I loved astronomy as a kid. One of my favorite things about heading outside of the Cities is the clear, starry sky at night. So I have to admit, I do wonder what will happen to the night sky as … Continue reading
Telecompetitor reports… CoBank, a lender specializing in rural telecom, has added its voice to a growing chorus expressing concern about the ability of some Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction winners to deploy networks capable of supporting the broadband speeds … Continue reading
The Wall Street Journal reports… The $1 trillion infrastructure bill moving through the Senate this week stands to be a windfall for cable and fiber-optic internet companies, with $65 billion allocated to improve internet access for poor and isolated communities. … Continue reading
The Institute for Local Self Reliance has done a nice job outlining the last year of RDOF. Seven of the top ten bidders have yet to actually receive money, which means the FCC is looking closely… The biggest news so far … Continue reading
It was fun to see MinnPost pick up an impromptu conversation on StarLink that happened during the Broadband conference earlier this month. Starlink is the low orbit satellite service that is in beta testing now. I’ve written about it before … Continue reading
At the Blandin Broadband conference today, We talked about two reports on Surveys, Data and Stories to Inform Policy and Investment (Analysis of Accelerate Survey Results and East Central MN Broadband Stories Report ). The discussion spurred a lot of … Continue reading
Telecompetitor reports… A broad coalition of Republican and Democratic senators and representatives have sent a letter to the FCC asking the commission to thoroughly vet RDOF auction winners. At stake is $9 billion in rural broadband funding awarded through the … Continue reading
Second looks at the Minnesota Broadband Ranking In April we took a look at how local broadband proponents can use the Minnesota Broadband Rankings: What can we learn from 2020 MN Broadband County Rankings County Broadband Profiles and County Rankings as … Continue reading
USA Today writes about the life being just a little outside broadband range. Sadly, I’m sure many readers out there know that pain or have a friend who does. What I found interesting in this article was the brainstorming that … Continue reading
Benton recently posted a column from Christopher Ali about the importance of cooperatives. He promotes cooperatives as broadband providers because they are local and they have infrastructure. He also quotes Bernadine… Long story short, and to use a quote from Bernadine … Continue reading
2021 MN Broadband Day Two: Getting it Done: Advocacy and Action Getting it Done: Advocacy and Action A series of fast-moving presentations about efforts across Minnesota to improve access and adoption and advocate for broadband investment. Presentation and Discussion. Moderated by … Continue reading
Minnesota adoption rates by generation Minnesota has one of the largest gaps in broadband adoption by age. Under 65, adoption rate in Minnesota is 76.6 percent; over 65 it’s 56.0 percent. That gap will impact telehealth adoption and policy decisions … Continue reading
Save the month of October: Broadband 2020: Connected We Stand Interesting times require innovative solutions! So, the Blandin conference planning team has decided to lean in and move the annual conference online – and reformed it into a monthlong series … Continue reading
The Washington Post reports… SpaceX has received official permission from the U.S. government to launch a fleet of satellites designed to beam high-speed Internet signals down to Earth. The decision marks a major milestone for chief executive Elon Musk as … Continue reading
The St Cloud Times ran a post over the weekend that outlines the potential broadband sticking points for legislators this fall… Users are fine with what they have… Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, said he expects and hopes for additional … Continue reading
Blandin on Broadband 