Author Archives: Ann Treacy

About Ann Treacy

Librarian who follows rural broadband in MN and good uses of new technology (blandinonbroadband.org), hosts a radio show on MN music (mostlyminnesota.com), supports people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota (elimstrongtowershelters.org) and helps with social justice issues through Women’s March MN.

Rethinking the smart city as an intelligent archway: research report

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The Journal of Community Informatics released a new edition that has a number of broadband-forward or adjacent articles. (Spoiler, I may post a few article based on the reports in the next week.)  One article (Rethinking the Smart City as an Intelligent City Archway) caught my eye, because I’m in Galway, Ireland for the week and staying very close to tourist location, the Spanish Arch.

Long time readers may remember that I used to spend long periods of time living in Ireland. This time, I’m just here for a couple weeks visiting a daughter. But I’ve always enjoyed comparing technology use in Minnesota to Ireland. I’m learning how tech-dependent Ireland is with digital currency. Cah rarely seems to exchange hands; it’s mostly phone transactions and credit cards. That’s a big change.

Technology has made being a tourist easier. No more asking directions to get to your hotel, Google map is there. Need the train timetable? Google again. Learn more about the art, scan the QR code. On the flip side, not as many stranger-chats in the pub or bus queue as folks are on their phones. This report looks more at how technology makes being a citizen easier…

Urban intelligence is the ability to understand and navigate the physical and digital dimensions of “connected complex urban places”. For example, new infrastructures (e.g., sensors, Internet of Things {IoT} devices like smart lamp posts) are needed to capture and represent places in software platforms and on the Internet. New spatial skills and spatial thinking are needed to navigate these new interfaces and networks of places. This paper aims at understanding urban intelligence by exploring variations in how smart cities have been conceptualized; how citizens have been placed within the smart city; and how Canada’s smart cities initiative has placed on urban (and highly spatial) problems over digital technologies. The metaphor of the Roman arch is used to describe the interdependency of the building blocks of smart cities. Components(building blocks)of the smart city, be they openness, resilience or inclusion, must all be present, and build towards what we argue is the keystone of urban intelligence. We discuss how these components lead to a new consideration of the smart city, the Intelligent City.

The examples are interesting to read, too long to abstract here but the conclusion is helpful to folks who think about community and technology…

In this paper we proposed a model of an intelligent city illustrated by an archway of seven stones. Five stones (smart, open, learning, inclusive and resilient) are structured as a foundation. Another stone (digital citizenship) helps us understand the multiple scales at which the intelligent city functions. Urban intelligence is the keystone, which is reinforced by these stones. Our model is locationally scalable. At the urban (local) scale, the components of the intelligent cities help inhabitants to capitalize on their hybrid physical and digital environment. At the global (earth) scale, the intelligent city is not an isolated transformation of urban areas. Instead we see the archways of the intelligent city and across a long line of municipal transformations from the industrial revolution to a city rooted into the networked society through the connections of digital infrastructures and social relations(Castells 2000). We hope this paper opens a dialogue on what is desired and achievable in the smart city and what constitutes place in a digitally enabled urban space. What is special about the physicality of the smart city and the way we characterize it? How do we ensure that best practice models of the smart city do not emphasize technology alone at the expense of local context and the engagement of local people? What new skills are required tonavigate within the smart city? Implicit in all the stones is the need for spatial thinking and reasoning capabilities as the basis of digital citizenship. Spatiality and smartness share common components, in particular networks and nodes (centres of activity), the importance of topology (relationships), the importance of mobility, and the scalability of activities, knowledge and intelligence. Individual cities and their inhabitants must decide even as they join other cities in a global network of smart cities

Office of Broadband Development Updates

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From the Office of Broadband Development…

Broadband Matters: Office of Broadband Development Updates

  • Broadband Task Force, meeting in November
  • Line Extension Connection Program update
  • BEAD updates + news
  • OBD in the field!

Broadband Task Force, meeting in November
The Broadband Task Force will be meeting on Thursday November 13 at 10am. This meeting will be held virtually and is open to anyone from the public to attend. The Teams link to join the meeting will be included at the top of the meeting agenda, which is posted along with other information on past meetings on the Broadband Task Force webpage.
More information on this and past meetings can be found on the Broadband Task Force webpage.

OBD expects the round to have $3.5M in Capital Projects Fund (CPF) dollars available to grant. Information and resources on Line Extension are posted to the OBD Line Extension Connection Program webpage. OBD also expects to run a fifth round of Line Extension with state project funds.

While the window for residential and business sign-ups to be included in the bidding for Round 4 of the Line Extension Connection Program has closed, registration will remain open for future rounds if and as funding is available.

Questions on Line Extension can be sent to deed.broadband@state.mn.us or (651)-259-7610.
BEAD updates + news
As required by the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the Minnesota OBD submitted its Final Draft Proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), including the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, on September 4, 2025. NTIA has committed to review and approve plans in 90 days. OBD will continue to revise and update the documents as required by NTIA and as is necessary to ensure all BEAD eligible locations are served as defined by the policy notice. Updated and additional information for BEAD in Minnesota will be posted to the OBD BEAD webpage.

BEAD has been featured nationally in the news, including two October 2025 reports from the Advance Communications Law & Policy Institute (ACLP) finding that BEAD is on track to end with $21 billion in leftover funds, and one million locations might remain unserved post-BEAD.

OBD in the field!

Over the past two months, OBD staff have gone on site visits for Arvig, Federated Rural Electric and Broadband, Woodstock Communications, Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC), JTN Communications, KMTelecom, Nuvera, Comcast, and Albany Mutual Telephone Association projects.

Earlier this week, OBD Executive Director Bree Maki attended the National Rural Telecommunications Council’s (NRTC) TechConnect 2025 and spoke on the panel Funding the Future: BEAD Insights, Lessons Learned and Post-Award Compliance.

Paul Bunyan Communications expands FTTH to 480+ homes and businesses in Coleraine

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Paul Bunyan Communications reports…

Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to over 480 homes and businesses in the city of Coleraine. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
““Reliable, high-speed Internet is a necessity in today’s world, and we’re thrilled to bring our broadband technologies and services to Coleraine. We have built an advanced, all-fiber optic network and will continue to extend that network to more areas of the Iron Range in the years to come,” said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“We’re proud to bring world class connectivity to the city of Coleraine,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Paul Bunyan Communications. “Our GigaZone all-fiber optic network opens up new possibilities for residents and businesses alike, allowing them to connect and thrive.”
Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network in these areas can still sign up for service. The cooperative will return to bring the network up to locations with no construction fee when feasible.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the expansion construction process, visit www.gigazone.com

MN eNews November 2025: Talk about BEAD funding

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MN Broadband Task Force Oct 2025 – at TelCom Construction Training Center
The MN Broadband Task Force met at TelCom Construction Training Center in Clearwater Minnesota to see various telecom construction tasks in the field. The Task Force subgroups met for the first time to plan for their sections of the annual Task Force report.

Understanding technology and information literacy
In the era of AI emerging and technology changes, it’s helpful to take a step back and assess what to focus on. That’s what Doug Dawson talks about being brave enough to ask the dumb questions – especially with technology. And I took a look at how we can assess the news source we’re looking at online; starting with a checklist.

State News   

Federal

Vendor/Technology News

Office of Broadband Development Updates and News:

Local Broadband News

Ashby
Ashby Public School Agricultural Education Department awarded $5,000 grant from The Foundation for Rural Service

Bois Forte
Bois Forte-CTC extends NECS middle mile broadband to 2,000 locations around Lake Vermilion (St Louis and Koochiching Counties)

Clitherall
Broadband is only reason rural reporter can work for MN Star Tribune

French & Bearville (Sy Louis County)
Paul Bunyan Communications completes broadband expansion in French and Bearville(S) Townships

Golden Valley
More details on the Golden Valley’s upcoming FTTH deployment

Golden Valley MN attracts fiber installation in City right-of-way and easements

Itasca and St Louis Counties
Paul Bunyan Communication expands to Itasca and St. Louis Counties

Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato gets advanced wifi for student housing

Moorhead
Gateway Fiber starting broadband construction with ribbon cutting in Moorhead, MN

St. Louis County
St. Louis County summarizes ARPA spending: $54.5 million on landfill, roads, housing, childcare and broadband

Willmar
Willmar Council approves next step in Willmar Connect in split 5-3 vote

Willmar Planning is ready to go out for bids to begin the construction of the open-access

Winona
Government shutdown disrupts telehealth at Winona Health

Wright County
Spectrum expands fiber access in Wright County with help from MN Broadband Grant

Upcoming Events, Opportunities and Resources

OPPORTUNITY: Nominate a 2026 I Love My Librarian Award

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Broadband adjacent, but libraries and librarians have been supporting broadband access and adoption across Minnesota, so this is an opportunity for some folks to give a gift and for others to remember that libraries make good partners…

Nominations Now Open!

Nominate a librarian you love for the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award – they could win $5,000 and the recognition of a lifetime! Nominations close December 15, 2025!

Has a librarian made a difference in your life or gone above and beyond to serve your community? The I Love My Librarian Award invites library users like you to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. Each year, up to 10 librarians are honored at a ceremony held in their honor and receive a $5,000 cash award.

Since the award was established in 2008, 170 librarians have received this distinguished honor. In that time, library users nationwide have shared more than 24,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond in their commitment to inclusivity, literacy, and digital access.
Nominate now!

 

Broadband is only reason rural reporter can work for MN Star Tribune

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The Minnesota Star Tribune has posted a column from reporter, Karen Tolkkinen, out of Clitherall, Minnesota. She is writing about the experience of receiving government food assistance  in the past in reaction to upcoming federal cuts in food assistance. There’s a paragraph that paints a picture on the importance of broadband…

Trust me that it feels much, much better to give than to receive.
We needed food assistance twice for short periods, once before our son was born and once after. Then, when our son was 2, while my husband farmed and repaired tractors, I was able to land a part-time job in my field. When he was 4, I got full-time work. Health insurance ate up such a huge chunk of my paycheck that we went without for a couple of years, but at least my income paid for groceries.
If you live in the Twin Cities, you might not know that Minnesota has been spending tens of millions of dollars to bring broadband across greater Minnesota. That’s the only reason I’m able to write for the Minnesota Star Tribune, where pay and benefits are better than anything I’ve been able to find out here in the hinterlands.

Pew looks at what Broadband Workforce Expected needs to do to meet BEAD requirements

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Pew Research reports…

The success of federal broadband investments—especially the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program—depends on whether the U.S. has enough trained workers to build and maintain a workforce. Evidence suggests that worker shortages, misaligned training timelines, and inconsistent data could delay states from meeting BEAD’s ambitious deadlines.

On June 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce updated the BEAD implementation guidance. The new rules require states to reopen provider selection, which could delay funding in some places and accelerate it in others—making worker readiness more urgent. In addition, the suspension of nondeployment funds reduces resources that states had planned to use for workforce development.

Workforce challenges have already been widely cited as risk factors in almost every state. According to an analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts, 41 states and Washington, D.C., identified workforce challenges in their BEAD or Digital Equity Act (DEA) plans: DEA was a separate Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) program that provided support for digital adoption and workforce training, but was canceled in May 2025.1 Those challenges included barriers for workers trying to join the industry and a lack of detailed federal job classification data—suggesting that workforce shortages are not only local but a potential nationwide barrier to BEAD implementation.

They mention some work that they feel might streamline the process…

Key findings include:

  • The pool of skilled telecommunications workers is shrinking just as demand is rising sharply. Policymakers should examine the barriers to growth for specific broadband-related occupations to meet both short- and long-term needs.
  • Training requirements mean new workers cannot be mobilized quickly, raising risks of deployment delays.
  • Competitive wages and benefit packages are crucial as telecommunications employers compete for workers across industries or those who are supporting other infrastructure projects funded through the IIJA.
  • Inconsistency in jobs classifications in federal data obscure workforce needs. Greater collaboration between employers and federal and state governments is needed to standardize data and improve planning.

And, in case you’re thinking about the workforce or jobs…

In assessments of workforce needs specific to BEAD, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said the following workers are needed to expand broadband infrastructure:

  • Equipment operators.
  • Fiber and wireless technicians.
  • Inspectors.
  • Laborers and manual movers.
  • Master and stage electricians.
  • Network architects and coordinators.
  • Radio frequency and field engineers.
  • Software engineers.
  • Structural engineers.
  • Surveyors and drafters.
  • Trenchers.
  • Trucking crews.2

 

St. Louis County summarizes ARPA spending: $54.5 million on landfill, roads, housing, childcare and broadband

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Citizen Portal, which is an AI powered media resource, reports,

County administration presented a final summary of how St. Louis County used $54.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, describing investments in solid waste infrastructure, roads, broadband and social services meant to address pandemic impacts.
Administrator Gray told the board the county received ARPA funds in two tranches in 2021 and 2022 and that staff worked to meet complex U.S. Treasury reporting and compliance deadlines. Gray said the board intentionally focused funding on four areas: pandemic response/recovery, economic impacts, support for service delivery, and infrastructure (roads, water/sewer and broadband).
Key allocations described by administration included roughly $12.5 million for upgrades to the county’s large solid waste landfill to address forever chemicals; about $7.25 million for roads (including a roughly $3.5 million reclaim-and-overlay project to complete County Highways 115 and 77 between Cook and Tower, with widened paved shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists); broadband investments in communities that lacked service; and investments in county buildings and transfer stations.
Administration also cited investments in youth and recreation projects that benefited 25–30 communities countywide, including $830,000 for childcare expansion in partnership with the Northland Foundation (Administration described roughly $750,000 of that as contributed by the foundation), and a range transitional housing project in Virginia and Hibbing still under way. Other ARPA-supported projects included behavioral health urgent care in Duluth in partnership with the Human Development Corporation (HDC), fairgrounds improvements and a solar expansion project in Mount Iron.
Administrators said roughly half of the ARPA allocation went to infrastructure, highlighted pandemic-related staff costs and outreach that were supported without drawing on levy dollars, and noted that more than 100 unique projects or investment categories were advanced. Board members repeatedly praised county staff for project management and compliance; several commissioners also recognized former deputy administrator Brian Fritzinger and audit staff for their roles in tracking projects.

Paul Bunyan Communications completes broadband expansion in French and Bearville(S) Townships

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Paul Bunyan Communications reports…

Paul Bunyan Communications has completed expanding its all-fiber optic network, the GigaZone®, to areas of French and Bearville(S) Township that included over 200 homes and businesses. This expansion included areas east and north of Side Lake including Perch Lake, Luna Lake, and Beatrice Lake. Those who have signed up for service are being contacted to set up service installation.
“We remain fully committed to bringing all-fiber optic gigabit broadband to the underserved areas in our region. Reliable Internet is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity, and we’re proud to now serve more of the French and Bearville Townships.” said Chad Bullock, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“This is a major upgrade for both residents and businesses,” said Leo Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Paul Bunyan Communications. “With our all-fiber optic network now offering Internet speeds up to 10 Gig, things like remote work, distance learning, telehealth, and streaming are not only possible, but they are seamless. It is a true game changer for these communities.”
Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network in these areas can still sign up for service. The cooperative will return to bring the network up to locations with no construction fee when feasible.
There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is included by subscribing to either local phone service or GigaZone® Internet service.
To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area and learn more about the expansion construction process, visit http://www.gigazone.com
This project was made possible through the USDA ReConnect 3 Grant Program. The grant area also included areas of Pike, Sandy, and Wuori Townships and is estimated to cost $13,588,555 with the USDA grant contributing $10,191,416. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $3,381,112, and Wuori Township contributing $16,026.

Alternative education options are changing the MN learning landscape

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The Dassel Cokato Enterprise Dispatch write about alternative school options in Minnesota, including online learning…

Across Minnesota, a growing number of students are stepping away from traditional public schools and toward alternative education paths — homeschooling,
Post-Secondary Enrollment Options, and online learning. Their reasons range from safety concerns and academic customization to transportation barriers and future career planning. The result is a reshaping of the educational landscape, with public schools facing declining enrollment, funding challenges and a call to evolve.

…

Online learning is also expanding. The State of Education in Minnesota 2025 report by EdAllies notes that while virtual academies offer flexibility, students in rural or low-income households often lack reliable internet or devices, limiting their ability to participate fully.

They dive into the main alterative options…

Each alternative education model—homeschooling, PSEO, and online school—offers distinct advantages and challenges.

Including online learning…

Online schooling offers self-paced learning, access to niche subjects and the convenience of no daily commute. As ConsumerAffairs reports, many students appreciate the autonomy and breadth of course offerings. Still, online learners must contend with technology access issues, reduced rapport with instructors and a heightened risk of isolation or disengagement.

They recognize the requirements of online schooling..

Online learning demands stable internet and devices, which remain out of reach for some rural and urban households. …

Technology access also plays a role. While ISD 466 has invested in Chromebooks, and availability has increased in recent years, broadband access remains inconsistent in some outlying areas. This limits the viability of full-time online learning for students without stable internet at home.

New report: BROADBAND AFFORDABILITY: Assessing the Cost of Broadband for Low-and Moderate Income Communities in Cities

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Here are the key takeaways from a recent Federal Reserve Bank of NY study…

  • This study introduces a new community-level measure of broadband affordability that considers local median monthly household income and costs of living relative to local costs for broadband.
  • Low- and moderate-income communities pay a notably higher share of their income for broadband— 2.43% compared to 0.51% in wealthier areas—exceeding the FCC’s 2% affordability benchmark.
  • In cities where broadband is less affordable, households are more likely to use slower or lower-quality plans due to cost or limited infrastructure. In areas with the least affordable broadband, 26.7% of households rely solely on mobile devices, limiting access to jobs, financial services, and other key resources.
  • Data on broadband pricing is still scarce in small and rural areas, limiting the ability for businesses, government, and community anchor institutions to understand the economic costs and benefits of broadband infrastructure. This underscores the need for localized pricing data to support digital access research.

All very interesting, but I’m always a sucker for an equation to determine a community-level measure of broadband affordability. And this report has that too:

The numerator is the average price for the cheapest internet service plans offered by providers in the geography, and the denominator is the median monthly household income for the geography. This is multiplied by 100 to create a percentage measure of Relative Broadband Affordability experienced by households in a given geography. Relative Broadband Affordability is helpful for understanding the ability of households within a census tract or census place to pay for broadband relative to their median household income. However, to understand just how affordable broadband is to a community, it is important to compare it to other communities within their city.

Turns out affordability impacts the decision to go for mobile-only connection, as the graph below indicates.

US Congress looks at addressing robocalls

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Politico reports…

Eradicating unwanted robocalls is one of those policy goals with almost universal appeal to American consumers. No one wants to pick up the phone to be greeted with a disembodied, robotic voice offering dubious loans, or warning of phony toll fees — and have it happen again, and again.

The Senate Commerce Committee took a step last week toward trying to stem the deluge, advancing the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, which would establish an interagency task force to explore ways to stymie scam calls originating abroad.

It’s a welcome idea, but joins a years-long roster of policies designed to tackle the problem, such as requirements for caller ID authentication and autodialer restrictions. For all their popularity, these have had mixed success at best. In 2018, the number of robocalls jumped from around 30 billion to 50 billion, and has stayed in that range ever since.

EVENT Feb 3-5: Net Inclusion 2026 in Chicago

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From the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)…

Join the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) in the Windy City for Net Inclusion 2026! From its stunning skyline and top-notch museums to its famous deep-dish pizza, Chicago offers a diverse and fulfilling experience. What better place to gain digital equity insights, ignite change, and amplify your impact in the digital inclusion movement?
Tue, Feb 3, 8am – Thu, Feb 5, 9am 2026 EST
Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk
Register now

Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity Oct 27, 2025 Notes: future topics and LoginMN presentation

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The Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity met today. They started with a brainstorm on what they wanted to talk about in 2026. A hot topic was whether they extend (or maybe remove) the expiration date for the commission and talks about how to work with other commission that may have overlapping issues – such as the Data Practice Commission.

MNIT gave a presentation. There were lots of questions. I’ve highlighted the questions that I thought might be of interest to most readers. They are based on concern for folks who don’t have an email address or other digital tools/expertise and how will they be able to access some state and county services in the future.

More complete notes: Continue reading →

Be brave enough to ask the dumb questions – especially with technology

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I have taught every age from preschool to graduate school, and while this post may seem a little adjacent to what I usually write, I couldn’t resist because I read it and was reminded myself that a dumb, legitimate question can turn out to be the smartest discussion starter. Politico asks Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker questions “about the hype, risks and data-privacy threat of AI.” Before founding Signal (an encrypted-messaging app), she worked for Google.

When you talk to policymakers now, whether about energy or national security or economic competitiveness, AI is inevitably part of the equation. What do you make of how big an impact AI is having?

I would dare you or anyone listening who has contacts with policymakers and politicians to just sit them down and say: What do you mean by AI? I think what you’ll get at that point is a lot of hype, a lot of fog, a lot of magical thinking. And that’s a big problem. We are seeing a wave of hype washing over critical institutions, governments, and key decision makers to trust these technologies with key functions that those who understand the technical reality, the limitations, the conditions for how these actually work would never have advised.

What’s the antidote to that? You also always hear this argument that Washington or policymakers don’t understand the technology well enough to regulate it, or put guardrails on it.

That old trope that all you need is tech brains in Washington to move aside the dusty policymakers and get things on the rails of modernization has been around for a very long time. But they’re not too old or too crusty to understand the domains in which they operate, be that education or health care or national security. And tech has a lot to learn on the fundamentals of those domains.

The antidote — there’s no one weird trick here, but just be brave enough to ask the dumb question. People are deeply afraid of being humiliated for being dumb about AI. And I will hear NATO chiefs, I will hear CEOs of Fortune 100 corporations, repeating as received wisdom claims about AI that make absolutely no sense.

These quote-unquote stupid questions, like, “How does this work? Do we have control over the data? What are the privacy implications? Are there vulnerabilities there?” These are just basic questions that should be the floor before entrusting critical decision making to obscure systems that often don’t, in my opinion, meet that bar for safety use in critical domains.