Cool Things Rural Communities Are Doing With Broadband

The Minnesota Experience

Community Technology Advisors

Combining Knowledge in Broadband and Economic Development

Since Dial-Up

Rural Broadband Initiatives

By providing leadership development, technical assistance and funding, Blandin Foundation has

helped rural communities launch almost 200 broadband-oriented projects over the past four

years.

This is RURAL! From NW to SE, MN is 500+ miles

Our “communities” include:

Cities

Counties

Regions

Tribal governments

Our largest city has 20,000 people.

Our most rural counties have around 4,000 people.

Blandin Foundation Strategy

Targeted Communities

Select engaged communities

Organizational development

Strategic planning

Project development

Funding

Coaching

Broadband Grant Programs

Robust Network Feasibility Fund

LightSpeed

Digital Inclusion Community Partnership

Broadband Innovation

Intelligent Community Indicators

Community selection process as organizing tool

Steering team formation and support

Cross-sector community meeting

Intelligent community benchmarking

Assets/gap analysis

Outcomes

Project development and prioritization

Funding

Planning Process

Improving Broadband Networks

Community organizing, feasibility studies, partnering and financing

Broadband

Success Stories

Networks

Built

Cook County FTTH

LqP County FTTH

SMBS FTTH

Cloquet Valley Wireless

In Process

RS Fiber

Todd County

Redwood County

Kanabec County

Critical Elements

Commonalities

Leadership support

Community organizing

Feasibility studies

Differences

Network owners

Technologies

Financing

Cook County ARRA grant to Arrowhead Electric Association as new provider

Direct county grant from county economic development sales tax

Result of long–term effort on Internet –- from dial-up to fiber

Lac qui Parle County ARRA grant to

Farmers Mutual Telephone

Direct loan/grant from County EDA plus shortfall guarantee

Opportunistic initiative rewarded by stimulus

Eight communities in joint venture

ARRA funding

Partnering with an existing muni to deliver triple play over FTTH

Southwest MN Broadband Services

Newly formed

Initiative led by the area farmers’ co-0p

To be supported by private and public financing backed by area cities and townships

FTTH to the Farm

Cloquet Valley Internet Initiative Nine sparsely settled townships

Challenging terrains with woods & hills

Partnership with Cooperative Power and Light, the electric co-op

700 Mhz wireless technology

15 mile range

7 Mbps

Growing a Knowledge Workforce

Creating, supporting and recruiting talent

Knowledge Workforce

Alternative Approaches

Cook County Higher Education

“The Education You Need Where You Live”

Programs

Local

Online independent

Group learning

Mentors, financial aid resources and more

90% completion rate for online courses

Encouragement of telework by: Partnering with local telecom to provide bandwidth and tech

support

Marketing the community workforce to metro businesses

Providing job postings and local resources

Creation of telework hotel

Convinced State of MN to include a telework location category

Recognized by NTCA as Smart Rural Community for their telework initiative

Courses Local

Videoconferencing

Targeting to new Americans and older adults

Open lab with assistance available

Videoconferencing rental available

Innovation

Spurring Innovation

New companies, new processes, new products

A three pronged approach to spurring innovation and increasing broadband utilization in Itasca County

• Business technology assessments, strategy development and implementation via financing

Social Media Breakfasts

IT Pros Networking Brown Bag Lunches

Facilitating collaboration among area volunteer fire departments to improve and share training resources

Install videoconferencing capabilities in ten fire halls across five counties

Coordinate training offerings led by regional center community fire department

Enable streaming of past events for 24x7 viewing by new and current firefighters

Southwestern Minnesota Adult Mental Health Consortium

Bringing desktop and mobile videoconferencing to coordinate and share mental health resources across 22 rural counties.

Care team coordination

Staff meetings

Direct care

Addressing Digital Inclusion

Providing a computing device, training and connectivity

Digital Inclusion

Turning trash to treasure for thousands of low-income families in Minnesota and now expanding into other states

Partnerships with:

• schools and non-profits to target eligible people

• government and business to source computers

• ISPs for discounted Internet service

Collected, refurbished and distributed over 7,000 computers in 2013, about half in rural communities

Set up local affiliate offices in three rural Minnesota locations, plus one additional independent project

With a mobile refurbishing lab, they collect, refurbish and distribute 100 computers in three days

Providing digital literacy training, computers and connectivity to new Americans Partners with

• PCs for People

• Winona State University

• St. Mary’s University of Minnesota

• Hiawatha Broadband Communications

Marketing and Advocacy

Creating a tech savvy image for your community –

to attract talent and investment

Advocacy

Marketing/Advocacy Strategies

External marketing Fergus Falls as Teleworking

Capitol

60/90 Tech Corridor as fiber- rich agriculture and manufacturing region

Mobile sites Cook County CVB

Google Place business initiatives

Internal marketing

“What’s up in Foley?”

“Finding Windom”

Public policy

Blandin events

18 Legislative rural listening sessions

Findings

These elements are mutually reinforcing and bring together diverse stakeholders Multiple small activities have more impact than one big activity Cross-sector activities have the largest benefits When in doubt as to “what to do”, just do something!

Bill Coleman Community Technology Advisors

651-491-2551 bill@communitytechnologyadvisors.com

Discussion

Resources: http://Blandinonbroadband.org http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org www.communitytechnologyadvisors.com