Dayton picks new broadband task force
Posted at 10:29 AM on November 7, 2011
by Dave Peters
(9 Comments)
Filed under: Broadband
Gov. Mark Dayton has named Margaret Anderson Kelliher, former Minnesota House Speaker and 2010 candidate for governor, to lead a new task force aimed at expanding the use of broadband in Minnesota.
The 15-member task force is charged with coming up with a plan involving both greater availability of high-speed Internet in all parts of the state and greater use of broadband by state residents, particularly among those groups that use the Internet less than others -- older people, low-income people and some minorities.
See background here on the expectations for the task force and the state's effort to raise Minnesota's ranking on the availability and use of broadband.
In announcing the task force, state commerce commissioner Mike Rothman said 3.4 percent of the state still needs broadband infrastructure, my MPR News colleague Tim Pugmire reported this morning. That's almost 67,000 homes, mostly rural, Rothman said.
Anderson Kelliher is the director of the Minnesota High Tech Association.
Here's the rest of the task force, which includes representation from both large and small Internet providers, minority groups, the foundation world and local government. Also represented are education and the health industry, two prime potential users of greater access.
Shirley Walz, senior director of technology for Thomson Reuters. The original task force that came up with state goals in 2009 was chaired by Rick King of Thomson Reuters.
Bernadine Joselyn, director of public policy and engagement for the Blandin Foundation. Blandin was the recipient of almost $5 million in federal stimulus money to increase Internet adoption around the state. Joselyn has been involved with the effort in several dozen communities to expand use.
Steve Lewsader, president of the Communication Workers of America, Local 7201.
Duane Ring, president of the nine-state Midwest Region of CenturyLink.
Gary Evans, chief executive officer of Hiawatha Broadband Company, which helps communities develop broadband service.
Dick Sjoberg, Sjoberg's Cable, a telecommunications provider in Thief River Falls.
Daniel Richter, President of MVTV Wireless, a wireless broadband provider based in Granite Falls.
Danna MacKenzie, director of information systems for Cook County. The county is one of the most remote in the state, as far as broadband availability is concerned. But the local electrical cooperative is building a fiber network with the use of federal stimulus money.
Maureen Ideker, director of Telehealth, Essentia Health. The promise of providing health care remotely is one of the most commonly cited reasons to expand high-speed Internet access.
Matt Grose, superintendent, Deer River Public Schools. Education is another area often cited as a potential beneficiary of broadband.
Steve Peterson, Bloomington City Council.
Bob Bass, Bloomington, AT&T Wireless.
Keith Modglin, information systems director for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Indian reservations are among the lowest-served areas in the nation for broadband.
Bao Vang, president and chief operating officer of the Hmong-American Partnership.
The task force is a two-year appointment but is expected to come up with an early set of recommendations for the Legislature early in 2012.
Comments (9)
Very interested in seeing how they make broadband more accessible. Will they create a state run broadband service, or contract with local/national providers to provide subsidized service plans?
Andrew -- I don't think anybody is talking about a state-run broadband service. More likely, it sounds, is that the task force will try to take an inventory of what's available, figure out where and what the needs are and then see what role the state might play in fulfilling them. Could involve providing money (presumably a tough sell in this economy) but also could involve other ways to eliminate obstacles, according to what Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman said this morning.
Two letters could solve the issue - 4G, and without too much government intervention, will solve the issue before the task force is even able to recommend spending tens of millions of tax dollars to get some outdated broadband internet technology to the most remote and sparsely populated areas of the state.
The FCC is currently considering an application by LightSquared to provide 4G wireless broadband Internet and cell phone coverage nationwide via its satellite. This will provide service in remote areas without cell towers. LightSquared has signed contracts with 20 national and regional providers eager to expand their presence in rural areas. The possibility of universal rural wireless broadband is exciting from an economic development perspective. Universal cell coverage is good news for individuals traveling in isolated areas that have car trouble and for First Responders needing to contact family members, hospitals, sheriff's departments and others in times of crisis. The Task Force needs to look at models like LightSquared that seek to expand access without expensive fiber-optic cables being laid in remote areas.
Lance and Tom -- Will 4G really give rural people what they (some) say they need -- speed, no satellite delay, no problems with trees and hills getting in the way? Will it handle remote telemedicine to the home, for example?
These are the objections I hear fiber proponents raising when the FCC or others suggest 4G is the solution.
I question that 3.4% figure in regards to broadband infrastructure in rural MN. Are you talking about infrastructure just for towns or for all rural MN residents?
That sounds awful low to me.
A 2009 USDA study (granted, it's two years old and centered on farm businesses) reported that 42% of the state's farmers used DSL; 25% used wireless; 12% used dial-up; 11% used satellite and 4% used cable.
I live in Northern Anoka County (formerly Burns Township and now the city of Nowthen) and we do not have cable. When I tried to get high-speed Internet service a few years ago, my only option was satellite. Wireless was not an option and at the time, neither was broadband.
Qwest/CenturyLink's broadband is not available to everyone in our area. I finally got it about a year ago. It is very haphazard in its geographic availability.
I do not agree with assessments done to indicate where broadband is because surveys have relied on telephone exchanges and what the local government officials tell them.
When I was looking at geting faster Internet service, I called the city office and the person there was surprised I didn't have access to broadband at the time. The city office had it and she assumed that all local residents had access to it. Surprise!!
Paula -- Thanks for the comment. Rothman got the 3.4 percent number from the January 2011 report by Connect Minnesota:
"It is estimated that as of October 2010, terrestrial, fixed broadband providers offer service to 96.59% of all Minnesota households. This implies that an estimated 66,647 Minnesota households (3.41%) lack basic broadband service and remain unserved by terrestrial, fixed broadband."
That report adds that if you want to count households that have either no access or access speeds slower than 3 megabits per second, then the figure is larger -- 118,000 households, or more than 6 percent.
But I think most people acknowledge that the Connect Minnesota research is a work in progress. They say they're getting better at checking the veracity of what providers say they are offering.
I think a lot of smart people have a great many doubts about reports issued by Connect Minnesota - an entity with strong ties to the telecom industry that wants to minimize any appearance that they are not solving America's broadband problem.
Dave asks smart questions about 4G. It would certainly be better than dialup but it remains unclear how economic development will be encouraged by a service encumbered by tight data caps.
Businesses need fast, affordable, and reliable connectivity without arbitrary transfer caps. 4G doesn't get us there.
The first thing the state needs to do is get out of the way of communities that want to build their own networks. They have the motivation, they should be empowered to invest in themselves.
And the methodology for that Connect Minnesota report? I cut and paste it here:
Data were collected by telephone through live computer-assisted interviews
from a statewide random digit dial (RDD) sample of 1,207 households
contacted between February 22 and March 3, 2010. On average, each survey
took approximately 10 minutes to complete. Data were collected by
Thoroughbred Research Group in Louisville, KY.
– This research was designed to measure technology adoption and the awareness
of available broadband service, and establish benchmarks for these metrics.
Hmmm. A 10-minute survey of 1,207 people suggests what MN residents have and need in terms of broadband...
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