Here’s the news from our latest newsletter. It’s mostly a compilation of Minnesota-related stories from the blog in the last month – but sometimes it’s nice to have it compiled.
NTIA/RUS Funding
For many folks, July was a blur of preparing an application for NTIA and/or RUS broadband funding. NTIS and RUS held a workshop in St Paul for prospective applicants. http://tinyurl.com/ndkkzf Some folks have been unhappy with the NOFA. http://tinyurl.com/l8eany Others have been working on creating tools to help applicants. http://tinyurl.com/l6ry95 Lots of groups have been striving to learn more before the deadline on August 14. http://tinyurl.com/llo2kl
Broadband Task Force in Mankato
The Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force met in Mankato in July. http://tinyurl.com/l63933 They tackled some tough issues and are on track to tackle more in subsequent meetings. (You can see the most recent version of their recommendations on the Blandin on Broadband blog.) They also heard from community members, many of whom had attended Blandin’s Broadband Policy Seminar held the day before. http://tinyurl.com/l2qt4r They will be meeting in Fergus Falls in August. If you’re in that part of the State is a great opportunity to tell the Task Force how you feel.
Blandin Broadband Conference
The Blandin Foundation is planning the 2009 Broadband Conference for November 18-19 in Duluth. They are looking for advice on a catchy name. Please take a moment to vote on the short list of potential names or submit one of your own. http://tinyurl.com/nee5un
Minnesota Rural Business and the Internet
EDA Center at the University of Minnesota, Crookston surveyed 689 rural businesses in Minnesota. Results indicate that almost 90 percent of those businesses do some work online and most are happy with their connections; the average cost is $50 per month. Half of those without broadband did not have access; the other half chose dialup for other reasons. http://tinyurl.com/kqjq4e
Local Broadband News
Cook County
Cook County is pursuing ARRA funding. Some people are happier with the idea than others. http://tinyurl.com/nekxmu
Jackson
The Jackson City Council allocates more money to pursue FTTH in the community. http://tinyurl.com/lrmw6y
Lake County
Surveys indicate that Lake County residents are supportive of a FTHH network. http://tinyurl.com/mlweum
Northfield
Northfield is disappointed with the details on the NTIA/RUS application. They will be seeking bonding instead of applying for federal funding. http://tinyurl.com/nksyw5
Park Rapids
Park Rapids tells Senator Franken’s representatives that they want broadband. http://tinyurl.com/nhchy7
Red Wing
HBC is disappointed with the details on the NTIA/RUS application but will still be moving forward with an application.http://tinyurl.com/nksyw5
Sabin
Midcontinent Communications offers DOCSIS 3.0 in Sabin and expects to offer service in Moorhead by the end of the summer. http://tinyurl.com/lnvfsn
(Many stories are gathered from local online newspaper. Unfortunately each newspaper has a different policy in regards to archive news and therefore we cannot guarantee access to all articles cited.)
Coleman’s Corner
Affordability is always one of the first topics of discussion of broadband policy, whether at the community or state level. Providers might say that any customer can have what they want for broadband if they are willing to pay for it. A broadband advocate will compare us to other countries with their 40 Mb for $40 service.
What is affordability? To me, affordability is an index that includes the price paid for a service, the value derived from the service and the ability to pay for a service based on income. But to compute an index requires that you have data on all of the variables. What is the price of broadband in your community? What does broadband cost? Can you even find out?
I have been trying to find out the price of various broadband services for a couple of different projects and, frankly, it is not an easy task. I have been on quite a few provider web sites and getting to the heart of pricing is not a click away. It should be a simple task to create a page with the specifics of the service and the price for the service. Some providers do this, but many others provide discount prices for bundles, add prices for modem rental, discount prices for the next six months, require purchase of a “qualified telephone package”.
I will not even begin to get into the difficulties of finding information on specialized broadband services like a 100 Mb connection from here to there. I have even stumped a couple industry-insider experts the past few days which is discouraging because if they do not know, how could community economic developers or small business owners? It may be that the only way to get some data is to place an order with the local telecommunications provider. It reminds me of car purchasing before Edmunds or CarSoup in that the seller has a tremendous advantage.
If we cannot even determine the actual price, how can we even reasonably discuss affordability?
