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.