28th at 2 pm eastern time for a half-hour webinar.

We’ll share the story of Ammon, Idaho took a cost-benefit approach and discovered that the benefits of building its own broadband network outweighed the costs of doing nothing. In this webinar, we’ll…
• Present an overview of the successful Ammon network, its financing, and the benefits to the community in terms of cost savings and economic advancement
• Show how your community can uncover the quantifiable benefits of a build or debunk a business case-quickly
• Explain how to ascertain and measure the economic opportunities and growth owning a broadband network will bring
Presenting this webinar will be:
• Michael Curri, Founder and President, Strategic Networks Group
• Bruce Patterson, Technology Director for the City of Ammon
Spots are limited so make sure you register today!

ICANN New Global Indigenous Ambassador Program – expenses paid to meeting in United Arab Emirates

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This would be a tremendous opportunity for the right person. And I’d love for that right person to be from Minnesota…

ICANN Announces Global Indigenous Ambassador Program

14 June 2017

LOS ANGELES – 14 June 2017 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced the creation of the Global Indigenous Ambassador Program. The program establishes two Indigenous Ambassadors, to be selected from underrepresented indigenous communities. Through the inclusion of a broader and more diverse base of knowledgeable constituents, ICANN will be better equipped to support the next generation of the global Internet community. “This is an exciting opportunity for two Indigenous Ambassadors to learn about ICANN and the At-Large community, representing the best interests of Internet end users,” states Loris Taylor, President & CEO, Native Public Media.

ICANN is now accepting applications for two Global Indigenous Ambassadors. Applicants must be members of unserved or underserved tribal or native communities and meet the ICANN Fellowship Program criteria[icann.org]. Selected participants will receive travel, hotel, and per diem for the ICANN60 Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to be held 28 October – 3 November 2017.

The deadline for submitting applications is 6 July 2017.

New MN broadband map are out; see which counties rank highest?

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The Office of Broadband Development has posted new maps and stats on broadband access on their site. You can download an Excel spreadsheet with the info from the site. (Want a comparison? I tracked the same info last September when the maps and data came out.)

Here are the top ranking counties for access to 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up (25/3):

  • 1              Red Lake              99.99
  • 2              Rock      99.93
  • 3              Ramsey 99.74
  • 4              Clearwater          99.58
  • 5              Beltrami               99.38
  • 6              Stevens 99.22
  • 7              Lac qui Parle       99.14
  • 8              Swift      98.88
  • 9              Hennepin            98.86
  • 10           Dakota  97.48

And bottom ranking:

  • 78           Traverse              44.68
  • 79           Todd      44.22
  • 80           Fillmore                43.76
  • 81           Redwood            41.80
  • 82           Pine       39.70
  • 83           Norman               37.67
  • 84           Kanabec               34.48
  • 85           Marshall               33.49
  • 86           Aitkin    28.01
  • 87           Yellow Medicine               20.58

And here’s the full table, looking at access by speed and rank based on 25/3 stats: (Hard to format on the blog – you can also access as a spreadsheet):

Rank at 25/3 goal County Name Percent Broadband (1Gbps/1Gbps) Percent Wireline Broadband (25Mbps/3Mbps) Percent Wireline Broadband (100Mbps/20Mbps)
1 Red Lake 48.01 99.99 83.00
2 Rock 0.00 99.93 99.93
3 Ramsey 16.79 99.74 99.33
4 Clearwater 89.30 99.58 89.30
5 Beltrami 82.25 99.38 95.87
6 Stevens 6.74 99.22 96.74
7 Lac qui Parle 0.00 99.14 99.14
8 Swift 0.00 98.88 53.63
9 Hennepin 29.29 98.86 98.31
10 Dakota 15.48 97.48 64.10
11 Big Stone 0.00 97.44 97.44
12 Anoka 9.38 97.30 95.55
13 Brown 0.00 96.28 72.55
14 Washington 5.79 95.99 94.33
15 Cook 0.00 94.50 94.50
16 Lake 94.12 94.30 94.30
17 Scott 4.80 93.77 87.27
18 Olmsted 3.69 93.27 33.20
19 Pennington 11.48 91.78 90.75
20 Polk 34.15 91.74 84.88
21 Wadena 47.43 88.66 47.43
22 Carver 0.36 88.28 80.64
23 Crow Wing 35.33 87.76 39.69
24 Clay 36.37 87.49 82.17
25 Rice 0.00 87.37 29.81
26 Hubbard 45.99 87.36 46.37
27 Benton 0.00 86.99 13.29
28 Steele 0.00 86.42 49.54
29 Winona 80.70 85.71 81.83
30 Wright 14.34 85.62 29.75
31 Sherburne 0.17 84.55 28.17
32 Nicollet 1.79 83.42 32.06
33 Stearns 4.66 83.20 37.61
34 McLeod 0.00 83.10 58.03
35 Freeborn 9.49 82.99 34.54
36 St. Louis 5.87 82.33 38.44
37 Wilkin 72.21 80.84 80.84
38 Pipestone 12.47 79.73 79.73
39 Itasca 55.68 78.73 76.30
40 Mower 0.00 78.39 23.79
41 Faribault 0.09 77.71 41.05
42 Blue Earth 0.00 77.51 16.70
43 Goodhue 50.42 76.74 55.43
44 Douglas 28.52 76.33 28.60
45 Nobles 0.00 76.19 72.31
46 Grant 39.89 75.73 39.93
47 Kandiyohi 0.00 75.34 8.05
48 Waseca 0.00 73.30 73.07
49 Mahnomen 8.60 72.42 13.01
50 Dodge 40.45 72.24 69.54
51 Lyon 4.14 71.91 65.49
52 Chippewa 0.00 71.77 24.80
53 Houston 33.34 71.28 66.63
54 Le Sueur 0.00 71.16 68.67
55 Wabasha 59.56 70.45 61.59
56 Becker 5.78 69.52 6.66
57 Morrison 32.89 69.24 40.93
58 Cass 26.74 68.94 34.02
59 Jackson 0.00 68.79 68.79
60 Koochiching 7.50 68.56 68.55
61 Watonwan 0.00 65.76 64.80
62 Kittson 3.46 65.62 3.46
63 Chisago 0.00 65.15 62.32
64 Cottonwood 0.00 62.03 19.12
65 Roseau 0.00 61.85 49.69
66 Carlton 0.00 61.27 52.52
67 Pope 10.15 60.54 23.66
68 Martin 0.00 55.64 54.06
69 Otter Tail 1.25 55.43 2.07
70 Isanti 0.02 54.33 49.28
71 Sibley 31.97 53.60 53.15
72 Lincoln 0.11 53.44 39.21
73 Renville 0.00 53.10 49.94
74 Murray 1.88 50.90 50.76
75 Meeker 0.00 49.50 37.75
76 Lake of the Woods 0.00 48.08 48.08
77 Mille Lacs 0.00 47.57 47.07
78 Traverse 4.08 44.68 44.68
79 Todd 2.84 44.22 2.86
80 Fillmore 6.70 43.76 42.81
81 Redwood 0.00 41.80 33.54
82 Pine 0.00 39.70 36.95
83 Norman 20.52 37.67 20.52
84 Kanabec 0.00 34.48 26.59
85 Marshall 5.97 33.49 28.10
86 Aitkin 2.66 28.01 14.17
87 Yellow Medicine 0.00 20.58 19.44

New MN broadband stats are out; almost 70% have access to 100/20

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The Office of Broadband Development has posted new maps and stats on broadband access on their site. Here’s the high level take:

What does that mean as far as Minnesota State Broadband Goals?

  • We are 87.94 percent of the way there in terms of the 2022 goal – access to everyone at speeds of 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up (25/3).
  • We are 69.86 percent of the way there in terms of the 2026 goal – access to everyone at speeds of 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up (100/20).

Rural areas do lag behind the urban/suburban counterpoints.

  • We are 73.06 percent of the way there in terms of the 2022 goal – access to everyone at speeds of 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up (25/3).
  • We are 52.46 percent of the way there in terms of the 2026 goal – access to everyone at speeds of 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up (100/20).

The percentages are  little better when you look at rates that include fixed wireless and/or mobile access.

Coming up next – a look at access by county…