A presentation given to the MN Municipal Utility Association on • Opportunities for Municipal Utilities • Minnesota Broadband Task Force • Blandin Foundation MIRC Initiative • Key Infrastructure Projects

1. MN Broadband Update
MMUA Winter Legislative Conference
February 9, 2012

2. Agenda
• Opportunities for Municipal Utilities
• Minnesota Broadband Task Force
• Blandin Foundation MIRC Initiative
• Key Infrastructure Projects

3. Broadband Opportunities for Municipal Electrics
• Economic development
– Area businesses drive residential demand
• Data centers
• Industrial park
• Main street
• Co-working centers
• Home – based businesses
– Community institutions need broadband
• Schools
• Health care providers
• Local government
• Network control
– Sub-stations
– Community-wide smart grid
• Geographic decisions
– City-wide
– Targeted areas
– Countywide, possibly in partnership with rural electric coop

4. MN Broadband Task Force
• 10 – 20 Mb to every home and business by 2015
– State Broadband Goal
• Task Force Members
– MHTA’s Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Chair
– Significant rural representation
• Task Force Activities
– Statutory Report completed
• http://mn.gov/commerce/images/Broadband-TF-Report2011.pdf
– Plan to Plan adopted
• http://mn.gov/commerce/images/BroadbandPlanOutline.pdf
– Upcoming Greater MN meetings

5. Blandin Foundation
MN Intelligent Rural Communities Program
• $4.8 million NTIA Sustainable Broadband Adoption Program
• Goals:
– Drive adoption
– Increase sophistication of use
• Intelligent Community framework
• 11 Demonstration Communities
• State partners
– DEED Workforce
– U of M Extension
– MNSCU
– PC’s for People
– MN Renewable Energy Marketplace
– Regional Development Commissions
• Community Broadband Resources Program
– Up to 32 hours of community technical assistance on broadband

6. The ICF Virtuous Cycle
KNOWLEDGE INNOVATION
B WORKFORCE M
R A
O R
A K
D E
B T
A I
N N
DIGITAL INCLUSION
D G

7. Key ARRA Infrastructure Projects
Middle Mile Last Mile
• Northeast Service Coop • Lac qui Parle
• Enventis Telecom County/Farmers Mutual
• Zayo/Anoka County • Appleton/Federated
• Carver County Telephone Cooperative
• HickoryTech • SW MN Broadband Service
• Cook County/Arrowhead
Electric
• Project updates are in the
most recent MN Broadband • Lake County
Taskforce Report

8. For more information
Bill Coleman
651-491-2551
bill@communitytechnologyadvisors.com
www.blandinonbroadband.org