Category Archives: Research

Community survey in Pine Island shows 75 percent oppose data center (Goodhue County)

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The Post Bulletin reports…

Now a community survey conducted by an area resident has landed like a hand grenade in the middle of the fray — and may shed light on that question. The survey suggests broad opposition to the data center with 75.8% of respondents opposing it and 19.2% supporting it.

“Do residents of Pine Island city and nearby townships support the proposal to build a hyperscale data center in Pine Island. The majority answer is: No,” concludes the summary of the 73-page “Pine Island Sentiment Survey” authored by Susanne Blazek.

Blazek has a doctorate in social psychology with a minor in statistics from the University of Minnesota. More to the point, she has spent the last 15 years of her career conducting sentiment polls and large-scale public research, she says. Blazek makes no bones that she opposes the data center.

More on the survey…

One reason Blazek thinks the survey’s conclusions are valid is that the findings are in line with national polls, which show a strong backlash toward data centers. Surveys from organizations like Gallup, NBC News, and YouGov show roughly 65% to 70% of Americans opposing constructing a data center in their local area.

Blazek said the survey’s findings are based on 656 verified responses from people in the Pine Island city and surrounding areas. The survey reached 4,000 people through flyers and online messages for a 16% response rate, “which is considered OK.”

OPPORTUNITY: Submit Comments on the November 2027 NTIA Internet Use Survey

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National Telecommunications and Information Administration is looking for feedback on their Internet Use Survey…

NTIA seeks feedback under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) on a set of questions for the November 2027 edition of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS). This collection of questions is known as the NTIA internet Use Survey and is also referred to as the CPS Computer and internet Use Supplement. NTIA has sponsored eighteen such surveys since 1994.

You can send an open ending email. They also have some suggested questions…

The bureau also welcomes comment on any of the following questions. Where possible, cite question numbers and propose specific, tested language:

  1. Is data from the NTIA Internet Use Survey important in 2027? Should the survey be continued?

  2. Which NTIA Internet Use Survey questions should remain unchanged in 2027 to preserve useful longitudinal time series?

  3. How should the survey questions or language be updated for technology use in 2027?

  4. Which questions should be kept because they are used by researchers, policymakers, and/or industry? Please explain how the question(s) are used.

  5. Which questions use outdated language or will not provide useful data in 2027? Should these questions be removed? If not, how should they be changed?

  6. Internet connectivity and applications have changed substantially since the survey instrument was substantively rewritten a decade ago. For example, the role of the internet in Americans’ lives is often unnoticed, from smart appliances to single-player video games that require online connections. How (if at all) should questions on the NTIA Internet Use Survey be edited, removed, or added to address the evolution of these technologies and the words we use to describe them?

  7. Commenters often suggest adding questions, but space for questions is limited. If your comment proposed additional questions, are there other questions that should be removed to make space? Or would some questions be better asked in a different venue?

  8. Are some questions (or potential questions) particularly important for policymakers or industry? Please explain. For example, as a supplement to the CPS, the nation’s primary source of labor statistics, the survey might provide key insights on internet use and the workforce.

  9. What questions (or potential questions) are of particular importance for enabling high-quality evaluation of NTIA’s broadband grant programs and other federal broadband programs? Are there particular gaps in existing program evaluation data that could be filled by adding certain questions to the NTIA Internet Use Survey?

  10. In what ways can survey language be customized to support cross-country comparison?

  11. Is there a need for more data around children’s use of the internet and digital devices? Are there particular areas that need more data, such as screen use in schools or parental perceptions of children’s tech use? Is the NTIA Internet Use Survey, a CPS supplement, the most appropriate place for this, or should that data be gathered in other ways?

  12. Is there a need for more data around artificial intelligence (AI)? Are there particular areas that need more data, such as AI use at work or home, or attitudes towards AI? Is the NTIA Internet Use Survey, a CPS supplement, the most appropriate place for this, or should that data be gathered in other ways?

Pew reports that half of Americans say they spend too much time on their smartphone

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Pew Research Center reports...

Between scrolling, notifications, and messages, smartphones can be hard to put down. Just over half of U.S. adults say they spend too much time on their smartphone, according to a Pew Research Center survey from May and June 2026. About a third of adults say their smartphone use is about right, while just 3% say they spend too little time using these devices.

A quick look at AI, business and training from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

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The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reports…

The number of businesses currently using AI shows there’s potentially many workers to be trained. But much of the training needed is likely to be basic because most businesses that use AI don’t appear to be doing very much with it.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 22 percent of U.S. businesses used AI as of the end of July 2026. That’s a 4 percentage point increase since the beginning of the year.

Around the Ninth District, the share of businesses currently using AI ranges from 14 percent in North Dakota to 22 percent in Montana (see figure).

It seems like there’s interest…

Business demand for AI training appears strong, though much of it appears to be from businesses that aren’t sure about how to use the technology.

“What we’ve seen so far is the [client] organization wants to equip their people to use AI, but they don’t necessarily have an enterprise-wide strategy yet,” said the University of Minnesota’s Jahnke. “So they’re wanting to equip their employees with the basic knowledge with particular emphasis on how to use it ethically and a basic understanding of how AI works.”

And it’s growing…

Demand for training in AI skills is likely to grow with businesses’ growing use of the technology.

Over the next six months, the share of U.S. businesses using AI is expected to increase by 3 percentage points compared with July, based on Census Bureau surveys.

Among most Ninth District states, the expected increase is about 2 percentage points. Montana and North Dakota expected a decrease due to a growing number who expressed doubt that they would still be using AI.

Despite the technology’s limited impact on employment so far, there is a simmering fear in the public that massive job losses are not far off. Experts disagree on whether this is realistic, and where they land depends on how much artificial intelligence they think can replace human intelligence, and how soon.

Ayush Chopra, who developed a simulation of AI impact on the labor market while a grad student at MIT, said he doesn’t expect a “job catastrophe.” The simulation found that, among states, South Dakota had the highest concentration of jobs exposed to AI disruption, such as those in finance. By “exposure” he means that those jobs contain more tasks where AI can enhance human labor, not replace it.

If AI can improve productivity, that’s not a bad thing for South Dakota given the labor shortage, according to Hultman. The state’s unemployment rate in June was 2 percent, the lowest in the nation.

85% of subscribers would lose service entirely without the Lifeline benefit

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The National Lifeline Association reports…

The National Lifeline Association (NaLA) is proud to release the results of our 2026 Annual Subscriber Survey. With over 83,000 responses across 20 detailed questions, this year’s data confirms a critical reality: for low-income Americans, the Lifeline program is not merely a discount—it is essential access infrastructure.

Why Lifeline Matters

As regulators and lawmakers evaluate the future of the Universal Service Fund, our survey data provides a clear picture of how Lifeline empowers households by bridging the digital divide.

Key Findings: How Subscribers Use Lifeline

Lifeline provides the connectivity necessary to improve life outcomes and access vital services:

  • Healthcare Access: 66% of subscribers use their service for telehealth appointments (phone/video) and to order medication.
  • Staying Connected: 81% rely on the service to maintain connections with family and friends.
  • Employment: 37% utilize the service for work-related activities, including working from home, applying for jobs, and managing shifts.
  • Education: 30% leverage the connection for educational purposes, such as online classes, training, and schoolwork for children.

The Reality of Affordability

Affordability remains the primary barrier to sustainable internet access.

  • 96% of subscribers report that they cannot afford any monthly service fee.
  • 85% of subscribers would lose service entirely without the Lifeline benefit, as they cannot pay the full, undiscounted price.
  • For those without home internet, the monthly bill is the most frequently cited barrier—outranking both availability and awareness.

A Mobility-First Requirement

With 91% of subscribers preferring mobile wireless service with hotspot capability over fixed broadband, it is clear that mobility is a functional requirement, not a preference, for this population.

The Path Forward

The current benefit level supports incremental use but falls short of providing the sustained connectivity needed for full, consistent access to telehealth, remote work, and coursework. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of subscribers report limiting their data use every month to avoid exhausting their allotment.

RESEARCH: To what extent does community-level broadband connectivity reduce the time individuals spend waiting for goods and services?

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There is an interesting scholarly article (Time poverty, waiting, and broadband adoption: Evidence from the US by gender and income) on the impact of broadband access on people’s discretionary time. In a nod to time-saving, I tried to think of the most efficient way to share the information and focus on broadband access while flagging other related topics in the article.

Here’s the promise of the research, in bullet points…

  • Time poverty, or the lack of time to invest in discretionary activities aimed at maintaining one’s physical or mental well-being, has long been a human concern (Kalenkoski & Hamrick, 2013; Vickery, 1977).
  • We examine waiting time because, differently from time devoted to other activities, which may reflect personal preferences, waiting time is almost universally disliked and has no intrinsic benefit (Holt & Vinopal, 2023; Schwartz, 1974).
  • Through this lens, high-speed broadband connections constitute a critical first step in efforts to expand communities’ access to goods and services, minimize waiting, and free up time for more fulfilling activities (Turner & Grieco, 2000).
  • Our analysis finds a significant association between living in counties with higher broadband adoption levels and reduced time spent waiting for goods and services. The effect is particularly pronounced among women, who are disproportionately responsible for time-intensive, unpaid household labor (Brenan, 2020). Yet, we also suggest that complementary policy interventions may be necessary to mitigate time disparities across socio-economic lines.

And a look at ROI (when return in time) from a government/citizen perspective…

Addressing waiting-based inefficiencies calls for targeted solutions, and broadband and digital technologies offer one. To this extent, tax return–free filing programs that integrate administrative data could save Americans an estimated 225 million hours annually, while online voter registration cuts administrative burdens and boosts turnout by reducing long heavy processes (Goolsbee, 2006; Herd & Moynihan, 2018). Similarly, remote work saves the average person 72 min of commuting each day, allowing individuals to reallocate time to leisure and caregiving (Aksoy et al., 2023).

Yet, these time-saving gains hinge on both the provision of digital services online and citizens being able to take advantage of those through reliable internet connections (Mossberger et al., 2022). Consequently, broadband operates as the foundational infrastructure enabling both the delivery and use of digital services. In other words, lacking broadband, citizens, businesses, and governments cannot effectively use online services while digital service provision becomes impractical.

Recognizing this, federal and state policymakers in the United States have invested significantly in digital infrastructure – most notably through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the American Rescue Plan Act – to extend broadband to every household. These place-based strategies reflect a growing understanding that broadband is not just a technological solution, but a foundational element of equitable service delivery and local development. As such, we argue that, similarly to other place-based characteristics, broadband adoption can shape individual outcomes through institutions, resources, and community dynamics (Chyn & Katz, 2021)

And their hypotheses:

  • As broadband subscriptions increase within a county, the amount of time residents spend waiting for goods and services decreases.
  • The negative relationship between county-level broadband adoption and waiting times is stronger among women than among men.
  • The negative relationship between county-level broadband adoption and waiting times is stronger among low-income individuals than among higher-income individuals.
  • The negative relationship between county-level broadband adoption and waiting times is strongest among low-income women.

Government Accountable Office looks at IIJA and IRA

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The GAO (Government Accountable Office) reports…

The IIJA and IRA provided billions in federal funding to agencies to distribute through mechanisms like grants and loans. Beginning in January 2025, executive orders directed agencies to pause this funding to review it for consistency with administration priorities. Grant recipients have raised concerns that delays in distributing these funds affect their ability to implement their projects.

GAO was asked to review the status of IIJA and IRA funding. This report describes selected agencies’ (1) IIJA and IRA budget authority, obligations, rescissions, and disbursements for fiscal years 2022 to 2025; (2) processes for reviewing IIJA and IRA funding in response to executive orders; and (3) IIJA and IRA funding review status.

To address these objectives, GAO selected agencies with among the highest amount of combined IIJA and IRA funding. Of these agencies, GAO selected EPA, Interior, NTIA, and DOT for this report. GAO will report on the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture separately.

GAO analyzed the IIJA and IRA and financial data from agencies’ accounting systems and the agencies’ policies and guidance for reviewing IIJA and IRA funding. GAO also analyzed and summarized selected agency review data and found these data to be sufficiently reliable for the purpose of describing the status of reviews with some limitations. For example, EPA and NTIA did not provide all requested data. GAO also interviewed selected agency officials for each of the objectives.

Here’s what they found…

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided budget authorities for transportation, infrastructure, and energy projects. Together, the four agencies selected for this review—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior (Interior), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Department of Transportation (DOT)—obligated a majority of their IIJA or IRA funding.

  • IIJA. Of the approximately $574.7 billion provided to them, the four agencies obligated about 76 percent and disbursed about 54 percent of obligated funds for fiscal years 2022 to 2025.
  • IRA. Of the around $53.7 billion provided to them, EPA, Interior, and DOT obligated about 72 percent and disbursed about 60 percent of obligated funds for fiscal years 2022 through 2025. In July 2025, Congress rescinded $6.4 billion of the three agencies’ unobligated IRA funds per agencies’ data.

Most selected agencies reported developing new processes to review IIJA and IRA funding in response to dozens of executive orders issued starting January 20, 2025. The agencies used a variety of approaches to implement reviews, such as searching for terms from executive orders like “diversity” or “environmental justice.” Senior leadership for all selected agencies made final decisions on whether awards should be approved without modification, modified (funded with changes to terms or amounts), or canceled (discontinued), according to selected agencies’ officials and documentation. The extent to which agencies continued to obligate and disburse IIJA and IRA funds during their reviews varied within and across agencies.

As a result of their reviews, selected agencies reported approving about 9,500 awards ($128 billion) and canceling about 800 ($17.8 billion). More than 2,500 awards were pending a decision ($33.6 billion) as of varying dates shown below.

Status of Selected Agencies’ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act Funding Reviews, as of the Dates Indicated

Minnesota Supercomputing Institute using AI and Tiny Worms for Discovery

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I found this fascinating, from the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute,,,

What if artificial intelligence could help scientists discover new drugs for healthy aging?

Thomas Hodder, the Life Sciences & Engineering Runner-Up at this year’s Research Computing Exhibition, is developing new ways to identify compounds that may promote healthy aging. Hodder created an AI-powered imaging process that measures heat stress resistance, a trait strongly linked to longevity, in the microscopic worm C. elegans

Traditional lifespan experiments can take weeks and require significant manual effort. Hodder’s approach automates much of the process, allowing researchers to rapidly screen thousands of compounds and identify promising candidates more efficiently. Using this method, his team discovered 14 previously unknown drugs that extend worm lifespan.

One of the biggest challenges was developing and validating the assay itself. Hodder spent nearly two years refining the method before it was ready to detect potential drug candidates. Throughout that process, he relied on high-performance computing resources from the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute to process large imaging datasets, test software, and store research data.

Minnesota ranks 18 for average cost of broadband (highest cost being number 1)

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BroadbandNow has released the results of a recent survey on broadband pricing and today’s budgets. The good news is that most households have not seen a recent price increase. The bad news is that nearly a quarter of those surveyed say the bill stresses their budgets. It’s worth nothing that the survey included 954 adults, but the results are interesting. Here are the highlights:

  • The national average monthly cost for a home internet plan is $81.16. Prices range from $65.43 in New Jersey to $109.88 in Alaska.
  • Though most households have not experienced recent internet service price hikes, nearly 1 in 4 Americans (23%) say internet bills stress their household budgets.
  • 1 in 5 Americans (19%) worry about paying their internet bill each month; that number spikes to 41% among former ACP recipients.
  • Women are nearly twice as likely as men to worry about affording internet service (24% vs. 14%).
  • 1 in 5 households (19%) say their current internet plan doesn’t meet their needs, rising to 28% among former ACP households.

Minnesota ranks 18 for average cost of broadband.

And while I’m looking at BroadbandNow, here’s what they say about Minnesota. (You can learn more about them; their stated goal is to help people compare broadband providers.)

Mankato Free Press says Generation Alpha choosing AI-compatible professions

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The Mankato Press reports…

While headlines are filled with fears of jobs being lost to artificial intelligence, the classrooms at institutions such as South Central College will soon be filled with students studying for jobs that won’t be eliminated by AI.
…
Specifically, it’s for Generation Alpha, which AI application Gemini describes as students born between 2013 and 2024, that post-secondary schools are preparing for now. That age group includes Post-Secondary Education Option students able to get credit while finishing high school.

Preceding them are baby boomers, Generation X, millennials and Generation Z/Zoomers, each with their own characteristics represented in society.

As people who have grown up in a world of AI, streaming media and virtual realities, Generation Alpha is looking ahead, choosing professions that are, as Raju described them, “AI adjacent” or “AI compatible.” Ultimately, however, not susceptible to being eliminated by AI.

What does that mean on a practical basis?

The New York Post reported a survey commissioned by footwear maker Red Wing and conducted by Talker Research that shows this.

In a survey of 2,000 parents of Generation Alpha children ages 5-16, it was found 85% were already thinking about jobs and wanting them to be hands on. Specifically, 90% want jobs where they can help people and 87% want them to be creative positions.

This describes many of the jobs that Raju described as working with AI but needing a human touch. That includes jobs such as barber, HVAC installer or medical technician where AI can be used to analyze the situation and solution, but cannot actually do them.

It also describes many of the jobs that were emphasized when schools such as SCC were called vocational schools and today are referred to as community and technical colleges, as well as jobs that have been in greater demand as students pursued four-year degrees instead of technical education.

Fiber Broadband Association updates FCC on fiber deployment stats

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The Fiber Association updates the FCC on fiber deployment based on their 2025 report…

As the Commission considers adopting its Nineteenth Section 706 Report, the Fiber
Broadband Association submits the following updated market statistics to facilitate a data-driven
assessment:
• For fixed broadband supply, as of year-end 2025, ~84.6M US homes (~60% of total homes) were passed by fiber, an annual growth rate of ~11%; ~39.3M homes were connected;1 as of September 2025, ~13.8M homes (~16% of total homes) had access to multiple fiber providers, an annual growth rate of ~16%.2
• For fixed broadband demand, as of Q1 2026, ~95% of fiber subscribers and ~89% of subscribers on DOCSIS networks were provisioned for 200 Mbps or faster service; ~37%
of fiber and DOCSIS subscribers were provisioned for service between 500-900 Mbps; and ~22% of fiber and DOCSIS subscribers were provisioned for gigabit service. Fiber subscribers used an average of 837.0 GB per month downstream and 106.68 GB upstream.3
We also note that the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping fixed broadband network traffic patterns and infrastructure requirements – and consequently, will require the Commission in future Section 706 Reports to reorient its definition of “advanced telecommunications capability” and analysis of whether advanced telecommunications capability being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.

Telehealth helps with access to mental healthcare for rural Minnesota’s communities of color – when they have broadband

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A recent publication from the Center for Rural Policy reports…

Rural Minnesota is changing. Across its small towns and open landscapes, people of color are becoming a larger part of the community—some newly arrived from other countries, others whose families have called this region home for generations.

As our previous research has shown (here and here), finding help for mental health concerns can be a struggle for anyone living in rural areas, but it can be even harder for BIPOC residents (Black, Indigenous and People of Color). Whether they are recent immigrants trying to navigate an unfamiliar system or long-time Minnesotans seeking care that understands their experiences, the challenges of finding accessible mental health services that meet their needs remain significant.

This makes access difficult…

While statewide outpatient statistics are not readily available, national evidence shows that rural residents face longer drives to outpatient clinics. The greater distance between communities and the sparse population of smaller towns create adverse economies of scale that increase the cost of providing services. This in turn has led to clinic closures and healthcare consolidation, further squeezing the supply of services over the years as healthcare companies try to keep revenue ahead of expenses. The closures also result in even longer drives to receive services. …

A lack of transportation or public transportation also limits people in rural areas,[3] who are more likely to not have their own vehicles or are unable to drive due to age, income, or disability even as the distances patients need to travel to get services continue to increase. According to a 2024 Minnesota Department of Health report on the state of rural healthcare, rural patients seeking inpatient mental health and chemical dependency treatment must travel three times farther than their urban counterparts.[4]

But while these challenges are tough for all rural families looking for help, they are even greater for people of color.

The report offers several recommendations for improvement, including telehealth for those with adequate broadband…

Telehealth can especially help rural people of color access appropriate, effective mental healthcare, says Terica Toliver, Senior Director of Clinical Therapy at Louisiana-based Iris Telehealth, which provides therapy via telehealth through her contract with ElevaCare in Southwest Minnesota. Telehealth gives people of color a broader range of providers to choose from, including providers who share the same racial and cultural backgrounds.

It’s not a perfect solution, however. Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans don’t have access to the broadband internet service required for telehealth to work reliably,[26] and telehealth isn’t for everyone. Some patients simply don’t feel comfortable talking to a stranger about their mental health on a digital screen.

In 2024 77 percent of E-Rate dollars went to the highest-need category

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Broadband Clusters reports on a powerful way that the federal government has had to help schools get broadband to those who are less likely to have access at home…

Every year, the federal government helps schools and libraries pay their internet bills through a program called E-Rate, part of the Universal Service Fund. In 2024, it approved $2.76 billion in discounts for 21,102 institutions across the country: 18,507 schools and school districts, and 2,595 libraries. This study matches every funded institution to Census data for the communities around it, to examine who the program serves and what those neighborhoods look like.

The discount each institution receives is set by the federal government based on how many students qualify for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — free or reduced-price meals, a standard federal measure of household income. Schools where 75 percent or more of students qualify receive the deepest discounts: 80 to 90 percent off their bill. Schools where fewer than 35 percent qualify receive 20 to 49 percent off.

In 2024, 77.0 percent of E-Rate dollars went to the highest-need category. In the ZIP codes where those institutions operate, Census data shows 14.2 million households have no home internet subscription and 9.0 million have no large-screen device such as a laptop, desktop, or tablet.

Tribal Internet Networks Census Update tracks networks in MN and beyond

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The Institute for Local Self Reliance (Community Networks) has launched their new Tribal Internet Networks Census Update. Here’s what they report on a high level…

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s research suggests that there are nearly 90 active Tribal Internet networks es appear to be prospective – they are considering or pursuing opportunities to get into Internet access.

Here’s what that looks like in Minnesota:

Black (Active Networks):

Yellow (Expected Network: Building and/or Funded):

  • Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe 
    Expected: Building and/or Funded network

Green (Prospective Network)

  • Lower Sioux Indian Community 
    Prospective network

There’s a lot to take in from the report from an historical and current perspective. If you haven’t read much or spoken to people about Broadband Sovereignty that is a piece that is interesting especially in context of issues emerging today with technologies such as AI.

National Skills Coalition asks small manufacturers about their use of AI and technology

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National Skills Coalition reports…

Over the past year, National Skills Coalition has spoken with nearly 100 small and mid-sized businesses on topics related to skills and credentials. (Some of our findings are detailed in Big Insights from Small and Mid-Sized Businesses.)

Many of those businesses are manufacturing companies that are on the frontlines of digital adoption. They shared examples of how they are adopting new technologies ranging from robotics to precision machining to AI and more. These businesses offer an important ground-level perspective on a broader national challenge: how to ensure workers and local businesses have the skills, support, and flexibility needed to adapt to technological change and share in its gains.

Insights from these businesses can help policymakers and advocates design flexible policies that equip workers and their employers to respond to the ongoing technological shifts in the US economy. Below, we describe key insights and policy implications associated with them.

I’m abbreviating the list to include only the insights, not the ways in which policy can help…

Leading businesses know how digital skill-building relates to capital expenditures

General digital resilience is just as important as particular skills

Interpersonal skills can amplify (or undercut) digital skills

Hands-on, experiential learning matters for digital skills too

AI can help to expand existing internal talent development resources

Jobseekers and educators can do more to communicate the relevance of tech credentials