Tag Archives: ARRA

Digital Inclusion conference notes

Posted on by
Reply

Earlier this week I attended the Digital Inclusion conference at the University of Minnesota. The keynote speaker was David Keyes, who directs the City of Seattle’s digital inclusion programs. Mr. Keyes indicated that one of the great things that they were able to do in Seattle was to encourage legislation that addresses digital inclusion. Also he mentioned a site that I thought folks might find particularly useful: www.seattle.gov/tech/indicators.

I have caught some of his presentation here. (My real life lesson of the day: I’m much better with a Flip Video than a Droid. You may learn this too if you watch.)

You can see more online. (I suspect that SPNN may upload video from the conference as well. I’ll try to post that info when I get it.)

Also speaking at the conference was:

Kit Hadley, St Paul Public Library
Catherine Settanni, Community Computer Access Network
Kevin Kalla, St Paul Neighborhood Network
Abdulahi Farah, Project for Pride in Living
Jennifer Vanek, St Paul Public Schools ABE (LearnerWeb)
Bill Rappel, Computers for Youth

I got a video of the last two questions about the interaction with local government and government agencies and interaction with local businesses.

Here are some other of my highlights from the conference:

Technology is just a tool – technology helps create solutions for issues at hand.

Folks in the field are finding that while people need to use technology – the truth of the matter is it’s a list of items that many people need to learn, but improving digital literacy makes learning other skills and competencies much easier. For example, for someone interested in becoming a citizen it’s easier to first learn how to use a computer and then access the websites designed for citizenships.

You forget where digital literacy starts until you are in front of a class or working with a group. As a teacher, you may think you’ll be talking about Google Maps, but you may find that you’re showing people how to use a mouse. And many students start with learning how to use a mouse because they need to fill out a job application online – as soon as possible.

Technology can help us connect – both with the rest of the world but also with our neighbors. It can be a good tool for youth to get involved.

Questions:

My 2012 mobile devices will outpace laptops and computers. How are you planning for that?

It is critical for our families to get access to mobile devices – and iPads might make more sense – especially if someone wants to write a paper or someone has vision issues. Also we need to have connectivity that’s portable. As a city we try to frame delivery of services to suit mobile ( as a apps).

PCs for People – we give away computers. We have trouble sourcing computers. How have you had success?

The City of Seattle authorized us to provide our own computers for refurbishing. We’ve been trying to build connections to folks like law firms and software companies. Recycling laws seem to lean towards large businesses.

In Computers for Youth, we used to have lots of small relationships. As we grew we got larger relationships – such as with Goldman Sachs. With BTOP will be serving 17,000 families – and we’ve outsourced this. We’ve had success with federal computers but not as much on the local or state level.

In Seward we have some large housing developments. Has anyone worked at getting a computer/broadband considered an appliance like a stove?

Great questions. We (Computers for Youth) have an affiliate with a BTOP grant in Florida who is working on that. They are putting the CPU in the wall.

How will you integrate indicators into something that’s useful in an ever-changing field?

We’ve been working with indicators for 10 years – so now we have longitudinal data. We modify where we can and we work to use indicators in policymaking.

How do we add engagement to the equation? We have online lists (e-democracy) and we find that education and higher educated folks are using the lists, not so much the less educated or New Americans.

Part of the issue us making sure that the users have the education (civic ed, writing in English…) to participate in the discussions.

MIRC Community Projects are Selected

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve run into an exciting but daunting realization working with our ARRA-funded Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC). We may be the leaders in terms of broadband adoption programs in rural communities such as very small towns and remote areas as well as county seats. It’s daunting because we often feel as if we’re in unchartered waters – but it is exciting and it encourages us to share our story to help others replicate the success that we’re seeing already in our 11 Demonstration communities.

Each community is developing their own strategy based on the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) framework and using the arsenal of tools offered through MIRC partnership. For example, University of Minnesota Extension has been focused on Main Street use of broadband. PCs for People gives out computers to folks in need.

We’re hitting a milestone worth sharing this month. Through an RFP process our 11 Demonstration Communities have received terrific proposals from local organizations with ideas to increase broadband adoption in their area. The response was terrific – more ideas than communities were able to fund. So the communities worked with several of the proposers to encourage them to collaborate and refine their projects. In the end, the Demonstration communities are enthusiastic about the projects that they have been able to fund.

Communities are currently notifying award recipients of their decisions and the projects are just beginning. We are looking forward to being able to share this information as the recipients in each community are notified.

Connect Minnesota Broadband Map Demonstration

Posted on by
Reply

Last week I attended the Blandin Foundation Broadband Strategy Board meeting. There was talk about changes in the legislature – and how broadband is really going to need a champion(s) if it’s going to get any attention, especially with so many new folks taking positions. We heard from Diane Wells on the Minnesota Broadband Advisory Task Force. And we got a demonstration on the latest interactive maps from Connect Minnesota.

I think I have mentioned earlier that the latest maps are really a leap beyond the last iteration. They have updated information since the earlier drafts, they have added valuable layers (such as presence of community institutions such as schools and population density statistics) and they have made it work more like Google maps. It’s easier to pinpoint geographic areas; it’s easier to focus on un-/underserved areas only.

The maps are generated primarily from data provided by the providers – but the data is double checked by Connected Nation staff and there are plenty of ways to provide feedback to the mapmakers if you think something is askew. The speed test is still available on the Connect Minnesota site. I encourage you to check it out and test your speed if you haven’t lately.

The video below describes the process of flagging any areas on the map that you think need a second look. They’ve made it easy to circle your area of suspicion on the map and easily email it to them for further investigation through their feedback mechanism.

Check out more of the demonstration video.

Broadband Access Project Open House: Thursday, December 9

Posted on by
Reply

For folks in the Cities, or willing to make a drive, I thought the following event might be interesting. As you may recall this is an ARRA-funded project…

Please join Asian Community Technology Center, Hmong American Partnership, Lifetrack Resources & YWCA Saint Paul for an inside look at the University of Minnesota’s Broadband Access Project in Saint Paul

Thursday, December 9, 2010

3:30 p.m. Program
Join Mayor Chris Coleman at Lifetrack Resources

2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Open Houses:
Asian Community Technology Center
417 University Avenue

Hmong American Partnership
1075 Arcade Street

Lifetrack Resources
709 University Avenue West

About the Broadband Access Project’s Computer Labs. The University of Minnesota, in partnership with 12 community organizations, received federal funds to develop and improve computer labs throughout underserved neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. The labs are available and free to any adult with employment and education needs.

Questions? Contact Jocelyn Wiedow (YWCA) at 651-265-0720 or at jwiedow@ywcastpaul.org

MN Broadband Story of Success: Publisher in Lake County

Posted on by
2

Christopher Swanson, brand new Alderman Ward 2 at Two Harbors City Council, talks about the ARRA-funded project in Lake County. He tells the story of how county-wide fiber will help one local publisher better do her job. It’s just one example of what could/will happen in Lake County in the years to come.

NATOA Supports Full Funding for NTIA

Posted on by
Reply

I want to thank Jodie Miller for the following from NATOA. I mentioned the letter to Bernadine Joselyn who observed…

Blandin Foundation foresaw the need to document impact and so is in the fortunate position of having budgeted adequately for assessment – including baseline and benchmarks for both intelligent rural community indicators and subscription rates. The first baseline report is available.

I think we’ve already reaped benefits from the assessment – hopefully others will find a way be benefit as well…

Good morning NATOA Members,

Concerns have been raised that NTIA may find itself lacking sufficient funds to properly monitor the BTOP program. Without adequate funding, NTIA will not be able to perform grant implementation guidance to BTOP grantees, possibly resulting in lessening the ability of the agency to ensure projects meet program objectives. NATOA, along with NACo, NLC, and the USCM, sent letters to both House and Senate leadership urging that Congress give NTIA the resources it needs to continue its oversight of the BTOP program.

NATOA urges its members, especially those who have received BTOP grants, to contact their Senators and Representatives and ask them to provide the necessary funding and spending flexibility that will permit NTIA to continue its work and ensure a successful completion of this very important program.

Below are links to NATOA’s letters to the Congressional leadership, along with a link to a new report detailing NTIA’s concern about its ability to maintain its grant oversight of the BTOP program.

Click here for NATOA’s letter to the Senate
Click here for NATOA’s letter to the House
Click here for the New Report

Update on UMN Broadband Access Program

Posted on by
Reply

Insight News posted an update on the ARRA-funded Broadband Access Program run by the University of Minnesota. (As you may recall, they received about $3 million to address broadband adoption in the Twin Cities through improved computer centers and broadband training and internships.)

I always enjoy reading about the Minnesota-based ARRA-funded projects, but I especially enjoy reading about them in non-techie publications – because it helps highlight for me what the rest of the world thinks and cares about the projects. This article focused on the role of the Hmong American Partnership (HAP). It’s really a case of bringing broadband to where the people are.

HAP already provides a range of services, the quick paragraph below describes a few of the services:

Lee [Sheng Lee – Employment Services Manager in St Paul and Director of Economic Development & Housing at HAP in North Minneapolis], explaining the role of HAP’s Employment Services, said, “We help them with job searching and find job leads for our clients. We work to help participants keep their jobs once they become employed. We also work with people in the neighborhood looking for assistance. They receive training with updating resumes, or use computers to look for jobs online and submit applications. All the people we serve are low income. A lot of times their education levels are low, too. When you throw in people who speak another language, that doubles the amount of time it takes for us to work with one person.”

The Economic Development & Housing program provides three types of services; pre-purchase counseling, foreclosure counseling and rental counseling. Pre-purchase counseling is for first time homebuyers.

They also provide educational support – from afterschool programs to English language and civics education for all ages.

The article points out the role of broadband…

The Broadband Access Project is a significant addition to HAP’s programming. BAP allows HAP to work with all Eastside and North Minneapolis residents by offering open computer lab time and additional Internet based trainings.

Open meeting laws an issue for Lake County?

Posted on by
3

I love getting a glimpse of the internal workings of the stimulus funded projects. I think other communities and broadband projects can learn a lot by watching the funded projects – and I feel as if one of the tradeoffs for receiving funding is sharing the process with the public (the tax-paying public). But then at heart, I’m a librarian.

Lake County is apparently struggling with some of the possibly mandated transparency involved with public meetings and public funds. The Lake County Board of Commissioners has created a Fiber Optics Committee this week. The Lake County News-Chronicle reports…

The committee will not have purchasing power and will likely hold meetings closed to the public. Gary Fields of National Public Broadband, the county’s partner in the enterprise, expressed competitive concerns about open meetings discussing the $70 million project.

The New-Chronicle details the ups and downs of the issue – but they included one fact I found interesting…

Board members can face penalties of $300 per Open Meeting Law violation and be removed from office after a third violation. Any member of the public may seek legal action under the law. Board members may also be liable for court costs and attorney fees of up to $13,000.

I’m hoping that we do get to learn from Lake County’s process. Reading the rest of the article, gives an impression of the changes that are already taking place in the community – long before the fiber is laid and lit.

Lake County Broadband Project Facts

Posted on by
Reply

Last Friday, Lake County held a press conference to announce and celebrate their $66 million ARRA funding. It sounds like the turnout was all they expected: Senator Franken, Senator Klobuchar, Representative Oberstar and others. And the Duluth News Tribune reported some nice, fast facts for the project…

The project, expected to begin in the spring, will create about 50 construction jobs and 42 long-term service and support jobs. The network will connect 15,000 homes, 1,000 businesses and 100 critical community facilities.

Seeding Collaboration: Leveraging Broadband Investments

Posted on by
Reply

We heard from three other Minnesota-based, ARRA-funded broadband projects. It was interesting to hear about how those projects are going and what the speakers thought were the approaches or factors that were leading them to success.

One quick reflection is that I’ve already heard a number of people here talk about how the stimulus funding is going to be a game changer – and that for the communities who didn’t get funding it’s important to hear from the folks who did – not necessarily because of the possibility of future funding – because with the federal funding the funded communities can afford to be generous with what they are learned and what seems to be working. So…

Paul Brinkman: from the Northeast Service Cooperative

Leverage was a key to our efforts. How can we leverage what we have with others to get things done? Don’t lead with scarcity. Don’t let metro-focused policy get in the way. Create a rural solution.

Leverage means power – and that’s how we got funding in NE Minnesota

Northeast Service Cooperative – serves education, healthcare, IT and economic development with 915 miles of dark fiber – it’s a fiber to the anchor model. We started with 211 sites; now we have 600+. We have 3 pods of activities: We work with the providers (public-private partnership!), we have our anchor tenants and this project makes our services better!

It all comes down to people – you need great people and great projects. Start with the people you know and trust.

Keith Stubbe – SW Minnesota Broadband Project

Years ago we started our own wireless service – because we had to – not one else was coming into the area.

We weren’t in a position of getting leverage – we were “different” but we had Windomnet nearby.

The project is starting next spring and we hope to be done in fall of 2011.

Craig Taylor – University of Minnesota

We had been working with the community in a computer lab for 7 years. We had a vision to leverage more of the University’s resources for community development.

Our primary goals:

It has created 28 jobs – through replicating our model

Training will be provided in many different languages

We are working to create tools that will outlast the 3-year funding

We’ve had challenges

Colonialist approach to broadband adoption won’t work – to be successful all partners must have input

We are developing comprehensive communication strategies

We are also thinking about sustainability now – we don’t want the investment to prove fruitless. We’re working on adoption now – and we’re hoping to open doors. We are trying to develop partnerships – such as with folks who do computer refurbishing. Then once folks get online through training, they can stay online with a computer and broadband at home.

Rural and Urban have to work together – we work together as brother and sister or perish together as fools – a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

Lake County celebrates its ARRA award in style

Posted on by
1

The folks in Lake County are planning a star-studded press event next week(October 15, 2010) to celebrate the official awarding for their $66 million ARRA broadband funding.

The Lake County News Chronicle reports…

The full congressional delegation representing Minnesota is expected to attend a 1:30 p.m. press conference on the steps of the Lake County Courthouse next Friday: Rep. Jim Oberstar, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Al Franken.

Duluth still going for Google’s Gig

Posted on by
1

You have to give it to Duluth – they are focused. They just posted Seven Reasons The Chances of Google Coming To The Twin Ports Just Shot Up. Two biggies are the recent ARRA broadband announcements in the area – and you know – I think it’s a great idea.

Google wants to back a winner. Federal investment makes NE Minnesota a winner, partially because of the influx of money but also because the people in the area had the vision and determination to get the attention of the feds. It’s a sign of how the ARRA funding has become a game changer – and an example of how one community (who didn’t get direct funding) is capitalizing on momentum of the stimulus. An example that other communities should be following.

Aaron Brown picked up on the story and the power of getting out there ahead of the game in his usual on-the-front-lines, practical and astute way…

One of the interesting thing about the post is how it’s starting to look like high speed internet is really going to reach the remote corners of northern Minnesota one way or the other. The issue I keep stressing, though, is that getting high speed internet last doesn’t help us nearly as much as getting out ahead of the trend. We’re starting out in this whole thing in last place, with broadband penetration far lower and underused than it should be for an area like ours. If developing businesses, aspiring entrepreneurs and independents see this region setting the pace, we could change our fortunes.

Final ARRA Broadband announcement

Posted on by
Reply

On Monday, Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)  announced 56 investments totaling $190 million to support state efforts to compete in the digital economy.

Connect Minnesota was awarded $2,761,171. According to the Connect Minnesota site…

The additional Recovery Act funding will allow mapping efforts under the SBDD program to continue for three additional years, while the program also focuses on projects that relate to broadband planning activities, such as the identification of barriers to the adoption of broadband service and information technology services.

The Washington Post reports that Minnesota is involved with one funded project…

California, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Texas: Portland State University. This $3.3 million grant will fund digital literacy and other training tailored to adult learners. The project intends to train approximately 23,000 people, focusing on economically vulnerable populations, to prepare them for careers in the digital economy.

You can find the whole project description on the NTIA ARRA portal.

I’ve updated my list of MN ARRA awards to include these new awards.

More on the Lake County ARRA project

Posted on by
Reply

I had a great conversation with Chris Swanson from Lake County yesterday. I got to know Chris while he was on the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force. (Chris Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self Reliance also did a nice follow up on Lake and Cook County perspective on recent the announcements.)

Here’s the quick take on the winning project:

Lake County
$66,369,064
This approximately $66.3 million award, matched by $3.5 million in private contribution, will allow Lake County to offer FTTP advanced voice, video and data services to every home and business in Lake and eastern Saint Louis Counties. Approximately 37,000 people stand to benefit, as do roughly 1,000 businesses and 98 community institutions. In addition to the 510 jobs Lake County estimates this project will create upfront, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.

Lake County got their letter of acceptance on Monday and I think Chris said they’ve already signed, sealed and delivered it back. While this is called the Lake County project is also includes eastern St Louis County. The service area covers all of Lake County and eastern Saint Louis County, including Ely, Babbitt, Aurora, Hoyt Lakes, Morse Township, Duluth Township, Embarrass Township, White Township, Waasa Township and Bassett Township. If that list sounds familiar, you may be remembering the old Iron Range FiberNet communities. As you may recall the FiberNet included about a dozen communities that were determined to get fiber a few years ago but as some of the larger towns opted out of the project, the opportunities for smaller towns decreased. I think it’s an example of seeds having been planted with germination timeframe all their own. A good reminder that seeds do sprout!

Lake County is excited. They will own the network and it will be managed by National Public Broadband. They plan to offer voice, video and data (triple play). It will be an Open Access model, so other providers will be welcome to come into the area to provide services over the fiber network.

The project is going to be a game changer for the area. For example, Lake County went to a 4-day school week this year. Apparently educators in the area are already talking about how they can use the newfound amazing broadband to keep kids engaged on their days off.

But as Chris pointed out, his company PureDriven has had some experience getting folks excited about fiber in the area. They are also working in Duluth with the prospect of Duluth becoming a Google Gig Town.

Already folks in the areas are calling to find out when they can sign up for service – even if signing up for service puts them on a long waiting list. So that’s exciting to hear.

Northeast Minnesota gets good news from ARRA

Posted on by
1

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the funding of 43 new broadband infrastructure projects. I am pleased to report that Minnesota had two projects funded (and one ND grant helps us too)…

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc.
$16,137,484
This approximately $16.1 million award, matched by $600,000 in private contribution, will allow Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. to build a last-mile FTTH network to serve northeastern Cook County. Because of the topography of the land and dense forestation, fixed wireless is not an option. This wireline, passive fiber-optic network will offer up to 100 Mbps symmetrical service. Approximately, 11,363 people stand to benefit, as do roughly 138 businesses and 63 community institutions. In addition to the more than 87 jobs the company estimates this project will create upfront, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.

Lake County
$66,369,064
This approximately $66.3 million award, matched by $3.5 million in private contribution, will allow Lake County to offer FTTP advanced voice, video and data services to every home and business in Lake and eastern Saint Louis Counties. Approximately 37,000 people stand to benefit, as do roughly 1,000 businesses and 98 community institutions. In addition to the 510 jobs Lake County estimates this project will create upfront, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.

Red River Rural Telephone Association, Inc.
ND (96%) MN (4%)
This approximately $9 million award, matched by $1 million in private contribution will allow Red River Rural Telephone Association, Inc., to offer FTTP broadband service speeds of up to 100 Mbps. The project will install 690 route miles of fiber-optic cable to serve six rural exchanges in Ransom, Richland, and Sargent Counties in North Dakota as well as Wilkin County in Minnesota, and Roberts and Marshall Counties in South Dakota. Approximately 2,600 people stand to benefit, as do roughly 228 businesses and 6 community institutions. In addition to the 110 jobs the company estimates this project will create upfront, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.

You can see the full list on the USDA web site.

According to a timeline the White House posted in August, it appears as if this will be the last announcement made from the USDA/RUS – however we are still waiting for announcements from the Department of Commerce (NTIA).