Category Archives: Minnesota Advisory Task Force

MN Broadband Task Force Aug 2024 Mtg: Hearing from broadband providers

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It was nice to hear from broadband providers from the Northeast Minnesota. The spoke frankly about the trials, tribulations and success for building broadband in the area. The importance of the Affordable Connectivity Program also came up – and the loss of trust that came up with loss of broadband.

Also nice to get public comments from folks from the frontlines!

10:10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Introduction – Paul McDonald, Board Chair, St. Louis County Commissioners

  • In 2021 created SLC broadband grants
  • $400,000 for community infrastructure
  • Worked with RAMS and IRRR to talk to folks
  • 7,000 square miles, 13.1 pop density (people per square mile), very rocky (Canadian Shield), lakes and rural
  • One community in the area: 550 customers, $11M for project, many partners – still $3M shy
  • They leverage $10 for every $1 in grants
  • BEAD fears: not enough money / fall back on non-fiber solutions / ISP required to cover affordable options

10:20 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. Approval of minutes from July 18th, 2024, Task Force Meeting
Done

10:25 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Internet Service Providers Panel – Consolidated Telecommunications Company: Joe Buttweiler, Chief Strategy Officer, Northeast Service Coop: Paul Brinkman, Executive Director; Joe Weber, Operations Manager, Paul Bunyan Communications: Gary Johnson, CEO/GM; Chad Bullock Assistant GM; Patti Horazuk, Regulatory Compliance Specialist; Steve Howard, IT & Development Manager

CTC:

  • New things: We have workforce challenges – we need more people but have been named top 200 small businesses
  • New things: launching new MC Fiber construction company (CTC and Meeker Coop Light & Power)
  • New things: CTC Cares is a nonprofit to exclusively fund local community initiatives – new grants in 2025
  • Lots of partnerships with local govs, EDAs, cooperatives…
  • In last 10 years: $123M in federal, state  local gov and CTC investment to get 16, 534 homes and businesses online
  • Implementing a state grant: it starts with community engagement. We develop a high level budget – how many served/unserved, is there an anchor institution, potential funders (IRRR, state funding…?), pre-application process (tell area providers you are going to apply – required by OBD) – it can cost $1000-25,000 to get this far. The state process is easier than many others.
    Assembling the grant application: get letters of support (personalized letters are better!),  curing a grant application if it is challenged (OBD does a nice job but it takes job and labor – could be $5,000-33,000)
    Grant awarded: community engagement, grant review and bid waiver (bidding isn’t always best option – sometimes easier to negotiate (cost $1,000-6,000)
    Deploying: Pre-construction, construction and activation, admin functions. They pre-wire at home while building.

NESC

  • Providing middle mile for last 10 years.
  • We look for partners to provide last mile – except public utilities.
  • We are a providers’ provider.
  • Work with public and private sectors.
  • Working on 40/200 gigahertz Optical Channels

Paul Bunyan Communications

  • Constructed nothing but fiber since 2004
  • Do people really need multi-Gig? We don’t want to make decisions for people.
  • Long standing partnerships
  • Strive to make things affordable. Without ACP intervention, we found people didn’t get online. SO we jumped on that and brought subscription desks and training to them. Especially helped with tribal partners. Heart broken on the demise of the ACP. We know it worked and we have stories.
  • 6,000 square miles – have spent $245M on infrastructure from 2005 to 2023. $228M is PB investment the rest is IRRR, RDOF, Border to Border or other. Profit is not our motivation – service is.
  • GigaZone Gaming – 8 years going, so far

Questions:

  • About Bois Fort – how much of $20M has been eaten up in process?
    Thousands of dollars – it’s more the time that it takes.
  • About Bois Fort – have you looked at cost projections from going through rock or around it?
    We have $1M in rock contingency. We’re hoping CTC construction will help us keep to budget.
    Sen Smith has been involved in broadband. The letters of support are striking. We hear good things about CTC and Paul Bunyan.
  • About Bois Fort – when complete, will it serve everyone?
    Yes – although there are members who live off the reservation so that’s a factor we are working on.
  • For PB: what’s the impact of demise of ACP?
    We did work hard on it. It was hard to send the letter about the demise and it hurts the trust between. The lack of trust is bigger than lost of broadband. A terrible collateral damage.
    Cost of ACP was $5-7M per month. We might make recommendations for a State program.
  • Terrain is an issue in NE MN for buildouts. What do you do to mitigate it?
    It’s not impossible. It’s expensive. You just have to know the costs. If you think 30 years out instead of 5 years, the math is easier.

11:15am-11:25 a.m. Break

 

11:25 a.m. –11:40 a.m. Broadband Equity, Access and Development Program (BEAD) Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development – Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • Vol 1 approved in May
  • Challenge process is closing. There were 12,300 challenges made. Deadline is Wednesday. Providers have 30 days to rebut.
  • Vol 2 is still being cured. NTIA is hoping to approve all Vol 2s by Fall. Then we’ll have 365 days to award subgrantees. So, we’re hoping for 3 rounds of funding in 8 months.
  • Original vols are available online and OBD tries to keep recent versions online. There was interest from providers to sit down and go through the volume in detail. We are working on setting up something like that.
  • At end of subgrantee selection, we need to have a plan to serve everyone in Minnesota. If you decide not to apply in your area, we will have to select someone else.
  • OBD has weekly office hours (Thursday 2-3pm).

Q: How do you feel about 12,000 challenges?
It’s lowering that we were anticipating. Most are from providers. Last round MN grants is part of the process. ARPA was never captured by OBD so we’re seeing some of that now. Also seeing fixed wireless going from licensed to unlicensed.

11:40 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Digital Opportunity Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development – Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead

 

11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. Office of Broadband Development Overview – Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • DEED and OBD is in a State audit review. Going well.
  • Working on statewide plans for permitting
  • We have concern about $652M reaching everyone – we are having to recognize that fiber won’t go everywhere.
  • Working with Dep of Labor on certification programs required after last MN Legislative session
  • We are working on awarding Round 10 funding. We’re aiming on early fall. We’re trying to coordinate with ReConnect and BEAD.
  • Line Extension continues. Round 1 needs to be done this year. Round 3 is in process

12:05 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Sub-Group Discussion in preparation for Broadband Task Force Annual Report – Affordability & Digital Equity; Mapping, Funding, & Policy; Economic Opportunity & Workforce

Affordability & Digital Equity

  • They are looking at plans for MN version of ACP. Looking at what data might be useful.
  • Looking what feds are doing with Lifeline
  • Adding digital navigation to 211 – but thinking it goes into United Way

Mapping, Funding and Policy

  • Community planning efforts
  • Recruit workforce
  • Increase statutory speed goals
  • Continuation of digital equity
  • Continuation of Line Extension

Q: How can Lead for America help? Is it though orgs or communities?
TBD

Economic Opportunity & Workforce

  • Data review of past broadband projects, especially success
  • Current workforce doing broadband deployment? What’s the forecast when all states want those types of employees?
  • What is State currently doing to prepare people for jobs in broadband deployment?
  • CWA and CTC have joint apprenticeship programs. Might be nice to hear more about it.

12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Other Business, September 24th Meeting Plans, Wrap-up

  • We will talk more about how subcommittees prepare for the yearend report in future meetings.

Any open comments?

  • Rep from small town outside of Duluth (Northstar Township)– we need help. We have 238 places that need broadband. We have 275 voters. We are 7.33 miles away from broadband. We can’t afford broadband.
    They were part of a Border to Border grant that was disqualified due to RDOF.
    Need to makes sure those addresses are challenged if need be.
  • Paul Peltier from RAMS. What can local folks do to help policymakers? We have 13,000 square miles – they don’t all have broadband. We’ve worked with local providers. We have households that would still need to go to McDonalds for internet access. Do you folks recognize that building broadband is only getting more expensive. Rural broadband is going to change rural America.
    Pay attention to the challenge process.
    As draft reports are coming out – we could have in depth conversations about where the gaps are and try to build coalitions. Good questions.
    We need to make the right recommendations. Concrete examples are helpful.
  • Tom Karst at NTIA: Getting involved in the Challenge process is key.

EVENT Aug 19: MN Broadband Task Force Aug Meeting in Mountain Iron MN

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Here’s information on the Task Force meeting tomorrow…

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

Monday, August 19, 2024

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Northeast Service Cooperative 5525 Emerald Ave, Mountain Iron, MN 55768

OR

Microsoft Teams Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 289 001 798 556

Passcode: 6fxpgB

Dial in by phone +1 651-395-7448,,492211021# United States, St. Paul Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 492 211 021#

Join on a video conferencing device Tenant key: mn@m.webex.com

Video ID: 119 315 249 0 More info For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Welcome – Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

10:10 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Introduction – Paul McDonald, Board Chair, St. Louis County Commissioners

10:20 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. Approval of minutes from July 18th, 2024, Task Force Meeting

10:25 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Internet Service Providers Panel – Consolidated Telecommunications Company: Joe Buttweiler, Chief Strategy Officer, Northeast Service Coop: Paul Brinkman, Executive Director; Joe Weber, Operations Manager, Paul Bunyan Communications: Gary Johnson, CEO/GM; Chad Bullock Assistant GM; Patti Horazuk, Regulatory Compliance Specialist; Steve Howard, IT & Development Manager

11:15am-11:25 a.m. Break

11:25 a.m. –11:40 a.m. Broadband Equity, Access and Development Program (BEAD) Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development – Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

11:40 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Digital Opportunity Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development – Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead

11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. Office of Broadband Development Overview – Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

12:05 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Sub-Group Discussion in preparation for Broadband Task Force Annual Report – Affordability & Digital Equity; Mapping, Funding, & Policy; Economic Opportunity & Workforce

12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Other Business, September 24th Meeting Plans, Wrap-up

MN Broadband Task Force July Mtg: BEAD Challenge process is important

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The Task Force met today and the hot topic, as expected, is the BEAD federal broadband funding and the challenge process that opens next week to help define the locations in Minnesota that will be eligible for funding. A strong message I heard today and in earlier meetings…

BEAD money will not get fiber to all of Minnesota. The federal BEAD goal is “broadband” not fiber. So, if there are areas where only satellite providers apply, they may get funding if no one else has applied. It behooves communities to get connected with providers to see what can be done to build partnerships to apply for better broadband for their area before this happens! A first step is to look at BEAD maps, see if you think they are accurate, if not find a way to challenge.

Other topics were discussed as well. You can watch the videos or read the notes below.

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EVENT June 18: MN Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

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Here’s the agenda for the next MN Broadband Task Force meeting…

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Southwest Initiative Foundation,
15 3rd Avenue NW Hutchinson MN 55350

OR

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 232 955 755 330

Passcode: eT6UwN

Dial in by phone

+1 651-395-7448,,345486102# United States, St. Paul

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 345 486 102#

Join on a video conferencing device

Tenant key: mn@m.webex.com

Video ID: 111 021 254 0

More info

For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.  Welcome and Introductions

Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

10:05 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Approval of minutes from May 15th, 2024, Task Force Meeting

10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Regional Impact

Briana Mumme, Economic Development Manager, Southwest Initiative Foundation

10:30 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. BEAD Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

10:55 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.  Digital Opportunity Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead

11:10 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.               Break

11:20 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Broadband Overview

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  ConnectedMN, Connectivity and Digital Navigation in Minnesota

Scott D. Cole, CEO/Co-founder, Collectivity

12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.               Sub-Group Discussion on future meetings:

Affordability & Digital Equity
Economic Opportunity & Workforce

Mapping, Funding, & Policy

12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Other Business, July 18th Meeting Plans, Wrap-up

MN Broadband Task Force May meeting: BEAD updates, precision ag and service learning opportunities

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We learned about sustainability and precision agriculture. We learned about the American Connection Corps. And we got an update on BEAD funding. Not much has happened in the last month but folks had lots of practical questions. OBD emphasized the fact that the BEAD grants will follow federal guidelines, not state rules. The BEAD focus is ubiquitous coverage over meeting the Minnesota 100/20 goal, which means if a provider is the only one to bid on a particular unserved area the quality of service and application doesn’t matter as much as location.

Last round of MN Broadband grant application were received last week. Here’s the break down:

  •  40 applications for border to border totaling $47M – only $30 available
  • 28 applications for Low density totaling $79M – only $20 available

There was a brief update on legislative issues. Sounds like the bill to allow OBD to redistribute broadband grants funds based on need. No discussion on MN House Labor Omnibus Bill.

Also – the video is poor here because there was no camera in the room of the onsite meeting. I was able to screenshot PTT slides.

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EVENT April 18: MN Broadband Task Force meets with Senator Putnam

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Happening tomorrow (April 18)…

Governor’s Broadband Task Force/Senator Putnam

Thursday, April 18, 2024

2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.

Room Number: Minnesota Senate Building, Conference Room 3237

95 University Ave. W. Saint Paul, MN 55155

2:00 p.m.-2:05 p.m.    – Call to order (Chair Bekele)

2:05 p.m.-2:06 p.m. – Welcome and introductions

2:06 p.m.-2:50 p.m.  – Discussion on legislative bills

2:45 p.m.   –  next steps

2: 50 p.m.  – Adjourn

*** Governor’s Broadband Task Force opening meeting rules apply for meetings of a quorum.

MN Broadband Task Force April 2024: BEAD, tribal connectivity

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The MN Broadband Task Force met at Black Bear Casino (near Fond du Lac reservation) and online today. There was a lot of talk about federal and state funding and where the Office of Broadband is in process of each.

There was also a brief discussion on bills being discussed in the Legislature now (SF4262/HF4182, SF4742/HF4659 and SF4826/HF4626). It sounds like a subcommittee wrote a letter to legislators about the bills (or maybe bill) and now Senator Putnam wants to meet with the Task Force next Thursday (April 18 from 2-3pm). The Office of Broadband Development is going to email Task Force members surveys (of a sort) to get their views on the various bills, they will analyze the information and report back to members in time for that meeting.

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.  Welcome and Introductions – Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

10:05 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.  Approval of minutes from March 20th and the April 3rd Task – Force Meetings

10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.   Not funding ACP will have on Broadband subscribers on the reservations – Brian Hood, Operations Manager, Fond du Lac Communications

  • Update/history on broadband in Fond du Lac reservation from Jason Hollinday.
  • Fred Underwood found ways to get funding for FTTH and Blandin Foundation
  • Did survey with Blandin Foundation and working with MIRC and BBC
  • Got federal tribal grant
  • Formed their own telephone company (ETC)
  • Helped hugely during COVID
  • We weren’t able to collaborate as much as we wanted because of the wording of the funding. We wanted to share with neighbors beyond the reservation.
  • We are continually looking for ways to work with others and we being unique tools to the table including a different rule book.

10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.   BEAD Scoring rubric/Updated plan highlights with Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development and Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

Question: Do we know which FCC map will be used?
Hoping it’s 3 it will be most recent map before getting approval.

11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.  Break

10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Digital Opportunity Update

Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead
Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • Digital Equity Plan was approved.
  • Capacity grant was opened. MN allocation is $12 million. Application is due in a month.
  • $12 million is half of what was expected. More opportunities will happen in the future. The scaled funding will make staffing difficult.
  • ACP is ending in May. In April, recipients will get funding. In May, the subsidy will be drastically reduced.
  • We are looking at ways to add changes to Digital Equity Plan for training.

Question:

Is there a plan to get more money?
Working on it – might be funding we can get through the State.


11:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.    Broadband Overview

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • Doing a weekly webinar series
  • Hired a new person – state & federal grant experience in St Cloud
  • Grant Round 10 is open – $50 million. Deadline is May 10 at 1pm.
  • Line Extension – accepting applications now, will be posting open addresses soon. Round 2 had $53 million go out; average grant was $8,000. This next round average is $11,000.

Question:

Will this info be made available in writing?
Will put info in the minutes for members.

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   Legislature Discussion Update – Current Volume
Darielle Dannen, State Program Admin Manager

Tom Karst, Federal Program Officer, US Department of Commerce, NTIA
Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development
Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

  • The Task Force wrote a letter to send to the legislators. Apparently there’s a subcommittee doing this work.
  • OBD is going to survey Task Force member on their views of various bills and create an analysis. Want responses by Tuesday. That info will be used to prepare folks for the meeting with Sea
  • Senator Putnam wants to meet with the Task Force – Thursday.  Sounds like that’s only open to the Task Force members.  Between 2-3pm Senate building

Updates on bills:

  • Up in the air at the moment

Questions:

Can public meet with Senator too?
Because the Task Force is a public body, they should be able to.

Is the letter sent to the legislators available online?

12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.   Sub-Group Discussion

  • Not discussed.

12:15 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.    Public Comment, Other Business, May 15th Meeting Plans, Wrap-up

  • No comments

Office of Broadband Development Updates: webinar series coming up

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From the Office of Broadband Development…

Updates From the Office of Broadband Development

  • Register today: Weekly webinar series kicks off in April from OBD
  • DEED leaders recognized for work in broadband, congratulations Kevin McKinnon and Diane Wells
  • Digital Opportunity Data Dive
  • Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, March meeting recap

Weekly webinar series kicks off in April from the Office of Broadband Development

Register today for the Broadband Development Tuesday Training Series: Navigating PLUS (Permitting, Land Use, and State Systems).

This series will take place Tuesdays in April, 10-11:30am. Agency experts will provide an overview of their agency, and information on current processes, timelines, goals, and best practices working on broadband projects and with broadband grantees.

Register for sessions below:

Content from the series will be recorded and posted to the Office of Broadband Development’s webpage.  

DEED leaders recognized for work in broadband, congratulations Kevin McKinnon and Diane Wells!

Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development, Kevin McKinnon and Deputy Director of the Office of Broadband Development Diane Wells were recently honored by the Minnesota Telecom Alliance at their Annual Conference with the Friend of the Industry Award for their service and commitment to broadband access and deployment in Minnesota. Both have been part of this work at DEED since the office was created 10 years ago! In the past, this award was given to lawmakers who championed this work, and it hasn’t been given out for 15 years, so congratulations to Kevin and Diane on this significant honor!

MTA Board of Directors Chair Terry Nelson, OBD Deputy Director Diane Wells, and MTA President/CEO Brent Christensen

The Digital Opportunity Data Drive

Public libraries—and their knowledgeable staff—are essential partners in digital inclusion work. Statewide as of 2022, Minnesota has 359 public library locations, 358 of which offer public Wi-Fi. Their combined total of 4,921 public computers and devices saw 1,749,819 patron uses in 2022, up from 1,236,941 in 2021. Further in-depth public library statistics are available through the MN Department of Education.

The digital inclusion work done daily by library staff is complemented by Minitex, a state-funded library organization. Minitex’s resources and services—available to anyone with an internet connection in Minnesota’s geography—include the extensive databases in eLibrary Minnesota, historical and cultural heritage materials through Minnesota Digital Library, and the AskMN 24/7 online reference service. Minitex also offers continuing education for librarians and educators in all these resources and more.

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, March meeting recap

The Task Force met at DEED headquarters in St. Paul, MN on Wednesday March 20th for an overview on 2024 Legislative Session Broadband Bills, to hear updates on BEAD and Digital Opportunity, and to learn about the American Connection Project from Taylor Stuckert, the Executive Director of the American Connection Corps. The agenda is available, as are minutes from previous Task Force meetings on the Broadband Task Force webpage.

Office of Broadband Development presents to MN House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee (Feb 20, 2024)

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Today the Office of Broadband Development presented to MN House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee. You can download the slides so I didn’t take a lot of notes on the presentation. (Also, it gets tough to video with one hand and type with the other.) But I did take notes on the questions. It’s always interesting to learn what the legislators are thinking and where there might be opportunities for learning more about broadband.

Questions –

Are we required to adhere to fair wage regulations?
no

Are installers qualified and unionized?
OBD does not regulate but we do pay attention.

Can we get more on line extension? How close
It varies. It might be new build. Former owner may have turned down earlier opportunities.

What is impact of inflation?
we are looking into that because there is concern that there won’t be enough money to meet our goals.

What is licensed fixed wireless?
We are agnostic for technologies. Feds consider fixed wireless to be broadband. We may need to resort to satellite if there are no providers interested in serving the area. We are looking to long time solutions.

Do you keep track of outages?
no. We don’t regulate or track.

Who oversees false claims of broadband speeds?
We do not but we do offer speed tests. We are asking the feds to put onus for testing on providers. Department of Commerce would oversee such issues.

Who applies for grants?
A variety of providers. Minnesota is lucky in the number of options.

Is there an interactive map?
yes

 

MN Broadband Task Force Meeting Feb 2024: Leg update and BEAD challenge discussion

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The MN Broadband Task Force met today.  They heard from economic developers and about the legislative process. A recurring theme is BEAD funding and how can we prepare to optimize funding especially in areas that need it. An answer that prompts more questions is the BEAD challenge process. We did learn that Minnesota will be working with the consultants who also work with Washington State and Missouri. So they may offer some ideas. (It looks as if the Missouri challenge map isn’t up yet. I will look at both when I can.) The next Task Force meeting has been move to March 20.

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Welcome and Introductions, Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

10:05 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Approval of minutes from January 11th Task Force Meeting

10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. Highlight AMC and the counties Legislative platforms Nathan Zacharias, Technology Policy Analyst Continue reading →

Governor Walz talks broadband in Blue Earth today while MN Broadband Task Force is in Braham

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According to KEYC…

Governor Tim Walz will be in southern Minnesota to talk about the state’s progress of expanding broadband access to tens of thousands of Minnesotans.

Over the last year, the state has provided enough funding to grow broadband to 46,000 homes and businesses that didn’t previously have access.

He will be visiting a broadband provider in Blue Earth at 11 a.m. Thursday.

It seems unusual as the MN Broadband Task Force is meeting today from 10am to noon in Braham. I will plan to attend and livestream the Task Force meeting remotely. I’ll try to keep an eye on the other meeting as well.

EVENT January 11: MN Broadband Task Force January meeting – agenda available

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I plan to attend remotely and will archive the meeting. Here’s the information on the meeting from the Office of Broadband Development…

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Thursday, January 11, 2024

10:00 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.

Braham Area High School (ECMECC)

Room B-100

531 Elmhurst Avenue South

Braham, MN 55006

OR

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 215 699 450 947 Passcode: 2FKkgR Download Teams | Join on the web Join with a video conferencing device mn@m.webex.com Video Conference ID: 114 312 312 9 Alternate VTC instructions

Or call in (audio only) +1 651-395-7448,,409393084# United States, St. Paul

Phone Conference ID: 409 393 084# Find a local number | Reset PIN

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

10:05 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Approval of minutes from September 19 and November 30 Task Force Meetings

10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. ECMECC Cooperative Benefits and Family/Student Challenges

Marc Johnson, Executive Director, ECMECC

10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. BEAD Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Digital Opportunity Update

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead

11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. Break

11:10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Broadband Overview

Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Benefits from Border-to-Border Broadband Grants and ECE Deployment

Dennis Rice, Broadband Manager, East Central Energy

12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Sub-Group Discussion

12:15 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Public Comment, Other Business, February 15th Meeting Plans, Wrap-u

 

EVENTS: Dates for the MN Broadband Task Force monthly meetings in 2024

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The Minnesota Broadband Task Force meets monthly to work on an annual report of updates and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature. According to the OBD website…

The Task Force will consist of 15 members, with the Governor appointing one member to serve as chair. The Task Force is charged with creating an annual report to be issued by December 31 each year. The report will address areas such as: the needs, barriers, issues and goals for broadband access; the needs and use of broadband in various sectors; digital inclusion definitions and the benefits, needs and strategies for addressing identified gaps; availability and accessibility for unserved and underserved populations; advances in broadband technology; opportunities to coordinate with other levels of government; and continued review of the adequacy and appropriateness of the broadband goals.

The meetings have been hybrid lately where some folks meet in person and others join online (via Teams). All are welcome. I attend and archive the meetings on the blog after the fact. Here are the dates for 2024:

  • January 11
  • February 15
  • March 14
  • April 11
  • May 15
  • June 18
  • July 18
  • August 19
  • September 24
  • October 29
  • November 26
  • December 17

 

MN Broadband Task Force Nov meeting: BEAD updates

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The Minnesota Broadband Task Force met today. They got an update from the Office of Broadband Development on the BEAD process. Pew reinforced those comments with a national/research background. Two important messages: submit public comments on the Initial Proposals if you have them and be prepared for the mapping challenge process. Only addressed deemed un/underserved by BEAD will be eligible for funding

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EVENT Nov 30: MN Broadband Task Force Nov meeting in St Michael and online

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The Office of Broadband Development announces on the next MN Broadband Task Force. There is time scheduled for public comments.

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

Thursday, November 30, 2023

10:00 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.

Minnesota Association of Townships

805 Central Avenue East

St. Michael, MN  55376

OR

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 285 158 300 612
Passcode: fr6aCw

Or call in (audio only)

+1 651-395-7448,,829120697#   United States, St. Paul

Phone Conference ID: 829 120 697#

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Welcome and Introductions – Teddy Bekele, Chair, Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband

10:05 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Introductions and Comments from Task Force Members not at last meeting

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Minnesota Association of Townships – Jeff Krueger, Executive Director, Minnesota Association of Townships

10:30 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. NTIA Update – Tom Karst, Federal Program Officer, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth

10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. BEAD Update – Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development and Diane Wells, Deputy Director, Office of Broadband Development

10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  Digital Opportunity Update –        Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development and Hannah Buckland, Digital Equity Program Lead

11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.  Break

11:10 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.  Welcome –  Matt Varilek, Commissioner, Department of Employment and Economic Development

11:20 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Presentation from PEW – Kathryn de Wit, Project Director, Broadband Access Initiative – The Pew Charitable Trusts

11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.  Broadband Overview – Bree Maki, Executive Director, Office of Broadband Development

12:05 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.                Sub-Group Discussion

12:30 p.m. – 12:35 p.m. Public Comment, Other Business, January 11th Meeting Plans, Wrap-up