I feel like today’s news is really just an addendum to yesterday’s post (MTA & MREA submit a petition to the MN PUC to suspect LTD Broadband’s ETC designation while considering revocation). The follow up is that a prehearing conference has been set for April 24 and the Institute for Local Self Reliance has submitted a file a notice of appearance.
I used to work a Reference Desk so I know, librarians are the frontline support for nearly everything, especially digital equity. It’s helpful to be as prepared as possible and the National Library of Medicine is offering a class that will help…
Libraries in locations across the United States are beginning to offer their patrons access to telehealth services as a strategy for addressing inequities in digital access to healthcare. This class introduces telehealth, why it’s important, and how it enables people to have greater access to quality healthcare. Explore how different libraries provided patrons in their communities with access to telehealth services. This class will address privacy and ethical concerns, and review the technology and infrastructure needed to launch a successful telehealth program in your library. The class will consist of three one-hour modules. Each module will focus on one of the course objectives, which are:
- Recognize the different approaches/models to providing telehealth access within libraries.
- Describe resources available to the library for Telehealth technology and the role of the library in support of digital skills training for telehealth.
- Address potential ethical and legal concerns in offering telehealth access within libraries.
Date(s): June 12, 2023 – July 12, 2023Platform: MoodleCE Credits: 3.00CE Categories: CHIS Level 2Class Experience Level: BeginnerThis is a National NNLM class.Learn more about this class and find other upcoming instances:
Today the MN Senate Committee on Agriculture, Broadband and Rural Development heard the Omnibus bill. There was $100 million for broadband grants; $60 million in the Border to Border grants and $40 million in Low Density Program grants. (The low density grants requires less match from the applicant.)
Here’s the page from the Omnibus spreadsheet:
Today was the final meeting of this iteration of the MN Broadband Task Force. There was a lot of gratitude for everyone involved and a hope that efforts to get broadband broadband to everyone continues. There is a concern that policymaker and community leaders think that the federal funding will provide a fix to everyone. But it’s not enough money and that money is still years away.
Full notes: Continue reading
I’m sharing the info from Paul Bunyan for the folks near Ponemah but also to spread the word about the Affordable Connectivity Program to everyone who could benefit from it…
Paul Bunyan Communications and the Red Lake Nation are holding a sign-up day for the Affordable Connectivity Program on Tuesday, April 11 from Noon-2:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club in Ponemah.
The Affordable Connectivity Program will help to lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households struggling to afford internet service and provides a discount of up to a $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for qualifying households on qualifying Tribal lands.
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Has an income that is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines;
- Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
- Participates in one of several Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Head Start (only households meeting the relevant income qualifying standard) Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations;
- Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income program.
Eligible households can enroll at the sign-up event, through a participating broadband provider, or by going to ACPBenefit.org to submit an online application or print a mail-in application and contacting their preferred participating broadband provider and selecting a plan. Additional information about the Emergency Broadband Benefit is available at www.fcc.gov/ACP, or by calling 877-384-2575 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET any day of the week.
Pine and Lakes Echo Journal reports…
CITY OF JENKINS CROW WING COUNTY STATE OF MINNSOTA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED BUSINESS SUBSIDY CRITERIA AND AGREEMENT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that City Council of Jenkins, Crow Wing County, Minnesota will meet at or after 4:30 p.m. on March 28, 2023 at Jenkins City Hall located at 33861 Cottage Ave, Jenkins, Minnesota 56474 to conduct a public hearing to consider adopting criteria for the granting of business subsidies and also to consider granting a business subsidy to Emily Consolidated Telephone Company dba ECTC under Minnesota Statutes, Sections 116J.993 through 116J.995, as amended, to assist in expanding rural broadband capacity within the Township. A draft copy of the business subsidy criteria and Broadband Development Agreement are available for public inspection on and after the date of this notice by contacting or submitting a written request to the City Clerk.
From the Connectivity Blueprint Team…
The final Connectivity Blueprint report will be released Mar. 27. You’re invited to attend the Community Report-Back on Monday, Mar. 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. over Zoom. Click here to register.
We want you to hear what community members shared throughout the process, and how that has contributed to the final Connectivity Blueprint. We hope you’ll join us for this important community event.
Today, Online Life is Woven into Daily Life for Many.
Digital equity is at the foundation of an equitable future and an inclusive economy. The pandemic has accelerated the movement of opportunities in jobs, education, health, services, social connection and more online.
Across Ramsey County and Saint Paul, people rely on their connection to the internet for their daily lives. Every day or every week, Ramsey residents are going online to:
- Connect with family and friends (85%)
- Work (69%)
- Shop (73%)
- Go to School (45%)
Others are relying on internet access for occasional (monthly or rare) activities like:
- Doctor appointments (67%)
- Access public services (46%)
- Access legal services (38%)
Government Technology posts about what’s happening a Net Inclusion, the annual conference for digital equity folks, hosted by NDIA (National Digital Inclusion Alliance) – they are the folks who have successfully pushed for better understanding of broadband adoption as well as access for years. This article focused on how we can capitalize on the funding that’s coming through federal channels (BEAD and IIJA) even after those funds are discontinued…
Many communities have digital inclusion ecosystems and have for a good while. The work that comes next for digital inclusion is strengthening them. The NDIA also offers guidance on what makes a digital inclusion ecosystem strong.
This includes having programs and policies that address all of the aspects for the digital divide, including affordable and subsidized broadband as well as device ownership. There should also be multilingual digital literacy and skills training available, tech support and digital navigators to guide residents in all of the above. Finally, there needs to be collaboration on digital inclusion work between policymakers, advocates, social service groups, community leaders and, really, anyone else in a given community that holds public sway.
Another absolutely key thing for continuing digital inclusion work long term is data. And not data that shows people why the Internet is important — that question has been answered — but rather data about the specifics of digital equity programs in a community. To keep this work strong and thriving past its moment, Siefer said practitioners need data around how digital equity programs work, why they work, and who is benefiting from them.
That last question is perhaps the most crucial, as its answer is likely to lead to continued interest and funding. Who benefits from digital inclusion work? The answer is most — if not all — of the nation’s biggest industries: health care, education, telecommunications and even retail.
The theme for the day is really winding down the Task Force. The last meeting will be in March. It sounds like applications for the next iteration of the Task Force will be make available any day now.
The expectation is that broadband funding at the legislature will be part of an agriculture omnibus, which should be made public soon. Non-funding broadband-related bills include an effort to include fixed wireless into the Border to Border grant definitions such as to define served and unserved areas. There’s also a bill to provide tax rebates for fiber purchases.
They also heard a lot about computer science in the schools.
Legislative Update by Deven Bowdry, DEED
Broadband is quiet at the broadband. DEED will put in their ask from the Governor in the next couple of weeks. It will come out as part of an omnibus bill, probably with ag. They should have been released two weeks ago but it’s been very busy.
Two industry bills introduced but neither scheduled for a meeting:
Q: Do you think there will be other bills introduced?
There may be some stand alone bills looking at low density issues. But no word yet.
10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Office of Broadband Development Update by Bree Maki, Executive Director
Q: Will there be more state funding rounds this year?
Only if the budget in Leg now passes – not with federal dollars. Even the pre-plan is probably slated for next year.
Q: Is there a timeline for the next Task Force?
They should have already opened up applications but it hasn’t happened yet. They will send an email to the Task Force when it’s open
Overview of Le Sueur County Broadband Activities with Barbara Dröher Kline, Le Sueur County Broadband Initiative
Q: What questions moving forward?
We have a company that has fiber in the ground but the company was sold so the fiber is unused. We need funding at 75/25 match because it’s too expensive to deploy to the last residents.
Q: For folks who have broadband what is it like?
We have a dentist with 2 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up – so even many of out towns aren’t connected. We will be getting a lot of complaints this week for broadband and the weather. Fixed wireless is fine until the snow and ice come. Schools are doing distance learning and it will be tough.
State of Computer Science Education in Minnesota with Sarah Carter, STEM/Computer Science Integration Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education
Current Context of Computer Science Education in Minnesota with Dr. Lana Peterson, Director of Community Engagement for the Learning + Technologies Collaborative at the University of Minnesota
Sounds like one issue is that Minnesota had an organization that focused on computer science in the schools (TIES) and I remember they even provider Internet access to teacher across the state in the 1990s. But for many reasons, they morphed into something different and the edge they had – going back decades ago – were lost.
Public Comment, Other Business, Future Plans for March 27, 2023 Meeting, Wrap-up
Here’s the agenda for the Task Force meeting on Wednesday. It’s worth noting that this iteration of the Task Force is set to sunset after next month. All are welcome; also I will livestream it on Facebook…
Governor’s Task Force on Broadband
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
10:00 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 266 368 782 128 Passcode: CZoDEF
Video Conference ID: 118 170 225 5 Alternate VTC instructions
10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Welcome, Task Force Introductions, and Approval of Minutes from January 31 meeting
10:10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Legislative Update by Deven Bowdry, DEED
10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Office of Broadband Development Update by Bree Maki, Executive Director
10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Overview of Le Sueur County Broadband Activities with Barbara Dröher Kline, Le Sueur County Broadband Initiative
10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Current Context of Computer Science Education in Minnesota with Dr. Lana Peterson, Director of Community Engagement for the Learning + Technologies Collaborative at the University of Minnesota
11:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. State of Computer Science Education in Minnesota with Sarah Carter, STEM/Computer Science Integration Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education
11:30 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Public Comment, Other Business, Future Plans for March 27, 2023 Meeting, Wrap-u
Always a fun event from Paul Bunyan Telephone…
The 6th GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo with special guest Steve “Woz” Wozniak the co-founder of Apple is coming up Saturday, April 22 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. The event features free gaming on various console and arcade games, numerous tournaments, door prizes, and more. All the fun is free.
This year’s main stage tournament will feature Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate on the esports stadium style stage in the GigaZone Championship Arena. In addition to the main stage, there will be tournaments of Overwatch 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Madden NFL 23, Rocket League, Magic the Gathering Booster Drafts, and junior tournaments for kids 13 and under of Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Registration for all tournaments will start at the Sanford Center April 22 at 10 a.m. and go until full. More tournaments may be added. For updated information visit www.gigazonegaming.com
“There is a large gaming community in our area and GigaZone Gaming Championship not only showcases some of the region’s best gamers but it gives everyone a chance to get in on the action!” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“Our cooperative continues to expand one of the largest rural fiber gigabit networks in the country and that brings many advantages to our members. The GigaZone provides extreme speed and low latency which are critical for the best online gaming experience and the GigaZone Gaming Championship showcases just that,” added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Technology Experience Manager.
The GigaZone TechXpo is a new part of the event with the mission to spark excitement and create opportunities with technology by connecting students, job seekers, employers, educators, and technology enthusiasts from northern Minnesota. The TechXpo will expose a growing regional audience to technology innovation and help them realize their potential to leverage their technical skills and enthusiasm into successful careers in northern Minnesota. Start-ups and companies creatively leveraging technology will be able to demonstrate their use of technology to a large group of tech-savvy potential employees. Educators and educational institutions can have their tech-oriented students show off projects and promote the technology training programs they have to offer. There is no cost to be an exhibitor but space is limited, and the exhibit must display their innovative use of technology. To apply to be an exhibitor, visit www.gigazonetechxpo.com Application deadline is March 1.
“There is no other gaming event like it anywhere I’ve seen. It’s unique to our area and we are very excited to have it be back in person for the first time since 2019. The addition of the TechXpo and our special guest Steve Wozniak the co-founder of Apple will make the event all the more fun for all, gamer or not! There is no catch, everyone and anyone gets in and gets to game for free!” added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.
This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes the talents of many local partners including NLFX, Accidentally Cool Games, Northern Amusement, the Sanford Center, as well as support from several regional and national partners.
This is a continuing story. Many of us are watching closely and some might want a little recap…
The Minnesota PUC decided to continue to move forward looking at revoking LTD Broadband’s ETC designation. (Background: LTD was awarded an opportunity to apply for$311 million in federal RDOF funding. They needed the ETC designation from the MN PUC to qualify; industry folks asked the MN PUC to rethink their designation because there were concerns about LTD being able to fulfill the contract. Last month, their application for RDOF was rejected.)
The prehearing conference has been moved from March 6 to March 13…
The Commission Staff’s request is GRANTED. The prehearing conference scheduled for March 6, 2023, is CANCELLED.
A prehearing conference will be held by telephone on March 13, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. to review the status of the case. At that time, please call 1-877-304-9269 and when prompted enter passcode 406954#.
Shared from the Office of Broadband Development with permission – lots of ways to get more info…
Thank you for joining us at the Internet for All: Connecting One Minnesota Workshop on January 25. Below are links to the recording of the event and presentations.
Recording
Internet for All: Connecting One Minnesota Workshop
Presentations
Overview of Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities – Baltazar
Overview of Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities – Boening
Overview of Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities – Karst
Overview of Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities – Roark
Overview of Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities – Rutyna
Next Steps: Barriers and Tools to Break Them Down – Buckland
Next Steps: Barriers and Tools to Break Them Down – Karst
Next Steps: Barriers and Tools to Break Them Down – Wells
For more information about the Minnesota Office of Broadband Development and their programs, please visit their webpage or you can reach out to:
You can reach out to the Minnesota broadband team at:
- BEAD Questions or Comments: Office of Broadband Development (deed.broadband@state.mn.us)
- Digital Equity Questions or Comments: Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead (hannah.buckland@state.mn.us)
And for information about NTIA’s broadband programs, please visit Internet for All or you can email BEAD@ntia.gov or DigitalEquity@ntia.gov for specific questions about these programs. We also encourage you to visit NTIA’s State, Local, and Tribal Nations pages for additional information and resources. If you have any questions for NTIA, please reach out to Tom Karst, Federal Program Officer for Minnesota (tkarst@ntia.gov.)
Today the MN Senate Committee Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee met and heard from Bree Maki, Director of the Office of Broadband Development about Governor Walz’s broadband budget. The presentation was quick. Senators had questions, many of which seemed to steam from a recent visit from the Minnesota Association of Townships…
Questions:
Q: I support broadband, just heard from township folks and their need. We don’t have it in Afton.
Steve Fenske works hard
Q: We know the expensive connections are the ones we need to do now.
It is getting difficult. We will learn a lot through our low density pilot during this round where can request up to $10 million
Q: Chair – what about outreach – how do we get people to tell us if they need access?
OBD will do outreach to present through Association of Townships, Letters to the Editors help too. We get 3 percent operating cost.
Q: I recently spoke to Women in Gov group, spoke about affordable broadband as a gender issue. Broadband digital equity is an issue – with communities of color using smart phones over computers. During COVID, folks on reservations and remote locations had a harder time using telehealth and other applications. Jobs during COVID that could be done remotely but those without access, folks couldn’t work online. Is there a plan to promote access in the tribes? And how do you support communities of color.
We are working with tribal entities. WE have tribal liaisons. Digital equity did slide, though reliable access does help. WE just hired a digital equity lead and try to work with other government agencies. We have an opportunity to focus moving forward.
Today the MN Broadband Task Force met to get general updates from Office of Broadband Development and Legislature. There is clearly a concern that there are not strong advocates at the legislature despite the $276 million set in Governor’s budget. Hearing about the federal funding, it is clear that it will not come quickly but there are opportunities for local communities to get involved. For example, Region 9 is looking at hosting a broadband conference for their community.
Next meetings are Feb 22 and March 27.
Here are details.
10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. – Welcome, Task Force Introductions, and Approval of Minutes from December 19 and December 22 meetings
10:05 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. – Legislative Update by Deven Bowdry, DEED
Q: Will there be a day of the hill?
There was a one for the providers – but not others.
MN Broadband Coalition is not in a position to do a day on the hill; apparently we had a bill due but we’re trying to move forward. We need to convene a meeting. We’d like to at least have a lobby day.
10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. How Can the Task Force Advocate for Broadband Funding at the Legislature? – Nathan Zacharias, Technology Policy Analyst, Association of Minnesota Counties
Tips for lobbying
Q: Can we look for better than 50 percent match? Can we figure out how much of property tax is going into Border to Border funds already?
Some folks don’t have enough of a tax base to match grants.
10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. – Office of Broadband Development Update by Bree Maki, Executive Director
10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Line Extension Program Update by Bree Maki
Q: Any consideration of accelerating the process?
Not with all of the other things are happening. For example some addresses may be served from recent grant recipients.
Q: Le Sueur is the project partner for this project. We have a lot of fiber in the ground but it’s middle mile. How can we as a county engage with the process? DO we need to rely on vendors? Can we get the addresses?
People have to register themselves. Getting the word out there is most important. We can’t share personal address info.
Q: Is the map available on the website?
No.
Q: Is there any thought to recommend to legislature to improve on the $5 million cap and 50 percent match?
The low density pilot project is still being tested. We reach capacity even with 50 percent match so we’re hard to push on that. There is an interest in going to a $10 million cap and it sounds like folks are talking about it. There are a lot of unknowns.
An Analysis of last year’s applications to see how much of state funding was property taxes.
Association of Townships is working on this.
11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. Border-to-Border Grant Program Update by Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development
Q: ON the maps … just heard there were one million locations added to maps? Has Connected Nation been able to see anomalies? I know of locations that are misrepresented.
Availability of service is best known by person at that location. So we asked folks to report anomalies. The FCC used a fabric developed by Costquest – one option we have is to use them to try to sync with them or we have decided to work with local source to build a map. That will help us challenge. Some providers have reported to the FCC using different methods. Without the fabric in place first, we’re at a disadvantage. We didn’t do a bulk challenges of addresses but it looks like those who did were rejected.
Q: In Le Sueur we made a push to improved maps – but we’re having trouble even getting surveys done online because the broadband is poor.
The OBD staff is all remote and many rural – they are acutely aware of issues. We hope to get more engaged to document in five year plan.
11:10 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Break
11:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Digital Equity Update – Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead, Office of Broadband Development
11:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Input from Governor’s Task Force Members
Q: What can we do to push the issue at the legislature?
We could be at the legislature. Talk to legislators.
11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Public Comment, Other Business, Future Speakers for February 22 and March 27, 2023 Meetings, Wrap-up
Blandin on Broadband 