Category Archives: bbc

Broadband projects presented to funder; group gets Blandin kudos

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Chisago County Press covered Blandin’s recent visit to the community to hear from the broadband initiative about how projects Funded by Blandin were progressing…

A two-year project led by a number of local officials and some average local citizens recently presented their grant summary to representatives from the Blandin Foundation — which funded the effort. …

Nancy Hoffman, Chisago county development agency director, said 500 businesses were identified as having erroneous icon locations when users searched them on Google maps.  Half so far have been “verified” by a technician who was paid with BBC project funds.  A marketing package promoting places to stop and businesses on Old Highway 61 was improved.  The North Branch Chamber of Commerce was instrumental and you can contact the chamber’s Kathy Lindo for a $25 annual ad on the website.  The BBC project included  technical trainings and social media education breakfasts for business were very well-attended.

Workforce needs began to be addressed with a PCs for People partnership, where refurbished computers were distributed to needy job-seekers.  The equipment distribution event was the end of August 2015 at North Branch Library (see Press story early Sept 2015)

There have been two locations identified where tele-conferencing equipment will become available soon for businesspeople and for post secondary education access.
Finalizing requests for community Wi Fi locations proved more expensive than hoped, and the committee  has been revisiting this. North Branch did get some funds for setting up outdoor Wi Fi (skating rink on #95 and Central Park for example.)

Chisago County school districts, however,  were empowered to install Wi Fi service on a number of buses.  BBC members and technology directors from two of the county’s districts; Chisago Lakes’ Ken Orwoll and Darrin Marcussen with North Branch,  are now monitoring the second year of the systems.

Six Iron Range communities selected for Blandin Foundation Broadband Communities Program

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Happy to share the good news…

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (November 2, 2016) – Blandin Foundation announced today that it has selected six Iron Range communities for intensive, two-year partnerships with the Foundation to advance local broadband initiatives.

Ely, Hibbing, Aitkin County, Bois Forte Reservation/Orr/Cook, Mt. Iron-Buhl area, and Chisholm all have been successful in their communities’ bids to become Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC).

Made possible with funding support from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) and St. Louis County, this selection is unique in that all communities are located in IRRRB’s Northeastern service area.

“We’re pleased that IRRRB can play a role in helping these northeastern Minnesota communities receive assistance in how to develop and use broadband,” said IRRRB Commissioner Mark Phillips. “Developing high-speed broadband is critical to economic development, education, healthcare, and quality of life.”

“We are thankful for the leadership and support from Blandin Foundation and IRRRB, and are happy to partner in the Broadband Communities Program in St. Louis County,” said Barbara Hayden, St. Louis County Planning and Economic Development Director. “With so many rural areas in our County, there’s a great need for improved broadband options, certainly for our citizens, but also to boost economic development to attract and grow businesses.”

Communities were selected based on demonstrated commitment to work together across sectors to set and meet information technology goals and bridge digital divides.

Blandin Foundation staff and consultants will work with the six communities to provide planning, technical and financial support as diverse, local leadership teams design and drive digital technology initiatives that position their communities and every resident for greater success.
“High-speed Internet access – and the skills to use it – is fundamental to vibrant rural communities,” said Bernadine Joselyn, director of public policy and engagement at Blandin
Foundation. “We’re excited to partner with Iron Range communities to imagine new possibilities that come with enhanced Internet access and use.”

This Iron Range cohort joins 18 rural Minnesota communities that have gone through the BBC program.

“Our experience tells us that, especially in broadband work, leadership matters,” said Dr. Kathy Anette, Blandin Foundation president and CEO. “To have commitment both at the local level and from IRRRB and St. Louis County says something about the Iron Range. We look forward to standing with leaders in these six communities as they design and claim ambitious, connected and healthy futures.”

Next steps for each community include assessing the community’s current broadband access and use and, in early 2017, holding a series of public planning meetings.

 

Blandin Broadband Communities Update Carlton County: Working as a county

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It is with some sadness I report on our last Blandin Broadband Community meeting. It has been great to learn about all of the projects happening throughout the communities.

Carlton County has been focused on getting people using devices. I really liked the idea of a Community Education class that invited attendees to come in with their new devices (post-Christmas) to work with students and others to ask questions and learn on a one-to-one basis.

They knew part of their mission was to improve broadband outside of towns so they’ve done a good job with hotspots you can check out at the library. Somehow they have a special government account with Verizon that offers unlimited access!! That’s worth looking into! And they are working on a feasibility study to make more systemic changes. Preliminary reports put  $70.5 million price tag on FTTH throughout the county – but what an investment!

Continue reading →

Blandin Broadband Communities Update Chisago County: ABC contender

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This afternoon we visited with Chicago County to hear about their projects. Chisago is in a unique position. Parallel with their participation in the BBC community, Chisago has been working on the America’s Best Community competition. They are one of eight communities left in a dwindling competition for $1-3 million!!

 

They have been working getting better broadband, getting people to use better broadband and promoting themselves – for their tech savviness and the gorgeous area.

Business training events Continue reading →

Blandin Broadband Communities Update Central Woodlands: Local people, local solution

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This morning we visited with the folks from the Central Woodlands in Isle, Minnesota. It’s a fun community overlapping parts of three counties. While there we got a tour of the local “Someday Isle”, a community shop where local folks can sell their art and crafts.

Isle has had some success – like the local artist whose sales jumped 400 percent once we got online. Isle has had some challenges – like difficulty handing out the refurbished computers through PCs for People. But they have a plan to work with the libraries to distribute the computers to local residents.

The focus of projects leaned toward businesses and older folks more than other communities we have seen so far. Just an example of local people defining local issues and creating local solutions. And part of why it’s so rewarding to hear about the work in each community. We can learn a lot from each other – but each journey will be different.

Here are my full notes: Continue reading →

Blandin Broadband Communities Update Red Wing: working with kids to find good jobs at home

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We spent the morning hearing about broadband projects in Red Wing. Red Wing has Gig access – they are in a different position than many other Blandin Broadband Communities. And if you want to know what a Gig can do – go upload video in real time. It’s nice.

It was great to hear about the collaboration and mentoring happening in the community due to that Gig. The sum of the actions is greater than the gig.

One comment that really struck me was the observation that broadband will bring people to a community – but good childcare will keep them there. Now how can we make broadband help that effort.

Here’s the PowerPoint from the session

And the videos

And my notes. Continue reading →

Blandin Broadband Community Update Sherburne County: Focus on infrastructure

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Today we met with the Sherburne County BBC team. They had a strong focus on infrastructure based on need. They realized early on that they were behind – especially compared to the adjacent counties.

They learned a lot – one thing they learned was that there was fiber in the area, it just wasn’t being used. They have been working on smaller fiber projects. They have focused on building but also on promoting the need and educating the public.

They know that it has made a difference in new building – both projects funding through grants and projects that weren’t.

You can learn more through the PPT:

And the video:

And my notes… Continue reading →

Blandin Broadband Community Resilient Region Update: Broadband touches all aspect of community development

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The Resilient Region has been working on a planning process outside of (before really) broadband efforts. The question is how did broadband fit in with what was already happening. They quickly found that broadband touched every edge of the other projects they were doing. And the BBC projects were rewarding because while planning was essential – it wasn’t just planning. Stuff got done too. The community founded that there were more projects they could have funded – just curious about future funding.

My notes are briefer, because I’m getting smarter. I do have video…

 

And their PowerPoint…

And my notes. Continue reading →

Blandin Broadband Community Martin County Update: Digital responsibility, training and feasibility study

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Today we met with the Blandin Broadband Community Team in Martin County. Very fun to hear about their projects. It’s great to see the community come together. One project that was unlike others I had seen was the Digital Responsibility work – helping students, parents and the community understand online security, privacy and bullying. They have a series of events planned for the fall.

They also admit that the hardest conundrum for them was/is access. Because it was so hard they shelved that topic for a while – but it’s back off the shelf and in their hands. They have worked on a Feasibility Study and are pursuing Border to Border MN Broadband grant funds.

Here you can check out videos from the day:

Here are their PPT slides

And my notes, which may be a little rough. Continue reading →

Red Wing Ignite Tech internships a success

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red wingersYesterday Red Wing Ignite hosted a “what I did over the summer” event for three interns who joined local businesses, a nonprofit and Goodhue county to help organizations make better use of technology. Red Wing coordinated the internship effort with funding support from the Blandin Foundation.

The project was a great success. The students all said they learned a lot. The businesses were all ready to sign up for next year. Someone asked the students if their friends participated in similar internship programs. The answer ranged from no – to yes but working in larger companies where they aren’t trusted with as many challenges. Their contemporaries did data entry – while these students built websites.

A nice bonus was that they each have experience in Red Wing – great promotion for the town.

Here’s info on each project:

Mikayla Lawrence  worked with a local business to create a new e-commerce website. She used WordPress and Woo Commerce for the first time. Creating a small shop to start and building to a shop with thousands of products.

Belle Sahn worked to help prepare a local business for a large CRM migration. He came up with and started a process that help assess the needs of the users the status of existing content – in many, many places and was able to inventory what was worth keeping and what more was needed.

Jonah Tuchow worked with the County to create a web application to manage their county cars. Now employees can check out the car, not delete other people’s reservations, track mileage and a whole host of other features.

Blandin webinar archive: Growing and Keeping Tech Talent

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Thanks to those who presented and attended. Here’s the archive…

Growing and Keeping Tech Talent
August 11, 2016 – 3 pm

As the labor force tightens due to economic growth and demographic changes, it is critical for rural communities to grow and keep their tech talent since replacing tech workers is both challenging and disruptive.

This webinar will highlight two Minnesota programs that have these goals in mind.

Becky Siekmeier is director of SciTechsperience, an MHTA internship program that connects college students studying STEM disciplines with small and mid-sized Minnesota companies, with an emphasis on placing interns in greater Minnesota. Becky will talk about how this program for work for companies in your community and will bring along a couple interns to talk about their experience working for companies in rural communities.

Michael Olesen directs Project RITA (Rural Information Technology Alliance), a federally funded collaboration between Pine Technical, Ridgewater and Central Lakes Colleges here in Minnesota, plus North Central Texas College. Project RITA focuses on Web and Mobile Development, Computer Technology and Network and Cyber Security. The program is designed to address the growing need in rural communities for skilled information technology professionals.

Nobles County awarded Blandin broadband grants

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According to the Worthington Daily Globe…

Blandin Foundation announced Wednesday that it has awarded 13 grants totaling $132,670 to assist rural Minnesota communities in advancing high-speed internet access and use in their communities.

Blandin Foundation Community Broadband grants totaling $23,600 will support three local projects:

  • Changing Main Street through Technology and Education: “This grant from Blandin Foundation will enable Community Education to plan and implement educational opportunities designed to help existing business owners with succession planning and prospective business owners with business planning,” said Sharon Johnson, ISD 518 Community Education Director. “We will collaborate with other local organizations such as the Worthington Chamber of Commerce to maximize the impact of this project. Our goal is to help Worthington remain a vibrant community with thriving businesses.”

  • Technology Education for Round Lake: Providing opportunities to the Round Lake area to develop computer and technology skills by supplying laptops for the Round Lake Community Center.

  • Regional Data Center Vision: “This grant will hopefully lead to an incredible opportunity,” said Tom Johnson, Nobles County Administrator. “Nobles County has some space that has little practical use for typical county operations anymore. Because we are a governmental entity, we hope to partner with many regional governmental agencies to create a small, very safe and secure data center. We know electronic data is how we are doing business now and into the future, and most government agencies need the ability to maintain system up-time and data accuracy as close to 100 percent as possible to serve our citizens well.”

 

Nobles County BBC Update: Digital Literacy classes for individual and businesses, feasibility study and hotspots

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KarlSamp2Thanks to Karl Samp for the update on BBC Community, Nobles County…

All projects moving well with the exception of the MnWest Digital Literacy class, which has been approved and was open for registration this Summer but they had half the registrants  cancel so they are holding the class in the Fall Semester.

Sounds like there might be opportunities for Nobles County to work with Martin County to open up classes to students there and save Martin County from recreating the class.

Classes well received at Community Ed/Market Smarter, and NCIC, which has delivered classes in three languages- Lao, Spanish, and Karen. More will be delivered as part of sustaining efforts for all. BAC hopes to have new equipment in place for their teleconferencing center and tenant use. One problem (if it can be called that) is that one of the major tenants, BioVerse, has moved into their own larger space in the adjoining Industrial Park, so they may need to wait for another tenant to share the monthly service fee, or else the City of Worthington would have to absorb that cost.

An agreement with providers has been made to trench fiber into the BAC, and Industrial Park, in exchange for a service contract over a period of time.

Seven WiFi Hot Spots are in place through MVTV. Two are left to do, with one community declining participation to date, and another still looking for a host location. Good results.

The MyOn digital Library project is moving forward. The Library has all equipment on order for their project. Preschool use strong, but Adult Basic Education use is even stronger. Most of the books are nonfiction so can be not only used to increase ESL learning, but also American History and culture education.

New projects will be a community education Class for helping their downtown businesses with succession planning. There is a transformation taking place with older more traditional businesses being replaced by new culturally specific businesses. Just across from the County Admin. Bldg, is an Asian Market, a Mexican Market, and a Mexican Restaurant. They want to help these transitions go better with business planning and Market Smarter classes, along with more digital marketing assistance.

Another new project is a feasibility study of creating a data center and emergency management/public safety center to be located in the Nobles County Administration Building where the former jail was located. The rooms are extremely secure, and built to withstand a class 5 tornado. The study will gauge the interest from 9 or more surrounding counties, plus their cities and townships of participation. Verbal interest is strong. They also need to explore redundancy in fiber as there is only one feed at this time.

Finally, Round Lake may be applying for laptops for their Community Center. They have had to borrow them for their classes, which has been maxed out. Mostly will be used for senior training, but can also be used for student use, and business classes.

They need a few more survey results to validate their feasibility study report so are working to get those. The report will be ready soon, and they hope to move on DEED B to B funding to expand services.

Chisago County broadband conversation May 26

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I heads up for people in the area; a good model for other communities. I am hoping to attend and take notes…

You are invited to join in the Chisago County broadband conversation.  In the effort to improve broadband in the county, the Chisago County Blandin Broadband Communities (BBC) Committee is holding a summit.  Anyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend.  There will be opportunity before and after the meeting to visit at Topic Tables.  The Topic Tables will include experts from various areas to discuss how broadband speeds affect their industry such as education, health care, and economic development.  The local Internet providers will be available to talk with you about your specific location in the county.

This is a chance to learn what the Chisago County residents said in the “Got Internet Survey,” find out the difference in broadband options, join in the conversation with local Internet providers, and learn about state resources from the Department of Broadband.  Federal, State and local elected officials are invited to participate.

The Summit will be held at the banquet room at Splitrocks Entertainment Center in Wyoming on May 26, 2016 starting at 5:00 p.m. with presentations starting at 5:30 p.m.  Opportunities to visit with a number of experts will be provided before and after the presentations.  Hors d’ouevers and refreshments will be provided.  There is no charge for the event, but we appreciate registrations to help in planning.  You may register at  www.Chisagocountybroadbandsummit.zapevent.com  on our website www.chisagocounty.org or by calling the Chisago County HRA-EDA (651)674-5664.  We hope to see you there.

Kandiyohi County supports MN Broadband Vision and looks into WiFi for underserved areas

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KWLM recently interviewed Kandiyohi County Commissioner Harlan Madsen about what’s happening locally with broadband. They are looking at WiFi…

The Kandiyohi County Board is considering adding Wi-Fi “hot spots” around the county to try and help remedy the lack of high speed internet and data capacity. Kandiyohi County Commissioner Harlan Madsen of rural Lake Lillian says one proposal is to pay MVTV Wireless, an internet provider based in Granite Falls, to set up WiFi Hot spots where people can go for things like homework, business, anything that requires data capacity currently lacking in about 87% of the county.

The county board last week heard from a group providing rural WIFI hot spots in Nobles County. Madsen says under the plan, Kandiyohi County would pay MVTV $1250 for each rural hot spot they create.

I attended the meeting where they talked about working with MVTV Wireless for more hotspots. You can read more about that meeting and see video for more details. They group recognizes that wireless is an interim solution – although an interim solution that may continue to meet a need even if they do get fiber. They discussed the fact that wireless has the mobility folks want; while fiber has the capacity folks want.

The group also endorsed the Minnesota Broadband Vision – they may have been the first to do so!

The Kandiyohi County Board supports an initiative by Minnesota Broadband Vision to get the Minnesota Legislature to invest more and pass legislation encouraging internet providers to get more high speed internet and broadband in rural areas.