Follow the 2011 Broadband Conference!

Connect Minnesota and the Blandin Foundation are excited to be hosting this year’s 2011 Broadband Conference. The conference will focus on ARRA broadband funding efforts that are underway in Minnesota as well as our continued efforts to bring broadband to more schools, businesses, and communities across our state.

We look forward to the more than 100 policymakers from the private, government, and nonprofit sectors who will be attending and discussing their ideas and input on how to bring broadband to more rural and low-income homes.

These discussions will promote a better understanding of how policy impacts policymakers and those seeking to obtain broadband access. Through the sharing of tools and accomplishments of ARRA projects, attendees will celebrate the progress toward meeting broadband adoption goals while planning for future endeavors.

Do you want to join the conversation? Search #mnbb2011 and @BFBroadband for highlights from the conference and be sure to follow @ConnectMN on Twitter for live updates from the conference. If you have questions, send us a tweet and we'll get you answers!

Stay Connected!

Protecting Children Online

As a follow-up to National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,

below are tips to help you stay safe online:

1. Keep the computer in a family room where you can monitor computer use (under 10).

2. Use parental controls. Parental Controls to help manage how your children use the computer. For example, you can set limits on your children's access to the web, the hours that they can log on to the computer, and which games they can play and programs they can run.

3. Teach children never to meet an online friend offline unless you are with them.

4. Find out what e-mail and instant messaging accounts they have and (while agreeing not to spy on them) ask them for their passwords for those accounts.

5. Teach them what information they can share with others.

6. Check your children's profiles, blogs and any social-networking posts.

Other Useful Sites and Information Sources

• OnguardOnline.gov

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

• WiredSafety.org

• Commonsense.com

• Ncmec.org

• TRUSTe.org

• ConnectSafely.org

• NetSmartz.org

• WebWiseKids.org

• Makeadifferenceforkids.org

2011 Broadband Conference

Blandin Foundation and Connect Minnesota host this year’s 2011 Broadband Conference, which will focus on the ARRA Broadband funding efforts that have been underway in Minnesota. 

Through discussions with national and local policy leaders; community leaders will have a better understanding how policy impacts them and how they link to the big picture. Through the sharing of tools and accomplishments of ARRA projects, we will celebrate the progress towards meeting goals while planning for the future.

Click here to register

A block of rooms will be held through November 2 at the Sheraton Duluth Hotel under the name “Broadband Conference.” The conference rate is $99-119 per night. To reserve your room, call (218) 733-5660 or visit http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/broadbandconference. Please note that lodging is NOT included in the registration fee.

Don't need broadband? Think again as providers look to educate consumers

By Samantha Bookman | Fierce Telecom

Published: October 28, 2011

A couple of years ago I was having dinner with my uncle during a stopover in San Francisco. The conversation, as it is wont to do, turned eventually to the Internet, specifically to Facebook, which my uncle had joined but was not posting to very much. Why? I asked.

"Because it takes too long to load," he replied. "I have dialup."

I found this pretty amazing, considering he lives close enough to the city to get high-speed Internet, so I quizzed him a bit more about his reasons for staying with a dialup service. He had fairly sound ones: the price was very affordable; he wasn't locked into a service contract--important because his carpentry work often took him out of town for weeks at a time; the service was reliable; and he didn't see much use for Internet access beyond checking his email.

That conversation took place just as the Obama administration's broadband stimulus effort was gearing up, an initiative that now is in full swing, with broadband rolling out--at various speeds--well beyond urban areas and into rural ones. So I was very interested to see the results of a recent study that found that not only did 28 percent of Minnesota residents not subscribe to a broadband service, a significant portion of them weren't that interested in subscribing: 29 percent of those without broadband said there wasn't enough Internet content worth viewing.

Only 8 percent of the survey participants said that they didn't have access to broadband, so in the parts of Minnesota surveyed, which included rural areas, broadband access was not the biggest issue.

Minnesota wasn't the only state surveyed as part of an effort by Connected Nation. In South Carolina--where a battle for municipal broadband regulation was fought recently--around 43 percent of residents do not subscribe to broadband. Again, only 8 percent said broadband was not available to them.

Read more.

10 Ways to Avoid Phishing E-mails and other E-mail Scams

As a follow-up to National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,

below are tips to help you stay safe online:

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mail messages. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.

3. Treat e-mail attachments with caution.

4. Don’t click links in e-mail messages.

5. Do not reveal personal or financial information via unsecured e-mail.

6. Don't send sensitive information over the Internet before checking a website's security.

7. Take advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your e-mail client and web browser.

8. Configure your e-mail client for security.

9. Learn the e-mail policies of the organizations you do business with.

10. Take your time. Resist any urge to "act now" despite the offer and the terms. Once you turn over your money, you may never get it back.

Other Useful Sites and Information Sources

• OnguardOnline.gov

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

• WiredSafety.org

• Commonsense.com

• Ncmec.org

• TRUSTe.org

• ConnectSafely.org

• NetSmartz.org

• WebWiseKids.org

• Makeadifferenceforkids.org

5 Tips for Protecting Your Identity Online

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month.

Below are tips to help you stay safe online:

1. Look at a Website’s privacy policy - Before submitting your name, e-mail address, or other personal information on a website, look for the site's privacy policy.

2. Look for evidence that your information is being encrypted - To protect attackers from hijacking your information, any personal information submitted online should be encrypted so that it can only be read by the appropriate recipient.

3. Do business with credible companies – Work with websites certified by an Internet trust organization such as BBBonline, TRUSTe, or WebTrust? Sites that display these logos have agreed to follow certain practices like providing a comprehensive privacy statement

4. Do not use your primary e-mail address in online submissions - Submitting your e-mail address could result in spam. If you do not want your primary e-mail account flooded with unwanted messages, consider opening an additional e-mail account for use online

5. Take advantage of options to limit exposure of private information - Default options on certain websites may be chosen for convenience, not for security. For example, avoid allowing a website to remember your password. If your password is stored, your profile and any account information you have provided on that site are readily available if an attacker gains access to your computer. Also, evaluate your settings on websites used for social networking.

Other Useful Sites and Information Sources

• OnguardOnline.gov

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

• WiredSafety.org

• Commonsense.com

• Ncmec.org

• TRUSTe.org

• ConnectSafely.org

• NetSmartz.org

• WebWiseKids.org

• Makeadifferenceforkids.org

Connect Minnesota Releases 2011 Residential Broadband Adoption Survey Results

28% of Minnesota residents still do not have broadband at home

Access the Findings

ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Connect Minnesota released new residential broadband adoption survey results revealing the top trends in technology use among key demographics in Minnesota. The preliminary indicators from the survey are available online, which gives a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities for expanding broadband in targeted sectors. According to the survey, approximately 28% of the population still does not subscribe to broadband. Most notably, the majority of low-income, senior, disabled adult, and Hispanic households are without broadband at home, leaving them facing an uphill battle in keeping up with essential online resources, job and educational opportunities, and social services.

The survey reveals that:

• 39% of Minnesotans living in rural areas do not subscribe to broadband service at home.

• When comparing to the 72% of all households that do subscribe, there remain large gaps among key demographics:

   o 53% of low-income households;

   o 51% of Hispanic households; and

   o 68% of seniors are without broadband.

• 54% of low-income households with children are without access to this essential tool at home.

• The biggest gap is among low-income seniors. Only 21% of low-income seniors subscribe to broadband and only 32% have a computer at home.

• The largest barrier to non-adopters is relevance - 29% of non-adopters say there isn’t Internet content worth viewing. The second most commonly cited barrier is that it is too expensive.

• The number one reason Minnesotans say they started using broadband is because they needed it for business.

These results and comparisons to many others are available on Connect Minnesota’s new consumer trends widget. This interactive tool gives people the ability to view, share, and download the results. Connect Minnesota will use these survey results to target solutions in communities based on the demographic and economic barriers that the surveys indicate are most relevant to those communities.

Connect Minnesota’s 2011 residential survey was conducted in the summer of 2011 and includes responses from 3,100 residents.

State and District Measures Require Students to Take Virtual Classes

By Michelle R. Davis | Education Week

Published: October 17, 2011

Two years ago, Tennessee’s Putnam County school system adopted an online-learning graduation requirement for its high school students. But district officials realized that not all students had high-speed Internet access at home, or even computers, so they came up with a variety of options to allow students to fulfill the requirement.

The state of Tennessee already mandated that all students take a class on personal finance, so Putnam County put its version online, complete with the district’s own online teachers. Students can complete the course independently before they enter 9th grade; do it at school, in a computer lab with the support of an in-house coordinator, during their four high school years; or take the course in a computer lab that includes both an in-class teacher and an online instructor. Students can also fulfill the requirement with online Advanced Placement courses or online credit-recovery classes, says Kathleen Airhart, the director of the 11,000-student Putnam County schools, based in Cookeville, Tenn.

The goal is to make sure students get an online-learning experience in a low-risk, supportive environment, Airhart says. “The reality is, when a student leaves us, whether they’re going to a four-year college, a technical college, or going into the world of work, they’re going to have to do an online course,” she says. “This helps prepare the students.”

More districts and a handful of states are starting to agree with this notion. They’re requiring students to get some form of online learning on their résumés before leaving high school.

But concerns remain about issues of student equity, particularly in rural areas, where high-speed Internet access may be uncommon or difficult.

Read more.

5 Tips for Securing Your Personal Computer

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month.

Below are tips to help you stay safe online:

1. Keep your firewall turned on: Firewalls provide protection against outside attackers by shielding your computer or network from malicious or unnecessary Internet traffic.

2. Always use good passwords for your PC:

• Don't use passwords that are based on personal information that can be easily accessed or guessed

• Don't use words that can be found in any dictionary of any language

• Develop a mnemonic for remembering complex passwords

• Use a combination of lowercase and capital letters, numbers, and special characters

• Use passphrases when you can

• Use different passwords on different systems

• Use at least 8 characters

• Change your password periodically

3. Keep all your software and your operating system up-to-date: Many vulnerabilities on a computer can be avoided with a few simple updates. Updating your software also helps with bug fixes in the software and addition of new features from the software developer.

4. Install Anti-Virus Software: Anti-virus software can identify and block many viruses before they can infect your computer. Once you install anti-virus software, it is important to keep it updated. While antivirus software, regardless of which package you choose, increases your level of protection, nothing can guarantee the security of your computer. Antivirus software is limited in its ability to protect your computer because it can only detect viruses that have signatures installed on your computer

5. Secure your wireless network at home: Wireless networks have gotten easy enough to set up that many users simply plug them in and start using the network without giving much thought to security. Nevertheless, taking a few extra minutes to configure the security features of your wireless router or access point is time well spent.

Other Useful Sites and Information Sources

• OnguardOnline.gov

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

• WiredSafety.org

• Commonsense.com

• Ncmec.org

• TRUSTe.org

• ConnectSafely.org

• NetSmartz.org

• WebWiseKids.org

• Makeadifferenceforkids.org

US senators propose bill to require 'accurate 4G information for consumers'

By Neil Hughes | AppleInsider

Published Thursday, October 13, 2011

Three Democratic members of the U.S. Senate introduced on Thursday the "Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act," which aims to clear up confusion surrounding 4G high-speed wireless data networks and control what carriers can and must say in their advertisements.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., announced the act on Thursday, which they said would "require wireless providers to disclose complete and accurate information about their 4G wireless data service in their sales and advertising practices." It mirrors legislation passed in the House of Representatives this past June.

The proposed act would require companies to disclose specific details in their marketing and advertising. The bill was created because there is no standard definition for 4G wireless broadband Internet.

The bill would require that the following details be included at the point of sale and also in all customers' billing materials:

Read more.

Tightening your data belt can save you money

By PETER WAYNER | The New York Times

Published: October 5, 2011

The economics of an all-you-can-eat buffet are pretty easy to figure out. The restaurant makes money as long as most of the diners don’t have big appetites and enormous capacity for engorgement.

It hasn’t taken Internet service providers very long to conclude that their all-you-can-eat pricing isn’t as profitable as charging those who use more bandwidth streaming videos and music more money than those who pop on for a quick Facebook chat. Many are adopting flat-rate pricing or pricing tiers. The more you use, the more you pay. Many are even imposing limits on their customers.

Comcast, for instance, limits its customers to 250 gigabytes a month, a threshold that it estimates affects no more than a few percent of its customers. The limits are much lower for wireless data providers like the cellphone companies. Verizon, for instance, offers plans with limits of 2, 5 or 10 gigabytes a month.

Complain all you want about the new plans, but there are only two ways around the problem: Use less or pay more.

Much of the advice on how to use less bandwidth will sound a lot like what you’d hear from any dietician who catches you at the smorgasbord: eat less or at least eat the healthy foods. It’s not an emotionally satisfying answer, but when it comes to broadband, it is either that or pay more.

Like any diet plan, there are a few tips for making that easier.

Read more.

Who isn't online?

By Ann Treacy | Blandin on Broadband

September 22, 2011

Over the summer, Connected Nation spoke with more than 12,000 residents across ten states (including Minnesota) to inquire about their adoption and use of broadband service. Over the next few weeks, they will be releasing more data from the reports, but this week we get a sneak preview that focuses on adoption in low-income households with children…

* Only 37% of low-income minority households with children have broadband at home, and only 46% of all low-income households without children have broadband at home

* We estimate that 17 million children do not have broadband at home – and that 7.6 million of these children live in low-income households. The disproportionate adoption gap has serious implications for technology education policy

* 40% of low-income households do not own a computer (compared to only 9% of all others)

* For low-income households, the cost of access and computer ownership is by far the most-cited reason why they do not adopt broadband

They have a table that highlights some of the data on why low-income households don’t have broadband.

Read more.

Plugging the Digital Divide

Anoka County and Zayo break ground on the Connect Anoka County high speed Internet project

The march of the cell phone towers is coming to a horizon near you

By Bob Shaw | Pioneer Press

The march of the cell phone towers is coming to a horizon near you.

The spindly towers are spreading across Minnesota, and with them, debate about why they are necessary.

Near Afton, officials are grappling with a proposal for a 150-foot tower. New Brighton has halted a company's plan to build an 80-foot tower - but two other companies are asking about building one.

Arguments have recently been raging in Apple Valley, Franconia Township and northern Minnesota, where a 450-foot tower was proposed near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The questions are always the same: Can't the towers go somewhere else? Is the radiation dangerous? Can they be stopped? Should they?

To find answers, the Pioneer Press consulted various experts and summarized their responses.

Read more.

Comcast Low-Cost Internet Program Launched In Minnesota

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable and Internet service provider, recently launched a new program called “Internet Essentials” at the Neighborhood House, a multi-cultural center that provides quality of life services to disadvantaged citizens in the Twin Cities. This initiative has the potential for being an important step toward bridging the digital divide for the estimated 51,732 children in Minnesota who do not have home broadband service, according to the 2010 Connect Minnesota Residential Technology Assessment. The Technology Assessment also lists the barriers to broadband adoption, a few of which are addressed in this new program including:

• The lack of understanding of how the Internet is useful

• The cost of a home computer

• The cost of Internet service

According to Comcast, this national program will “provide low-cost access to the Internet and affordable computers as well as digital literacy training to families with children who are eligible to receive free lunches under the National School Lunch Program.”

In a July 2011 study by Connected Nation on Broadband Adoption Among Low-Income Households, it was reported that a significant barrier to the adoption and use of broadband technology is related to income. Households with lower incomes subscribe to broadband at a lower rate than other households — resulting in an “Affordability Gap” with significant economic consequences.

The new initiative is a byproduct from the merger between Comcast and NBC. Comcast, as part of its conditions to the merger, agreed to increase broadband deployment in low-income households.

The special low-income plan will cost $9.95 and will offer download speeds of 1.5 Mbps. Comcast, which operates in 39 states across the U.S., will offer the service to new customer families that have at least one child receiving free school lunches via the Nation School Lunch Program. Eligible families will also have the opportunity to purchase a Wi-Fi capable netbook for $149.99.

The program will accept new customers for “three full school years,” according to the program’s FAQ page.

We need everyone’s help to assist communities in improving their lives through the use of broadband. For more information on the Internet Essentials Program, visit www.internetessentials.com. For more information on helping to reach those who are underserved by broadband technology in Minnesota please visit www.connectmn.org and/or www.connectednation.org.

Comcast launching low-cost Internet

By Leslie Brooks Suzukamo | Pioneer Press

Comcast, the largest cable operator in the Twin Cities and the nation, on Thursday will use St. Paul's Neighborhood House as the backdrop to unveil a program offering fast Internet access to low-income Twin Cities families for $10 a month.

Comcast's program, called Internet Essentials, is a national effort to help bridge the "digital divide" for low-income families who cannot afford the high cost of Internet broadband. The program will enroll families for three years, but those families potentially could continue to use it until their children graduate high school, according to company officials.

"We're transforming the way low-income households can adopt broadband," Comcast spokeswoman Mary Beth Schubert said.

Officials from Comcast's Philadelphia headquarters will announce the program at Neighborhood House, a social service agency that has anchored St. Paul's West Side for decades. Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius and St. Paul Schools Superintendent Valeria Silva are scheduled to attend, Comcast said.

Schools are involved because as a way of qualifying families, Comcast is offering the program to those who have children enrolled in the federal school lunch program.

Comcast estimates that 2 million to 3 million households with children in the free or reduced-price lunch program across the country could be eligible for its program, Twin Cities spokeswoman Schubert said. 

To read more click here.

Obama Administration Releases Report, Highlights Rural Broadband Expansion

By Jeneba Ghatt | POLITIC365

Published August 21, 2011

The White House Rural Council released the report Jobs and Economic Security in Rural America which highlighted the fact that many rural communities “have lower incomes, higher poverty rates, worse health outcomes, and lower educational attainment than urban and suburban areas.” Highlighted was the expansion of broadband access to over “7 million rural Americans, including 3 million rural households and over 350,000 rural businesses” in the August 2011 report.

To combat the negative factors presented, the Council presented its findings and made specific suggestions on ways to address these issues.

Also, in a letter included in the report, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack noted that the report listed “vital strategies that can and will be used to seize those opportunities and tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our rural communities.”

Finally, it included a summary of some administration accomplishments already made that would enhance opportunities for rural Americans:

To read more click here.

Broadband Task Force Established in Minnesota

Governor Mark Dayton has issued an Executive Order to establish a Governor’s Task Force on Broadband and has directed the Minnesota Department of Commerce to create a Broadband Development Office.

The Task Force mandate is to:

·      Develop, implement, and promote state broadband policy, planning, and initiatives to achieve state broadband needs and goals

·      Inventory, assess, and report on various aspects of broadband

·      Develop a Minnesota Broadband Plan outline

The Task Force will be comprised of a maximum of 15 members representing both metropolitan and rural Minnesota regions and representing a variety of broadband interests including consumers, education institutions, healthcare institutions, telephone, cable, and wireless companies.

The meetings will be held monthly in St. Paul.

An announcement of the appointment notice for the potential task force members can be found by clicking this link to the September 2011 Appointment Press Release.

‘Google and friends’ coming to Minnesota

A couple of weeks after Google Inc. joined the Minnesota High Tech Association, the company has announced it will host an event in St. Paul for businesses seeking an online presence.

As part of a program called Minnesota Get Your Business Online, “Google and friends” will help companies set up a website and establish a listing with Google Places.

To read more click here.

Need Blazing Fast Internet? Gig.U Is Now in Session

A consortium of more than 30 universities plans to invest in the infrastructure to improve Internet speeds 1,000-fold

In the not-too-distant future broadband speeds will be measured in gigabits per second rather than megabits per second, the former being 1,000 times faster than the latter. Such blazing fast data transmission will vastly improve the quality of streaming high-definition video, playing online video games, participating in video conferences and using voice over IP, all of which struggle with latency at today's average data transfer rates, which range from less than one megabit per second (Mbps) to 10 Mbps (pdf). The sticking point over gigabit-per-second broadband: who will pay for it?

Telecommunications companies, still stinging from the financial beating they took a decade ago after hastily building up capacity for Internet companies that soon went out of business, have been leery ever since of investing in infrastructure unless they are certain there is a demand for it. Most customers, many of them still exploring the wonders of YouTube and for the most part content to simply use e-mail and social networks, are not demanding, nor are they willing to pay a premium for, service that moves information at 1 billion bits per second.

To read more click here.

$24 Million Greater Minnesota Broadband Collaborative Project Launches

By Wil Payton, Communications Specialist, Connected Nation

Enventis Telecom, a subsidiary of HickoryTech, is kicking off a $24 million Greater Minnesota Broadband Collaborative Project on Aug. 25 that will improve high-speed Internet access in rural Minnesota communities.

Project Impact:

• Statewide network will connect 36 rural Minnesota communities in 23 counties

• The fiber network will deliver a minimum of 100 MB broadband Ethernet services to 74 Community Anchor Institutions, including: healthcare facilities, schools, libraries, higher education facilities, and public offices

• More than 886,000 people living in 315,000 households will have access to these low-cost, high-capacity broadband services

• More than 74,000 small and medium size businesses in Minnesota will also have access to this network

This bodes well for the economic future of the communities impacted by this project. The 2010 Connect Minnesota Business Technology Survey indicated that businesses with broadband Internet connections reported having median annual revenues $300,000 more than the state average.

In July, Enventis started construction of the 430-mile fiber optic project, scheduled for completion in 2013. The network will provide affordable, high-capacity broadband services across northern Minnesota. Enventis estimates that the project will create more than 250 jobs.

“I’ve seen first hand around our state the problems with Internet access,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (R-MN) speaking this month at another broadband project — the Carver County groundbreaking celebrating the beginning of its new fiber optic ring, which will be over 122 miles long and will connect 86 entities at 56 sites throughout Carver County, Minnesota.

In addressing the economic potential of improved broadband access in the state, Sen. Klobuchar stated that, “…whether you are a gift shop, or a restaurant, or a family farm, or a little start-up company, broadband is the ticket to reaching new customers, selling more products, and growing your business.”

As part of the National Telecommunication and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, Enventis was awarded a $16.8 million grant last August. Over the next two years, an additional $7.2 million will be contributed by the company to the project.

Follow us on Twitter @ConnectMN for updates on broadband projects going on across the state.

American Red Cross Using Technology to Prepare People for Hurricane Season

Posted: May 20, 2011

American Red Cross will be adding technology to help people and prepare them for an above-average 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that 12-18 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-6 major hurricanes will occur this year. The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1. Red Cross’ officials said that families can take steps now to create a family emergency plan.

Red Cross has developed a free iPhone app that gives the location of all open Red Cross shelters. In addition to mapping the location of a shelter, this app also shows current capacity and population. Users can download the app by visiting the Apple store and “American Red Cross shelters,” said organization’s officials.

In case families do not have an iphone, the shelter information can be obtained from

Red Cross Website by clicking on the option “Find a Shelter.”

Additionally, the Red Cross Safe and Well Web site now allows users to update their Facebook and Twitter status when they register on the site.

To read more click here.

Project to Bring Broadband to Rural Minnesota Communities

Minnesota Business

Published August 16, 2011

The construction of a 428 fiber optic network miles will begin next week in Duluth. The network is equipped with 10GB Dense Wave Division Multiplex (DWDM) to provide economy of scale to deliver high bandwidth at a low cost per bit.

Statewide the network will connect 36 rural Minnesota communities in 23 counties; nine of these counties rated as ‘economically distressed,’ and six in Wisconsin. Network will deliver a minimum of 100 MB broadband Ethernet services to 80 community anchor institutions. More than 886,000 people living in 315,000 households will have access to these high-capacity broadband services including more than 74,000 small and medium businesses in Minnesota.

To read more click here.

Groundbreaking kicks off new broadband project

By Ana Anthony | Worthington Globe

Published July 22, 2011

LAKEFIELD — Humidity and intermittent showers did not deter a group from gathering at Southwest Minnesota Broadband Services (SWMBS) Operations Center Friday afternoon for a groundbreaking ceremony.

After much anticipation, construction will kick off Monday for fiber-optic cables, which will provide high-speed Internet to eight surrounding communities: Jackson, Lakefield, Round Lake, Bingham Lake, Brewster, Wilder, Heron Lake and Okabena.

“Broadband Internet levels out the playing field across the nation, the world,” said Colleen Landkamer of U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, during the ceremony.

To read more click here.

Minnesota begins construction on statewide broadband network

By Bailey McCann | CivSource

Work begins today on a new broadband network in Minnesota designed to connect anchor institutions like public offices, schools and libraries. The Greater Minnesota Broadband Collaborative Project is a $24 million broadband network that will provide greater access throughout the state. Enventis, a subsidiary of HickoryTech, will be managing the build out. The project will extend a middle-mile network to anchor institutions and provide public offices and agencies with a high capacity network.

Eventis started the working on the network in July in Superior, Wisconsin and will extend fiber over nearly 430 miles throughout northern Minnesota. Along with anchor institutions and public offices residents of the area will have the opportunity to subscribe to broadband access.

To read more click here.

Targeting School Lunch Programs to Reach America’s Most Vulnerable

By Chris McGovern, Manager, Research Development, Connected Nation

Across the board, households with lower incomes subscribe to broadband at a lower rate than higher-income households. The presence of this “Affordability Gap” can have a significant effect upon economic growth and opportunity – with the economy moving increasingly online, ensuring that every American has digital skills is crucial to economic growth, education, and workforce development.

But how much of a barrier is affordability? What is the most efficient and effective way of bridging the Affordability Gap? How many non-adopting households would be motivated to adopt broadband through low-cost incentive programs or targeted discounts? Is there any defining demographic characteristic of this community that would allow policymakers to efficiently target such initiatives?

According to a report released by Connected Nation today, titled “Broadband Adoption Among Low-Income Households: Insights from Connected Nation Research,” low-income households with children are at a particularly high risk, and this lack of broadband for such a large number of American schoolchildren affects the education and social welfare of our entire country. This report finds that 32% of households with children where the annual income is less than $25,000 do not have computers in the home, and 61% do not subscribe to home broadband service. In addition, based on our surveys, we estimate that 23% of households with children eligible (or near the eligibility threshold) for free or reduced lunches through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) do not own a computer, and 48% do not subscribe to home broadband service. If these figures are extrapolated to the nation as a whole, that would mean that approximately 2.9-3.9 million low-income households with children don’t have a home computer, and 5.5-8.1 million don’t subscribe to home broadband service.
These results, as well as a more in-depth analysis of barriers to adoption among low-income households, can be found here.

FCC: Competition is in the Eye of the Beholder

By Chris McGovern, Manager of Research Development for Connected Nation

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just released its 15th Annual Mobile Wireless Competition Report. A lot of people have been waiting with bated breath for this report to be made public, some looking for a stamp of approval for provider activities (like changes in price models and mergers) while others were hoping the report would portray wireless providers as robber barons that have successfully quashed all competition. This 308-page behemoth, though, paints a more complicated picture of a mobile wireless environment where both successes and reasons for concern can be found.

According to the report, about 92% of Americans (or about 262 million people) can choose from two or more mobile broadband providers, but fewer than seven out of ten (67.8%, or about 193 million people) have four or more mobile broadband choices. There is also a rural/urban divide, as only 69% of rural residents have two or more mobile broadband choices, and only 17.3% of rural residents have four or more options. In fact, a measurement of market concentration (the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, or HHI) finds that the wireless market is “Highly Concentrated,” with four major national providers serving over 90 percent of the nation’s mobile wireless subscribers.

Yet not all is gloom and doom. As the FCC report points out, measures of concentration are not necessarily synonymous with a non-competitive market. It turns out the United States is following a global pattern, as mobile markets in many industrialized nations have just 3-4 major providers each. In the U.S. there is little variance in competition between census tracts with different median household incomes; tracts whose median household incomes are below $25,000 have an average of 3.3 mobile broadband providers, compared to 3.7 providers in tracts with median household incomes of $150,000 or more. The consumer price index (CPI) for the cellular market has decreased or remained the same every year since 1999, while the CPI for all goods and services has increased every year but one during that time period. In addition, mobile broadband providers show evidence of both price and non-price competition, a sign of healthy competition between carriers.

I suspect that in the end everyone will pick and choose some data out of this report, depending on the argument they want to make. Are there indicators that mobile competition can be improved upon? Yes, there are. Is there evidence that points to a competitive mobile market? That’s in there, too. Does this report show a market that is too complicated to resort to bumper sticker competitive analysis? Most definitely.

Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities: Broadband as a Rural Development Strategy

By John C. Shepard, AICP, SW Regional Development Commission

America’s economy runs on broadband. Ninety five percent of small businesses that have computers have adopted broadband Internet service, according to US Small Business Administration studies. While a similar percentage of private households have access to broadband internet (2/3 have actually adopted broadband), that still leaves hundreds of thousands of small town and rural residents in states such as Minnesota without basic access to this essential element of 21st Century infrastructure.

The Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) project aims to do something about that…

Read more from Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities: Broadband as a Rural Development Strategy

Grand Marais Wants Broadband to Open Doors but Not Wreck the Allure of Remoteness

by Jennifer Vogel, Minnesota Public Radio

Housed in a converted Baptist church in Grand Marais, Cook County Higher Education isn't your typical community college.

It's not accredited, first of all, nor does it have a staff of teachers or even many classrooms. In fact, most of its classes are taught somewhere else, Bemidji State University, for example, or Hibbing Community College. Students take the classes via Skype on the Internet or interactive television...

...According to a recent report by ConnectMinnesota, fewer than half the households in Cook County have access to internet download speeds of at least 3 megabits per second (discounting mobile wireless). This places Cook County third from the bottom among Minnesota's 87 counties when it comes to connectivity...

Read more from Grand Marais Wants Broadband to Open Doors but Not Wreck the Allure of Remoteness

Telecommuting Levels the Field For Some Rural Minnesotans

by Jennifer Vogel, Minnesota Public Radio

Rose Buer commutes to her job as a software engineer in Bloomington every morning.

But she doesn't drive from Minneapolis or St. Paul or another suburb. She makes the short trek from her 10-acre farm to a small office in Dawson, next to a hair salon and the Dawson Sentinel, the newspaper that serves the town of 1,300 people in western Minnesota...

...A recent study by ConnectMinnesota and the Minnesota Broadband Task Force found that 37 percent of Minnesotans work from home at least occasionally; twenty percent telework on a regular basis. What's more, the report says, "Three out of ten Minnesota adults who are not currently in the workforce say they would work if empowered to do so through teleworking. This includes 17% of retirees, nearly three out of five unemployed adults, and almost one-third of homemakers."...

Read more from Telecommuting levels the field for some rural Minnesotans

USDA rural broadband loan program updated

Washington, DC - The USDA today released new information for applicants for its broadband loan program for rural areas. The program is designed to provide loans for the costs of construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment to provide broadband service to eligible rural communities.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA has issued a Notice of Solicitations of Applications and regulations implementing the 2008 Farm Bill for the broadband loan program.

“Broadband investments are an essential part of the Obama Administration’s effort to ‘win the future’ by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building our global competitors,” Vilsack said in the announcement. “Investments in rural broadband networks create jobs and economic opportunity for rural America. Broadband is critical communications infrastructure of the twenty-first century, and it is vital to building vibrant rural communities.”

The notice is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations act to allow applicants time to submit proposals and give the agency time to process applications within the current fiscal year, according to the USDA. Upon completion of a 2011 Appropriations Act, RUS will publish a subsequent notice identifying the amount of funding available for broadband loans.

The application guide to assist in preparing applications is available at: http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=58596618&msgid=368819&act=2BQR&c=590864&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rurdev.usda.gov%2Futp_farmbill.html.

USDA’s Farm Bill broadband loan program has invested mote than $1 billion over the past decade in more than 100 projects nationwide, according to the USDA announcement. RUS is planning to schedule training opportunities to educate applicants on new program requirements, and how to submit complete and competitive applications. Dates for the training will be published on the USDA website.

Minn. still has miles to go on rural broadband access

By Nicole Norfleet/ Minneapolis Star-Tribune

As Minnesota works toward getting all residents high-speed Internet access, it has to bridge the urban-rural divide, a report says

...What's going on in rural communities could make the difference in whether the state will be able to meet its goal of ensuring that all Minnesotans have access to high-speed Internet in the next five years.

A December report showed the state still has work to do if it wants to meet its goals, which include access to high-speed broadband for every home and business by 2015 and for Minnesota to be among the top five states for broadband speed...

Read Minn. still has miles to go on rural broadband access