MN Fall BB Conference – Innovation: Putting Broadband to Work
The Fall Broadband was a success. Attendees came to learn about economic development strategies, digital inclusion, local broadband leaders and more. Below are links to specific sessions:

• Local Solutions for Globally Competitive Connectivity https://wp.me/p3if7-5xi
• Tech for Older Adults – Exciting Tools for Health and Social Engagement https://wp.me/p3if7-5xf
• Representing the Digitally Under-Represented in Economic Development https://wp.me/p3if7-5xc
• Supporting Freelancers – Tech-based Entrepreneurship and Telework https://wp.me/p3if7-5×6
• Incorporating Cultural Awareness into Tech Training https://wp.me/p3if7-5×9
• Tech-Enabled Approaches to Attracting Businesses and Peoplehttps://wp.me/p3if7-5×0
• Closing the Digital Divide in Your Communityhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5×3
• What if You Have Never Sent an e-Mail?https://wp.me/p3if7-5wX
• Where Do I Put the Stamp on My Email? Problem Solving in the Digital Agehttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wV
• Making and Using Better Broadband Maps: Insights from NTIAhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wS
• Minnesota Rural Broadband Coalition Updatehttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wQ
• Tech-Transformed Agriculturehttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wN
• From Feasibility Forward – Broadband Project Developmenthttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wK
• Conducting a Successful Broadband Feasibility Studyhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wE
• Healthcare: The Importance of the “Last Mile”https://wp.me/p3if7-5wH
• Blandin Broadband Awards Presentation Pt 2https://wp.me/p3if7-5yb
• Tech-Transformed Educationhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wx
• Providers Panel – Trends in Deployment; Advice to Communitieshttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wu
• All Things Fiber and Wirelesshttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wo
• Intelligent Community Benchmarkinghttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wr
• Before and After the Internet: What’s everyday joy got to do with it?https://wp.me/p3if7-5wk
• Digitally-Native Generations: A Panel with Young Leadershttps://wp.me/p3if7-5wh
• The Intelligent Community Approach: Is it right for Minnesota?https://wp.me/p3if7-5we
• Pursuing Broadband: Case studies of improved broadbandhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5vR
• Climbing the Digital Use Ladder: Digital inclusion, adoption, and innovationhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5vU
• Blandin Broadband Awards Presentation Pt 1https://wp.me/p3if7-5wA
• Mind the Gap: The Intelligent Community Movementhttps://wp.me/p3if7-5vM
• Thank you MN Broadband Summit Exhibitors 2019https://wp.me/p3if7-5vH
• Thank you MN Broadband Summit Sponsors 2019https://wp.me/p3if7-5w0

ILSR Muninetworks’ Video Broadband Primer
Muninetworks is creating a multi-part series of videos to help community leaders and policymakers better understand broadband. https://wp.me/p3if7-5Bv

State Policy Issues

• MN PUC settles with Frontier; MN Attorney General still looking into complaints https://wp.me/p3if7-5C9
• MN Milk Producers name Melissa Hortman legislator of the year https://wp.me/p3if7-5B3
• New Broadband availability map pilot for policymakers includes MN https://wp.me/p3if7-5xG

Federal Policy Issues

• FCC to vote on preventing broadband providers from using Huawei or ZTE equipment https://wp.me/p3if7-5BH
• FCC calibrates testing for CAF-supported Carrier networks https://wp.me/p3if7-5Bz
• New interactive broadband maps include prices detailed to census block https://wp.me/p3if7-5Br
• 8th Circuit decides that MN PUC is preempted from regulating Charter’s VoIP https://wp.me/p3if7-5AT
• Democratic candidate Holmstrom-Sabo for MN’s 8th District promotes broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-5zP
• FCC is setting up a precision agriculture task force https://wp.me/p3if7-5xP
• There’s a push for a tax change to keep rural communities thriving https://wp.me/p3if7-5xD
• Latest Primer on Net Neutrality update https://wp.me/p3if7-5xt
• 5G has a lot of moving pieces in Minnesota and beyond https://wp.me/p3if7-5xy
• Democratic Presidential Candidate Tom Steyer proposes $135 billion for rural broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-5C2

Research

• Broadband use with immigrants is increasing https://wp.me/p3if7-5BC
• Computer and tech skills top rural Americans’ list of training needed to find a better job https://wp.me/p3if7-5B7
• NDIA US worst broadband adoption cities list include a few places in MN https://wp.me/p3if7-5AK
• Minnesota and Blandin Foundation get nice nod from Christopher Ali as broadband instigators https://wp.me/p3if7-5AB
• Broadband access tough to get on farms according to the United Soybean Board https://wp.me/p3if7-5A4
• New study correlates lack of broadband to lack of health insurance https://wp.me/p3if7-5zx

Local Broadband News

Statewide
Broadband struggles in Greater Minnesota featured on TPT’s Almanac https://wp.me/p3if7-5Ai

Aitkin County
Aitkin Age recommends funding broadband to support seniors https://wp.me/p3if7-5Av

Info on Aitkin County’s $1.9 million in USDA funding for broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-5zY

Broadband a hot topic at Aitkin County Legislative Lunch https://wp.me/p3if7-5zH

Bemidji
Over 4,000 attend 2019 GigaZone Gaming Championship in Bemidji https://wp.me/p3if7-5BY

Chisago County
Chisago County broadband advocate Nancy Hoffman receives Courageous Leadership Award https://wp.me/p3if7-5AW

Granite Falls
Senator Smith talks about broadband in Granite Falls and Montevideo https://wp.me/p3if7-5Al

Greenwood Township
Feasibility study is first step to better broadband in Greenwood MN (St Louis County) https://wp.me/p3if7-5Cf

Lincoln County
Lincoln County Board renews their membership in the MN Broadband Coalition https://wp.me/p3if7-5Aa

Meeker County (and others)
Meeker Coop deploys Vibrant Broadband Meeker and parts of McLeod, Kandiyohi, Stearns, Wright and Renville counties https://wp.me/p3if7-5xJ

Montevideo
Senator Smith talks about broadband in Granite Falls and Montevideo https://wp.me/p3if7-5Al

Monticello
Monticello receives prestigious award for broadband leadership from Blandin Foundation https://wp.me/p3if7-5Ad

Morcom Township
Morcom Township (St Louis County) hopes for a MN broadband grant https://wp.me/p3if7-5y5

New Ulm
New Ulm Medical Center’s birth center is simulating telehealth procedures https://wp.me/p3if7-5BS

Prairie Island Indian Community
Prairie Island Indian Community now enjoys Gig access through HBC https://wp.me/p3if7-5xM

Rushford
MiEnergy Cooperative hosts legislative discuss in Rushford on topics including broadband https://wp.me/p3if7-5As

St Cloud
Google brings workshops for entrepreneurs to St. Cloud https://wp.me/p3if7-5zT

St Joseph
Gigabit service now offered in St. Joseph (Stearns County) https://wp.me/p3if7-5zK

Windom
Windomnet gets Courageous Broadband Leadership Award from Blandin Foundation https://wp.me/p3if7-5BN

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• Nov 5: Aspirations in Computing Awards for Young Women https://wp.me/p3if7-5xw
• Nov 11: Participants Sought for Survey on Small and Mid-size Business Cybersecurity Issues https://wp.me/p3if7-5Ay
• Nov 15: Become a Digital Inclusion Trailblazer https://wp.me/p3if7-5BV
• Nov 20: Tekne Awards https://www.tekneawards.org
• Announcing 100,000 Udacity Scholarships for America’s Workers https://wp.me/p3if7-5Ao

We are looking to add MN broadband-related events to the Blandin on Broadband blog calendar. https://wp.me/P3if7-4yG If you have an event you’d like to add please send it to atreacy@treacyinfo.com

Stirring the Pot – by Bill Coleman

Maine and Minnesota share many characteristics, including water and ice and rocks and trees.  While attending the Maine Broadband Summit, I learned that Maine also has a unique organization leading on rural broadband promotion.  The Island Institute has been active in helping rural Maine communities implement broadband solutions.  They have created some nice materials that can be found at www.islandinstitute.org/broadband. The primary constituency of the Institute are island-based communities of which Maine has many.

I also learned about Maine’s rather unique form of local government.  Towns include both urbanized and the surrounding rural areas while county government is limited.  Most local government decisions, including the annual budget, are made at annual town meetings through direct democracy similar to Minnesota’s townships.  The State of Maine has only a small broadband funding program that can only close small funding gaps. Because Maine looks a lot like northeastern Minnesota, last mile wireless is not an effective solution in most towns, so aerial FTTH is the primary infrastructure of choice.  For Maine’s islands, wireless is often used as the middle mile backbone solution as an affordable option to undersea cable.

The lack of state funding puts the onus on Maine’s towns to be more self-reliant and be the primary source of rural broadband government funding.  Because the towns include both urbanized and rural geography, most projects cover the entire town, including overbuilding any existing ISPs that may just be serving the urbanized area.  Most projects involve a private sector partner that operates the network with network ownership varying by community.  Most communities were just folding the bond payments into their existing property tax levy though the examples ran the gamut of possibilities, including funding raised by a small group of private citizens. The general result is ubiquitous quality broadband with some enhanced competition.  Community broadband partners include both privately-held independent telephone companies and entrepreneurial small ISPs.  The projects that I heard about had been approved overwhelmingly at the annual town meetings.

I think that Minnesota communities could learn from these Mainers that broadband is something that local communities can accomplish using local resources.  We know that most Border to Border applications will be rejected since there is only $20 million available for projects totaling $70 million.  Knowing that there is another $20 million in 2020 is not reassuring as even more projects emerge.

Time is now the enemy for unconnected places. They are already paying a harsh penalty measured in jobs, education, health care and quality of life.  Like interest on unpaid debts, this penalty will continue to compound.  Don’t wait!

I suspect I’ll see a few more of the Blandin Broadband award announcements. I shared the live unveiling last week during the broadband conference but each of the winners has worked hard and I didn’t do individual posts about each one so I’ll post these local announcements as I see them. This one comes from the Monticello Times…

 A state leader in broadband initiatives has recognized the City of Monticello for its support of FiberNet.

The Blandin Foundation recognized the City of Monticello with its Courageous Leadership Award. Monticello was recognized for its early recognition of the importance of telecommunications to its economic future and for its perseverance in deploying a fiber-optic network, FiberNet, that has transformed the city’s technology capabilities, Blandin officials stated.

The recgonition was made in Nisswa at the 15th annual Blandin Foundation broadband conference.

“Thanks to this municipally-owned fiber-to-the-home network, the City of Monticello has transitioned from a poorly connected community to one of the top connected communities in the nation,” said Bernadine Joselyn, director of public policy and engagement at Blandin Foundation.

“Monticello leaders never wavered in their belief that access to broadband is essential to everything from economic vitality to quality of life,” Joselyn said.

Monticello City Administrator Jeff O’Neill accepted the award on behalf of the City of Monticello.

“Vitality can’t be divided between urban and rural; all communities deserve the tools necessary to thrive in the modern world,” O’Neill said.