Michigan Residents Find Options For Enhanced Internet Access

In Northern Michigan, Traverse City functions as the major commercial nexus for a seven-county area totaling 2,700 square miles. Yet residents in Cedar, only a few miles away, found themselves without access to high-speed Internet service until recently.

“After moving just 7 miles out of Traverse City last fall there was no question in my mind that some form of high-speed Internet would be available,” said Steven Kostyshyn, a local artist and businessman. “Boy was I wrong.”

Cable lines fell about a mile short of Kostyshyn and 15 of his neighbors, and the limitations of satellite service kept that from being a viable option. Frustrated and needing Internet access, he went back to dial-up after enjoying broadband in Charlevoix County. “You can imagine how that drastically altered our lifestyle and impacted our ability to conduct business and make purchases online.”

One day while reading his rural electric magazine, Michigan Country Lines, he came across an article about Connect Michigan (connectmi.org), filled out its online survey, and wrote a follow-up e-mail explaining his frustration. “They responded quickly and within a few days had contacted Cherry Capital Connection (CCC), a broadband ISP. Through Connect Michigan’s communication with CCC we had broadband service a week later. I learned that CCC has been working on getting to our area for some time and was finally able to provide that service.”

“Finally after 3 long years we have high-speed wireless rather than slow satellite Internet,” according to Deb West. “Our neighbor, Steve, read an article about Connect Michigan and he called us immediately. We then filled out their online survey. Through Connect Michigan's communication with Cherry Capital Connection we had broadband sooner than we ever expected. The difference is 100 percent better.”

“From an ISP perspective it is important for us to have a certain comfort level with any organization we share our data with,” said Tim Maylone, general manager of CCC. “Terry Holmes and the folks at Connect Michigan have done a good job at that.”

CCC identified a vital need for high-speed Internet in Cedar and the area had been under service consideration for more than three years. The problem was trying to entice local partners to join them in this effort.
“When smaller companies propose providing service, government officials and consumers alike tend to ask why aren’t the larger telcos doing it? We are hoping that through projects like this we can establish a level of legitimacy-; that both policymakers and citizens have the opportunity to see that we can make this happen.”

“It’s great to see the Connect Michigan project come full circle,” said Holmes, senior technology assessment consultant for Connected Nation. “One of the many benefits of mapping Michigan’s broadband coverage is the ability to show providers where the unserved homes exist and to provide Michigan residents with a search tool to show providers in the vicinity. This combination resulted in a peripheral provider extending his network to meet demand.”

The first Michigan broadband coverage maps were released in May by Connect Michigan, a partnership between the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) and the national nonprofit Connected Nation.

“Michigan’s broadband mapping effort is starting to pay off,” said Orjiakor Isiogu, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission. “Customers are using the maps to determine what providers offer service in their areas, and providers are expanding their services to meet the needs of customers in unserved and underserved areas.”

Connect Michigan will continue to update and refine these maps as more data is gathered from consumers to accurately reflect the current broadband landscape. The public plays a key role in verifying the information that is represented on the maps. Michiganders are encouraged to visit the Connect Michigan website, connectmi.org, to view the maps, take a small survey about broadband service in the area, and/or to provide feedback on any issue they feel is relevant to this initiative.


Wil Payton
Communications Specialist
Connected Nation
270.781.4320 (office)
202.256.6516 (cell)
wpayton@connectednation.org
www.connectednation.com

From Farm & Dairy:

COLUMBUS — Three Ohio broadband projects by Connect Ohio, OneCommunity and Horizon Telecom will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The awards are among the 94 Recovery Act investments in broadband projects announced recently by Vice President Biden that will create jobs and expand economic opportunities within 37 states.

A total of $118 million will be used for the Ohio projects to build sustainable broadband adoption, public computing capacity and broadband infrastructure across the state.

Purpose
Governor Ted Strickland established Connect Ohio in 2007 to help extend affordable high-speed Internet service to Ohio households and community institutions. The Connect Ohio initiative was brought in to work with providers, libraries, and community organizations in each county to identify projects that could ensure Ohio’s full participation in today’s digital economy.

Across the state, communities identified the need for more complete broadband access and for additional training and awareness programs. The combination of infrastructure and training grants will help to enable those goals, statewide.

The Ohio projects that received awards are:

One Community
($44.8 million): The grant will fund 64 percent of the nearly $70 million fiber optic network construction project titled “Transforming Northeast Ohio: From Rust Belt to Tech Powerhouse,” which will serve 20 counties across Northeast Ohio.

The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Comprehensive Community Infrastructure program, will add nearly 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable to the OneCommunity network.

Horizon
($66.5 million): An NTIA grant will fund 70 percent of a $94.9 million fiber optic network construction project which will connect Ohio’s Appalachian counties.

The project, designated the Connecting Appalachian Ohio Middle Mile Consortium, will provide high-capacity broadband services to approximately 600 regional community anchor institutions, including 212 healthcare facilities, 25 community colleges, 15 universities, 231 K-12 schools, 34 county public safety answering points, 32 MARCS towers and 34 industrial parks.
Currently, more than 80 percent of those facilities lack fiber-based broadband access and/or the necessary minimum speeds to match their Internet needs.

Connect Ohio
($6.9 million): The grant will fund a portion of the organization’s $10 million Ohio Public Adoption Through Libraries/Every Community Online Adoption Project, which offers free computer training sessions at public libraries and community colleges throughout Ohio and is expected to immediately create 136 jobs, train 209,000 consumers over two years, and inspire a total of 75,000 new households to adopt broadband.

Public computing capacity will also be enhanced by the placement of more than 2,000 new public computers that will be distributed to dozens of public library and community college locations across the state along with the necessary curriculum to be used in the training program.

Read Ohio Broadband Projects Receive Federal Funding

From The Vindicator:

Three Ohio broadband projects have received more than $118 million in federal stimulus funds, Vice President Joe Biden has announced. The projects will extend broadband access and are projected to create more than 430 jobs.

Cleveland-based nonprofit OneCommunity was granted $44.8 million to add nearly 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in 20 Northeast Ohio counties. The plan, projected to create 200 jobs, will connect about 800 community institutions, including schools, hospitals, government and public-safety facilities, to the high-speed broadband network.

Horizon Telecom, a Chillicothe-based company, received $66.5 million to expand broadband in 34 southern and eastern Ohio counties.

Connected Nation, Inc., a national nonprofit, was awarded $6.9 million, to be administered by Connect Ohio, a nonprofit public-private partnership established by Gov. Ted Strickland. Those funds will be used statewide to fund new computer workstations, upgrade computer sessions and conduct training sessions.

Read Ohio Broadband Projects Get Funds

From The Columbus Dispatch:

By Jonathan Riskind

WASHINGTON -- Appalachian Ohio and other areas in the state lacking access to high-speed broadband Internet access are in line for a $118 million federal building boost.

Three broadband-access projects in the state, including one in the Chillicothe area and other parts of southern and southeastern Ohio, have been awarded federal stimulus grants.

The money was part of $1.8billion in broadband grants nationwide announced yesterday by the White House and Ohio officials, who touted both the short-term jobs that will be created by the projects and the long-term economic development benefits of increased access to high-speed Internet.

Rep. Zack Space said on a conference call with reporters that he has been pushing for years for more federal aid to spur better high-speed Internet access in Appalachia.

That's a key part of the region's drive to improve its economy and educational and health-care systems, the Dover Democrat said.

Space and the White House said the $66.5 million grant for part of Appalachian Ohio will be matched by $28.5 million from Chillicothe-based Horizon Telecom Inc. The result will be 600 community institutions connected to broadband, benefiting up to 1.7 million people and 37,000 businesses, officials said.

The other major Ohio grant is for $44.8 million, money given to the Cleveland-based nonprofit OneCommunity to help with a project to install nearly 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in 20 northeastern Ohio counties.

The goal is to connect an estimated 800 community institutions such as hospitals and schools, according to Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

The third grant of $6.9 million was awarded to the national nonprofit Connected Nation and will be administered by the nonprofit Connect Ohio.

The grant will help with a project to install and upgrade public computer workstations across the state and run computer training sessions.

This is not the first installment of stimulus money for broadband access in Ohio. Com Net Inc. got a $30 million broadband award in July, according to Strickland's office.

Read Grants to Help Widen Ohio Broadband Access

From The San Antonio Express-News:

CHIRENO — Every month, the city-operated natural gas system has to file electronic copies of several mandatory state reports. But City Hall's satellite Internet connection is so slow, it takes several days to do what other gas systems can do in minutes.

Whenever Heather Hagle tries to pay her bills online, her secure connection to her bank's website shuts down. Her dial-up Internet service crawls along so slowly, the bank computer thinks she's gone offline.

City Administrator Steven Spencer had a hankering to start a Web-based business in his spare time, but quickly dropped the notion because it would have been impossible to administer.

“If you want to surf the Web here,” Spencer says, “you type in a Web address and then go make a cup of coffee. If the page isn't loaded when you get back, you go do something else and check back five minutes later.”

It's the 21st century and the Information Age has revolutionized business, culture and life — unless you're Spencer, Hagle or any of the 413 other people in this East Texas town who find themselves off the grid.

About 45 percent of Texas has no access to high speed Internet service, but most of that land is sparsely populated or unpopulated. Chireno, however, is an incorporated city within a half-hour's drive of three larger ones and it's still on the outside of the Web looking in.

Make no mistake: this is a one stop-light town. It's also a five-business town, with a gas station, a grocery/cafe, air conditioning repair service, an acoustical ceiling tile factory and a chain bank constituting the entire business community.

And, according to residents and government officials, this is as good as it's going to get unless broadband Internet service in made available here.

“Chireno needs it,” says Bazil Moore, a resident who operates a cement company in nearby Nacogdoches. “There are lots of companies that might want to set up there, but without (broadband), they won't even consider it.”

Brian Mefford, chief executive officer of Connection Nation, a nonprofit group focused on wiring the nation, agreed: “It's the technology that can level the field for everybody and is especially powerful for people who have been isolated geographically.”

Read more: Town is where Web gets tangled

From Business First of Columbus:

Officials in Washington, D.C., say more than 400 Ohio jobs could be created through a $118 million round of federal stimulus funding headed to the state to expand broadband access.

Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the trio of awards headed to Ohio organizations to help finance the addition of fiber-optic cable and computers and subsidize affordable broadband service. The funding comes from the nation’s $787 billion stimulus package.

Ohio awards are:

• $66.5 million to Chillicothe-based Horizon Telecom Inc., which is planning to offer affordable broadband service throughout 34 Ohio counties. The project, which has $28.5 million in matching funds, could help connect 1.7 million people and thousands of businesses and create more than 230 jobs.
• $44.8 million to Cleveland-based OneCommunity, a nonprofit looking to add 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in 20 Ohio counties. The project could create about 200 jobs.
• $6.9 million to Connected Nation Inc., which is installing up to 2,000 new computer workstations, upgrading 317 computer centers and offering training sessions throughout the state. Connect Ohio, the public-private partnership created by Gov. Ted Strickland, will administer the grant.

The federal stimulus package includes more than $7 billion for broadband-related projects nationwide. President Barack Obama has characterized the growth of broadband Internet as a crucial part of the nation’s infrastructure.

Read more: Stimulus money to beef up broadband in Ohio - Business First of Columbus

Also avalaible at:

Business Courier of Cincinnati

Dayton Business Journal

From The Cleveland Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com:

by Olivera Perkins

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- More than $118 million in federal stimulus money is headed to Ohio to expand broadband access and to build a fiberoptic network that might entice 21st century businesses.

A total of $44.8 million will go to OneCommunity, a nonprofit Internet provider in Cleveland that plans to nearly double its fiberoptics network, to 2,300 miles in 27 counties. That will include 111 miles of new fiberoptic in Cuyahoga County. OneCommunity expects 800 new subscribers -- colleges, hospitals, universities and governmental entities -- to tie into the network.

"They will have access to very high-speed broadband so that they can offer better services to their constituencies" -- services such as distance learning, video conferencing and e-government, said Andrea Castrovillari, director of development and communications for OneCommunity.

President and Chief Executive Officer Scot Rourke said the expansion will accelerate Northeast Ohio's ability to compete in the knowledge-based economy.

"Our high-speed broadband infrastructure serves as a key platform for innovation and business attraction," Rourke said in an e-mail. The project will make Ohio an ideal environment to develop telemedicine, biotech and distance learning applications, he said.

OneCommunity's money was part of $1.8 billion in grants the U.S. agriculture and commerce departments announced Wednesday. Ninety-four projects in 37 states will receive money.
Besides OneCommunity, Horizon Telecom Inc. of Chillicothe was awarded $66.5 million to offer broadband service in Appalachian Ohio. The project plans to connect 600 community institutions to broadband.

Connect Ohio of Columbus, a partnership between the state and internet providers, received $6.9 million to install 2,000 computer workstations statewide, upgrade 317 computer centers and provide training.

Only California, with $203.8 million in grants, topped the amount awarded in Ohio.
OneCommunity officials say their grant dovetails with their other initiatives, including building 700 miles of fiber to connect urban and rural hospitals so they can better share resources.

No data are available to show how many institutions in Ohio are unable to tap into broadband access, Castrovillari said. But last year, Connect Ohio found that 38 percent of Ohioans don't subscribe to broadband and 25 percent have no Internet access at all.

In July 2007, Strickland ordered that broadband be extended to all 88 Ohio counties, saying it's vital to the state's ability to compete in a high-speed, high-tech global marketplace.

Though the stimulus money targets institutions, consumers could benefit, Castrovillari said.

"This project allows for-profit Internet providers to get on our network and provide services that are more affordable to individuals and businesses, so citizens may see broadband available to them at better rates because of this grant," she said.

David Dilly, who lives in Fresno in Coshocton County, said he doesn't subscribe because he can't get broadband. He hopes the OneCommunity project will lead to more households getting high-speed service.

Dilly, laid off from Longaberger Co., has returned to school to study nursing. Not being able to get broadband at home means he has to remain on campus hours after class just to complete homework and other assignments.

"Even if you aren't taking an online class, you still have to do online assignments," he said. "I'm often here until the school closes at 10 p.m."

OneCommunity expects to begin construction this fall, with work continuing through summer 2013. The group estimates the project will create up to 500 jobs, including nearly 200 in construction, engineering, operations and consulting to expand the network.

OneCommunity says other jobs will be created indirectly, such as those related to providing equipment and materials. Still others are expected to arise in the institutions, including schools and hospitals, since they will benefit from cheaper and better broadband access, Castrovillari said.

The grant funds nearly two-thirds of the nonprofit's $70 million project. Castrovillari said the rest of the money will be raised from subscribers, financing and cash contributions.

"We are committed to do the project," she said. "We will make sure we have all the matching funds required."

Read more Ohio gets $118 million in federal stimulus money to expand broadband access

From WBKO-TV:

By Ryan Dearbone

18-year-old Mia Lenoir packs up her laptop and comes to a Bowling Green Starbucks at least a couple times a week.

"I live in the country so there's not really any connection," she says.

Lenoir lives in nearby Alvaton and says most everyone there only has access to dial-up Internet.

In all, there are 2000 homes in Warren County without the high-speed connection.

That's a problem to Brian Mefford and his staff at "Connected Nation".

"People in rural areas are the ones who are hungry for this. They happen to be the folks this matters to the most."

He says the smaller population in this area puts us at a technological disadvantage.

Things like broadband and 4G technology usually hits places like South Central Kentucky years after other, more metropolitan areas get it.

It also puts us at disadvantages in terms of progress in schools, libraries, and especially when it comes to bringing more business to the market.

"They want to know what kind of access they can get for their business operations. They want to know what type of broadband their employees are going to have because that tells them how sophisticated the employee base may be, related to technology," Mefford says.

Watch the entire video of Rural Areas Lacking High Speed Internet

From Louisville Courier-Journal:

by Wesley Robinson

The federal government has announced more than $160 million worth of stimulus projects to add broadband infrastructure and create jobs in Kentucky.

The eight Kentucky broadband projects are among 126 broadband projects planned across the country totaling $1.31 billion, including $117 million in private funds.

Trevor Bonnstetter, CEO of West Kentucky and Tennessee Telecommunications Cooperative, said the company received more than $123 million and will provide at least 160 jobs to its service area of Western Kentucky and Northwest Tennessee. Kentucky’s share of that money amounts to almost $85 million.

“Broadband is becoming essential for doing business or communicating for anyone in the country,” he said.” It should be a quality that is the same for everyone across the country. It’s not rural or urban it’s a quality of service issue at this point.”

Rene True, executive director of ConnectKentucky, a non-profit organization designed to accelerate technology growth, said the funding will allow companies to install broadband infrastructure in areas that would normally be money losing ventures partly because of so few customers.

“Our last map produced in 2008 showed that there were at least 90,000 homes that did not have access to broadband,” he said. True said that even thought he numbers aren’t up to date, there is still a significant amount of Kentuckians without broadband access.

Bonnstetter said regulations require that the project be completed in three years and plans to start on the project as soon as possible. He expects long-term growth, not just from jobs, but from giving individuals and businesses access to high speed internet.

“Hopefully sometime early next year some customers will start seeing the advancements,” he said.

Reporter Wesley Robinson can be reached at (502) 582-4336.

Read Federal broadband money announced for rural Kentucky

From Business First of Columbus:

Ohio is funneling more than $14 million in federal stimulus funding to five projects aimed at boosting broadband Internet access in the state’s rural areas.

The $14.4 million in funding awarded Thursday comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state said the funding could create jobs in seven counties as broadband infrastructure is bolstered.

Among the awards announced is a $4.6 million grant for Nelsonville TV Cable Co., which is looking to extend digital cable service to underserved areas of Athens, Hocking and Morgan counties. The company estimates the project could benefit more than 3,500 southeast Ohioans and more than 3,000 businesses.

The largest projected benefit among this week’s grants could come through a $1.4 million award to Southern Ohio Communication Services, which is looking to provide broadband and Voice-Over Internet Protocol service to Pike County in southern Ohio. An estimated 14,000 people and 180 businesses could benefit.

Such projects could tackle two important problems in rural Ohio: A dwindling job base and the need for expanded Internet access. A recent report indicated only 54 percent of Ohioans in rural areas had access to broadband, compared with 72 percent in the suburbs. Broadband advocate Connected Nation has projected that the state could see an economic impact exceeding $5 billion by accelerating broadband availability.

Read more: Ohio lands $14M in stimulus for broadband capacity - Business First of Columbus

From BroadbandBreakfast.com

By Lindsey Sutphin, Reporter-Researcher

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2010 – As a part of an effort to make a comprehensive, national map, states are mapping broadband coverage and options available in their states. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires the National Telecommunications and Information Association to have the national map of broadband coverage publicly available by February 2011.

This initiative has spurred billions of grant dollars to organizations mapping their states. Connected Nation is the private-public partnership organization providing the mapping technology and guidance to the state efforts.

Brian Mefford, CEO of Connected Nation, said, “In today’s digital world, being connected to the Internet is critical to preserving and improving lifestyle. Whether you live in a rural or an urban area, broadband gives you the opportunity to work from home, take online classes, and market your products – all of which have an impact on the local economy.”

Thus far, most of the states are being mapped through ESRI’s BroadbandStat mapping systems, which were funded by NTIA grants. Connect Michigan, Connect Minnesota, Connect Nevada, Connect South Carolina, Connect Texas, Connect Alaska, and Connect Iowa are the entities responsible for collecting their state’s data and producing the maps.

The Michigan Public Service Commission received $1.8 million in NTIA grants for its map. In the next 18 months, Michigan’s BroadbandStat map will be updated as additional data becomes available. Michigan’s map includes functions for users to identify population density in an area, identify households with no broadband access, link to news about broadband-related projects, and create charts and reports.

Connect Nevada was awarded $1.4 million in grant funds, and its map includes data about the availability, speed, location, and types of service from the state’s 35 broadband providers. In order to facilitate actual use of the map, Connect Nevada and Nevada’s Broadband Task Force conducted a live demonstration, which was also broadcast online. Leaders and experts in various fields, including agriculture, education, and healthcares, learned how they could customize the map’s functions to their specific needs.

Texas also held a web conference to demonstrate the use of its broadband map. The state has already utilized its map to identify and research the broadband adoption rate, which is only 62 percent in the state. After determining that the two major factors for non-adopters were a lack of relevance and costs, Connected Texas divided the state into geographic blocks, based upon information from the 138 providers in the state. Each block contains a number of households and connectivity data for each predefined area. By outlining specific areas, Connected Texas can better target the needs of each locality in the state.

Both Connect Minnesota and Connect South Carolina worked with the existing broadband providers in their states to identify areas without broadband. They also collected data from community anchor institutions, such as libraries and schools, which are potential access sites for broadband service.

Connected Iowa used its $2.2 million grant for an interactive state map that is currently seeking public feedback and participation. Based upon the feedback, Connected Iowa will conduct planning efforts for broadband expansion based upon the map’s information.

Iowa’s Governor Culver said, “Iowa has made great strides in spreading broadband across the state. In fact, 177 broadband providers offered data showing that the vast majority of our citizens can access broadband. However, only 66 percent of residents report using broadband at home. Through this effort we will continue the progress of getting our citizens online and accessing the unlimited benefits associated with broadband.”

In Alaska, Connected Alaska is working with the state’s Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development to facilitate job creation through their $1.9 million NTIA grant. Since Alaska is more remote than most states, it is particularly interested in the opportunities that broadband can create for higher education purposes.

As Connected Nation works with states to complete an overall national map, citizens, broadband service providers, government organizations, and entrepreneurs are using the state maps to identify opportunity.

Link to article

Des Moines, IA – Governor Chet Culver today announced the launch of Iowa’s first statewide broadband availability map. The web-based map is fully interactive and puts powerful tools and information directly into the hands of anyone interested in improving the technological landscape in Iowa.

“This newly completed map paves the way for technology to follow, which will create new jobs, increase Iowa’s economic competitiveness, and deliver services that have been previously unavailable to rural areas of the state,” Governor Culver said. “Iowa has made great strides in spreading broadband across the state. In fact, 177 broadband providers offered data showing that the vast majority of our citizens can access broadband. However, only 66 percent of residents report using broadband at home. Through this effort we will continue the progress of getting our citizens online and accessing the unlimited benefits associated with broadband.”

Much like the revolutionary impact of harnessing electricity or the telephone, high-speed Internet connection is Iowa’s lifeline to future prosperity. The development of Iowa’s map is funded by a federal stimulus grant and is guided by the Connect Iowa initiative, in partnership with the Iowa Utilities Board. Connect Iowa is a subsidiary of the national nonprofit Connected Nation and is Iowa’s designated entity under the grant award.

Full access to Iowa’s interactive map is available now through the Connect Iowa website at http://www.connectiowa.org/.

“The completed Iowa state map shows what broadband services are currently available down to the Census Block level. Connect Iowa, in collaboration with the state’s broadband providers, will update the map on a routine basis to reflect real-time broadband availability so that policy makers, Internet providers, and the general public can use the maps to make informed decisions about broadband investment and expansion,” explains Brian Mefford, CEO of Connect Iowa’s parent company, Connected Nation. “The goal of our nonprofit organization is to expand broadband access to areas where it doesn’t exist and improve the quality of service in areas that are already served. Iowa’s newly completed map is the first major step in this process.”

Iowa’s BroadbandStat map will be explained in detail Tuesday, June 22, 2010 by Connect Iowa staff. The public demonstration will take place via webinar at 10 a.m. CDT. Media, broadband providers, and the general public are invited to attend by signing up through the Connect Iowa website, http://www.connectiowa.org/.

All Iowa residents are encouraged to visit http://www.connectiowa.org/ to join in this important initiative and offer feedback. The website gives residents a one-stop-shopping portal where they can find providers at their address, check their current Internet speeds, request broadband service in their area, and share stories of how high-speed Internet has impacted their lives.

Connect Iowa is funded through a $2.2 million award by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to launch the initiative in the state and carry out the work over a five-year period. Under the NTIA State Broadband Data and Development grant program, Connect Iowa is charged with creating statewide awareness, mapping, and maintaining the state broadband inventory for two years, and conduct planning efforts for a period of five years. These funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. NTIA, as required by the ARRA, will make a national broadband map publicly available by Feb. 17, 2011.

By increasing broadband access and use across the state, Iowa is facing a bright future, with greater opportunities, and a new throughway to economic empowerment.

From the American Farm Bureau Federation's FB News:

By Sabrina Matteson

Broadband Internet access unlocks doors that might otherwise be closed for job opportunities, telecommuting, education, entertainment, commerce, government services, communications, medicine and health, and social and community networking.

Connect Ohio, a subsidiary of the national non-profit Connected Nation, had an eCommunity Strategies (eCS) meeting in Urbana, Ohio, in early June to showcase its grassroots approach to deploying broadband in rural areas. Community leaders from agriculture, business and industry, government, community-based organizations, recreation and tourism, health care and education gathered to create a comprehensive picture of the community in terms of broad and deployment.

Read More from FB News.

From an ESRI press release:

Four States Inaugurate Maps Showing Detailed Broadband Coverage

Redlands, California—The states of Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and South Carolina are now providing easy-to-use maps that show in detail each state's broadband coverage. The interactive, online maps are made possible by BroadbandStat, an application based on ESRI geographic information system (GIS) technology, and will help the states plan and improve high-speed Internet access for their residents and businesses.

The BroadbandStat maps were funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and contribute to the comprehensive national broadband map that NTIA is required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create and make publicly available by February 2011.

"A complete, interactive broadband map is now available for customers, Internet service providers, and policy makers," said Orjiakor Isiogu, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), about the new map hosted on the Connect Michigan Web site. "This is an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed Internet service."

Interactive tools include the ability to identify the population density and unserved households in a selected area, link to news about broadband-related projects, and create reports and charts.

MPSC received a $1.8 million NTIA grant to launch its broadband mapping and planning initiative. Over the next 18 months, Michigan's initial BroadbandStat map will be updated and refined as additional data becomes available. Connect Michigan, Connect Minnesota, Connect Nevada, and Connect South Carolina are the entities tasked with collecting the data and producing their states' online maps. All are affiliated with the nonprofit Connected Nation organization, which partnered with ESRI to create BroadbandStat.

Connect Nevada was awarded $1.4 million in stimulus funds through the NTIA for broadband mapping and planning. Nevada's broadband map includes data collected on the availability, speed, location, and type of broadband services from more than 35 state broadband service providers.

During the inauguration of his state's BroadbandStat map, Nevada governor Jim Gibbons said, "Nevadans will now have a map that not only puts information about available broadband services at their fingertips but also defines where the state and the private sector need to focus their attention to bring high-speed Internet to every part of our state."

Connect Minnesota and Connect South Carolina worked with their state broadband service providers to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps in broadband availability across the state. They also collected data from community anchor institutions such as schools, universities, libraries, hospitals, and public safety facilities, which are potential sites for providing community access to broadband services.

For links to each state's interactive maps and more information on BroadbandStat, visit www.esri.com/bbstat.

Press Release link

By Bill Miller/Battle Creek Enquirer's Crossroads blog

A state group today released detailed maps showing broadband availability (and lack of it) around Michigan. And folks, Calhoun County ain’t too speedy. Take a look at this section of one of the maps released by the group, Connect Michigan.

The gray areas have broadband. Areas in colors are unserved — the lighter the color, the fewer unserved homes; the darker, the more unserved.

It’s not the best display — some is obscured by city and village names. But you can get the idea when big swaths of Calhoun County are all lit up with colors. Understandably, the greater Battle Creek area is not; neither is Marshall and some of the southern and eastern edges of the county.

But compare to Kalamazoo, that’s mostly gray, and Jackson, that seems to be ALL gray except for around Springport. Even Branch County is mostly gray, and Hillsdale County! What’s going on? How many of our visitors are on dial-up???

I’ve been told our metro staff will look into this for a story next week. I hope so.

Meanwhile, you can look it all over for yourself. And please, let me know what you think about broadband in Calhoun County. Just click on the “Comment” button at the end of this blog. It’s easy and quick. I will need to approve your first comment, but after that your comments will show up instantly.

Here’s the release we got today:

Lansing, MI –The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) announced yesterday the completion of the first round of broadband maps aimed at promoting technology development and increasing high-speed Internet throughout the state. The maps which are now accessible online at www.connectmi.org http://www.connectmi.org/> are a product of the Connect Michigan broadband initiative, a public-private partnership between the MPSC and Connected Nation, a national nonprofit focused on technology expansion in underserved areas.

“Today marks an important day in Michigan: a complete, interactive broadband map is now available for customers, Internet service providers, and policymakers,” said Orjiakor Isiogu, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission. “This is an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed Internet service.”

Connect Michigan has been able to gather and verify state-specific data on the availability, speed, location, and type of broadband services as well as the adoption and availability of broadband at community anchor institutions across the state. The meeting of this milestone is a result of a several-month long process of aggressive outreach to providers and community anchor institutions across the state, and extensive verification and validation of the data collected from these entities.

These initial maps include data from 86 state providers, and key findings include:

• 95.41% of Michigan households have access to broadband service of at least 768 kbps downstream (excluding mobile and satellite service).
• 4.59% of Michigan households are unserved, representing approximately 174,000 unserved households.

A public demonstration of the program’s new interactive mapping feature, BroadbandStat, http://connectmi.org/mapping/interactive_map.php> was held via webinar to encourage citizen feedback and to demonstrate the broadband expansion scenario building that can be achieved using the tool.

Connected Nation’s GIS team will continuously refine the maps as more data is gathered – relying upon citizen feedback as part of the validation process. Residents, businesses, and any interested party with knowledge of the state broadband landscape are asked to go to Connect Michigan’s website to provide input that will be used to verify and ensure the highest level of accuracy for the broadband maps.

On Connectmi.org, those who do not currently have broadband access can add their name and address to a secure database of households that would like to subscribe if given the opportunity. The collected information supports the creation of the broadband inventory map that will assist in expanding broadband delivery to residents across the state.

“We are excited to offer this interactive app to the citizens of Michigan. With this new website, citizens can play an active role in the validation of the data and more importantly, use it as a resource to search provider options and draw attention to the areas that remain unserved,” explains Brian Mefford, CEO of Connect Michigan’s parent organization, Connected Nation. “The goal of our nonprofit organization is to expand broadband access to areas where it doesn’t exist and improve the quality of service in areas that are already served. Michigan’s newly completed map is the first major step in this process.”

As the designated entity for broadband mapping and planning in the state of Michigan, Connect Michigan is a public-private partnership uniting local governments, businesses, and citizens in the goal of increasing broadband service in the state’s unserved and underserved areas.

In December 2009, Connect Michigan was awarded $1.8 million in Recovery Act funding in an effort to increase the availability and use of high-speed Internet service in the state. The funding enables the state to collect data to develop and maintain a detailed map of existing broadband service over two years and conduct planning efforts for a period of five years.

These efforts are in compliance with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the State Broadband Data and Development grant program (SBDD). Ultimately, these data will populate the comprehensive, interactive, and searchable national broadband map that NTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publicly available by February 17, 2011.

Link to full story

MetroModeMedia.com

Where's the broadband? Oh. There it is. Michigan has put together a map, and it's interactive, of where the broadband is. The benefit of something like this is to locate where broadband isn't, and then put it there.

Excerpt from Great Lakes IT Report:

The Michigan Public Service Commission Thursday announced the completion of Michigan's first broadband availability map aimed at promoting technology development and increasing high-speed Internet throughout the state.

The maps, which are now accessible online at http://connectmi.org/, are a product of the Connect Michigan broadband initiative, a public-private partnership between the MPSC and Connected Nation, a national non-profit focused on technology expansion in underserved areas.

"Today marks an important day in Michigan," said MPSC chairman Orjiakor Isiogu. "A complete, interactive broadband map is now available for customers, Internet service providers, and policymakers. This is an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed Internet service."

Read the entire article here.

Link to MetroModeMedia.com story

From Broadband For America's blog:

Connected Nation announced a multi-state launch of a new interactive broadband mapping application in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and South Carolina. The maps, which are now accessible through the Connect Michigan www.connectmi.org; Connect Minnesota www.connectmn.org; Connect Nevada www.connectnv; and Connect South Carolina www.connectsc.org websites give local residents a place to find providers at their address, check their current Internet speeds, request broadband service in their area and provide feedback on the initiatives.

A public demonstration of the program’s mapping feature, BroadbandStat, was recently held via a series of webinars to encourage citizen feedback and to demonstrate the broadband expansion scenario building that can be achieved by using the tool.

The maps, which depict broadband services currently available down to the street level, will be updated on a routine basis to reflect “real-time” broadband availability so that policy makers, Internet providers, and the general public can use the maps to make informed decisions about broadband investment and expansion.

Connected Nation will continuously refine the maps as more data is gathered—relying upon citizen feedback as part of the validation process. Residents, businesses, and any interested parties with knowledge of the state broadband landscape are asked to go to their respective initiative state website to provide input that will be used to verify and ensure the highest level of accuracy for the broadband maps.

Link to story

Michigan Radio Network

An interactive map showing broadband coverage serving more than 95 percent of people in Michigan is now available online. The maps are a product of the connect Michigan Broadband initiative, a public-private partnership between the Michigan Public Service Commission and connected nation, a national nonprofit focused on technology expansion in underserved areas.

They are accessible at http://www.connectmi.org/.

The PSC calls it an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed internet service. The households un-served by broadband consist of large portions of the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan on the map. Connect Michigan officials say that mobile coverage in the state is around 99 percent, which could make up for some that.

By Olivia Pulsinelli/MLive.com

In an effort to expand broadband Internet access throughout Michigan, a public-private partnership this week released the first broadband coverage maps.

The maps were created by the Connect Michigan initiative, a partnership between the Michigan Public Service Commission and the national nonprofit Connected Nation.

“This is an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed Internet service,” MPSC Chairman Orjiakor Isiogu said in a statement.

Data collected included the availability, speed, location and type of broadband services, “as well as the adoption and availability of broadband at community anchor institutions” across Michigan, according to the statement.

The maps show that 95.41 percent of Michigan households have access to broadband service.

The remaining 4.59 percent represents approximately 174,000 unserved households.

Connect Michigan plans to update the maps on a continual basis.

“Residents, businesses and any interested party with knowledge of the state broadband landscape are asked to go to Connect Michigan’s website to provide input that will be used to verify and ensure the highest level of accuracy for the broadband maps,” according to the statement.

A database of households interested in subscribing to broadband service if and when it becomes available will be compiled from those who submit their names and addresses on connectmi.org.

“We are excited to offer this interactive app to the citizens of Michigan,” Connected Nation CEO Brian Mefford said in the statement. “With this new website, citizens can play an active role in the validation of the data and more importantly, use it as a resource to search provider options and draw attention to the areas that remain unserved.”

Connect Michigan’s map data will also contribute to the national broadband mapping effort.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Adminstration to create an interactive and searchable national broadband map and make it publicly available by Feb. 17, 2011.

Link to story

Great Lakes Innovation and Technology Report/WWJ Radio

The Michigan Public Service Commission Thursday announced the completion of Michigan’s first broadband availability map aimed at promoting technology development and increasing high-speed Internet throughout the state.

The maps, which are now accessible online at http://connectmi.org, are a product of the Connect Michigan broadband initiative, a public-private partnership between the MPSC and Connected Nation, a national non-profit focused on technology expansion in underserved areas.

“Today marks an important day in Michigan," said MPSC chairman Orjiakor Isiogu. "A complete, interactive broadband map is now available for customers, Internet service providers, and policymakers. This is an important first step as the state seeks to target resources to those areas of the state without high-speed Internet service.”

The map is the most comprehensive to be released by the MPSC, detailing where broadband does and does not exist across Michigan. Connect Michigan has been able to gather and verify state-specific data on the availability, speed, location, and type of broadband services as well as the adoption and availability of broadband at community anchor institutions across the state.
The meeting of this milestone is a result of a several-month long process of aggressive outreach to providers and community anchor institutions across the state, and extensive verification and validation of the data collected from these entities.

These initial maps include data from more than 86 state providers. The key findings show that 95.41 percent of Michigan households have access to broadband service of at least 768 kbps downstream (excluding mobile and satellite service). Some 4.59 percent of Michigan households are unserved, or about 174,000 unserved households, of which 165,128 are rural.

The MPSC and Connect Michigan demonstrated the mapping application Thursday in a public Webinar. Called BroadbandStat, the new tool allows consumers to easily search for high-speed Internet service providers at their home address, service providers to make informed expansion decisions, and state and federal policymakers to target resources to unserved and underserved communities.

On connectmi.org, those who do not currently have broadband access can add their name and address to a secure database of households that would like to subscribe, if given the opportunity. The collected information supports the creation of the broadband inventory map that will assist in expanding broadband delivery to residents across the state.

As the designated entity for broadband mapping and planning in the state of Michigan, Connect Michigan is a public-private partnership uniting local governments, businesses, and citizens in the goal of increasing broadband service in the state’s unserved and underserved areas.

In December 2009, Connect Michigan was awarded $1.8 million in federal stimulus funding in an effort to increase the availability and use of high-speed Internet service in the state. The funding enables the state to collect data and develop and maintain a detailed map of existing broadband service over two years and conduct planning efforts for a period of five years.

These efforts are in compliance with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Notice of Funding Availability for the State Broadband Data and Development grant program. Ultimately, these data will populate the comprehensive, interactive, and searchable national broadband map that NTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publicly available by Feb. 17, 2011.

Connect Michigan is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a non-profit in the state of Michigan. The MPSC is leading the initiative to increase broadband Internet access throughout Michigan. Connect Michigan was commissioned by the Governor’s Office to work with all broadband providers in the state of Michigan to create detailed maps of broadband coverage in order to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps in broadband availability in Michigan.

Link for full article

April 5, 2010

By Carl Gipson, director for small business, technology and telecommunications at the Washington Policy Center
The Hill’s Congress Blog

With our nation’s unemployment rate stuck stubbornly near the double-digit mark, policymakers nationwide continue to look for ways to spur economic growth in the private sector – preferably without deepening the federal deficit. One area where federal and state officials agree is that of expanding broadband Internet to underserved and unserved areas, which was a large part of the National Broadband Plan presented by the Federal Communications Commission to Congress on March 16th. It is widely understood that boosting the nation’s broadband infrastructure would bring untold economic and social benefits.

The Plan acts as a blueprint for the general direction the federal government will take in aiding future broadband expansion efforts from both the private and public sectors.

The economic and social importance of the Internet and expanding broadband over the last decade reaches into the trillions of dollars. Therefore the FCC must tread carefully or risk curtailing an industry that has transformed not only American society, but the entire global marketplace.


FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski recently assessed correctly the overwhelming potential of broadband when he said that, “global leadership in high-speed Internet [will] create jobs and economic growth to unleash new waves of innovation and investment and will improve education, health care, energy efficiency, public safety and [improve] the vibrancy of our economy.”


But the devil is in the details. Parts of the National Broadband Plan hint of significant new regulations to be imposed on Internet Service Providers (ISP). Last fall the FCC launched a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), a spin off to the National Broadband Plan, to look at new “Open Internet” regulations known as “Net Neutrality” rules.


New regulations, like Net Neutrality, would remove the ability of ISPs to effectively manage their network – something they have already been doing since the advent of the World Wide Web. It is also important to note the rapid spread of the Internet has happened under the current regulatory environment. So why is the FCC considering new regulations that would “fix” something that is not actually broken?


The danger isn’t whether innovation and ingenuity will continue to spring forth from millions of global technology entrepreneurs but rather, will innovation continue to flourish if the FCC’s Open Internet proceedings result in regulations that place control of this technical marvel in the hands of bureaucrats and politicians? If so, this would have an obvious adverse effect on our nation’s entrepreneurs, small businesses and curtail future job growth.


Chairman Genachowski also stated that, “Broadband allows small business to think big and grow big. With a high-speed Internet connection and the emergence of cloud computing, every small business can have access to a world-class IT system and a national, indeed, global marketplace.”


It is therefore imperative that the FCC focus on ensuring that we have a system that encourages entrepreneurship, risk-taking and innovation. The economic benefits are clear. Connected Nation estimates $134 billion in direct economic benefits with increased broadband adoption nationwide.


Likewise, a recent study by MIT and Brookings Institute researchers found that a one-digit increase in broadband penetration creates an additional 300,000 jobs.


Increased government regulation, particularly in the fast-moving field of high-tech and broadband communications will erode the investment demand that is required to keep up with America’s insatiable thirst for Internet connectivity. In 2009 cable companies alone spent $14.4 billion in infrastructure expansion and wireless companies spent twice that in capital improvements. New capital and infrastructure spending would mean jobs for hundreds of thousands of Americans.


As the FCC and Congress discuss the proposals in the National Broadband Plan, they must recognize both the potential benefit and danger that the plan could have on an industry that has seen exponential growth over the last decade and is poised to see even more in the coming years.


The proper role of the FCC should be to focus on providing a regulatory environment that will encourage entrepreneurs and innovators to chase after myriad investment opportunities provided by risk-taking investors, who see broadband Internet and ubiquitous connectivity as a potent field for growth and profit. The jobs will come from the businesses that are not held back by excessive government regulation and bureaucracy.

Read more at the Hill's Congress blog about the economic impact of the FCC's broadband plan

March 29, 2010

By Jenna Mink
The Daily News (Bowling Green, KY)

Stimulus money will put computers in low-income homes across the nation

As the federal government promotes high-speed Internet, a Bowling Green organization is part of a nationwide group that’s trying to improve broadband access.

Connected Nation, a public-private organization that started in Bowling Green, and about 20 other organizations are teaming up to bring high-speed Internet to low-income households throughout the country.

The partnership was formed after the Federal Communications Commission recently delivered its National Broadband Plan to Congress, calling for at least 90 percent of U.S. homes to have broadband by 2020 - more than 60 percent of households currently have high-speed Internet, according to a news release.

Connected Nation, which now works in 30 states and Puerto Rico, targets areas that lack high-speed Internet service and tries to bring access to those regions. The biggest barriers to broadband access are costs and education about the benefits of high-speed Internet, said Brian Mefford, CEO of Connected Nation.

Now, businesses such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable and AT&T, are making that mission easier by discounting monthly subscription costs and donating used modems. Other companies, such as Microsoft and Dell, are providing computer discounts.

Connected Nation will provide technology training to residents in those areas. Workers also educate people about the advantages of high-speed Internet, Mefford said.

Broadband helps people financially, by allowing them to file taxes and bank online. They can also apply for jobs and access educational resources, such as online tools that help students with their homework. Connected Nation helps seniors set up e-mail accounts and teaches them how to swap pictures with family members online, he said.

“The biggest barriers have to be addressed to get those people online,” Mefford said. “This program will begin addressing those barriers starting with the poorest of the poor.”

The project will cost about $78 million - the group has applied for about $52 million in federal stimulus funding and expects those funds to be approved this summer. The remaining costs will be funded by private donations, Mefford said.

If stimulus funds are approved, the project should begin this summer and last about two years. The FCC, however, has recommended to Congress that the project be ongoing, Mefford said.

Within the first two years, officials hope to place computers and broadband connections in 250,000 homes across the country. The project targets families with an average annual income of $13,000.

“It makes sense to start with that segment and build public trust in the use of federal (money) for such a program,” Mefford said.

In Kentucky, project officials will work with the Kentucky Housing Corp. and are working on a demonstration project in a Lexington neighborhood.

According to Connected Nation’s most recent statistics from 2007, in Warren County, about 69 percent of the population owns a computer and 42 percent subscribes to broadband.

Locally, Connected Nation will recruit people, mainly college students, to provide technical support and educate residents about broadband. The positions will be paid and will be similar to internships. They could begin by late summer, Mefford said.

“We’ll also be looking for other adults in the community who are technology savvy,” Mefford said, “who might be interested in being that type of ongoing resource.”

Read more about Connected Nation and the Digital Adoption Coalition