The document provides an overview of the Connect Minnesota project, which aims to expand broadband access across the state. It discusses the history, mission, and primary activities of Connect Minnesota, including ongoing data collection and mapping of broadband availability, surveys of adoption and utilization, and partnerships to promote broadband access. Connect Minnesota provides an interactive map of broadband coverage and analyzes gaps to inform state broadband policy and initiatives.

1. Overview of the Connect Minnesota Project Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Sen. Julie A. Rosen, Chair January 31, 2012 William Hoffman, III State Program Manager, Connect Minnesota [email_address]

8. Survey and Research: 2011 Residential Broadband Adoption Survey

9. Minnesota Technology Adoption Summary Q: Do you have an Internet connection at home? and Q: Which of the following describe the type of Internet service you have at home? (n=1,200 MN residents) Percent of all Minnesota residents Source: 2011 Connect Minnesota ® Residential Technology Assessment www.connectmn.org

10. Q: Which of the following describe the type of Internet service you have at home? (n=1,200 MN residents) Percent of all Minnesota residents with broadband service at home Statewide, 72% of Minnesotans (nearly 2.9 million Minnesota adults) subscribe to home broadband service. *Source: Federal Communications Commission, Broadband Adoption and Use in America, 2010. Source: 2011 Connect Minnesota ® Residential Technology Assessment www.connectmn.org National surveys indicate that 67% of American households subscribe to home broadband service.* Minnesota Residents Who Subscribe to Home Broadband Service

11. Percent of Minnesota residents with no home broadband service Q: Which one of these is the main reason why you do not subscribe to home Internet service? and Q: Which one of these is the main reason why you do not subscribe to home broadband service? (n=1,900 MN residents without home broadband service) Source: 2011 Connect Minnesota ® Residential Technology Assessment www.connectmn.org Main Barriers to Broadband Adoption

12. Awareness of broadband availability among rural Minnesota residents Q: To the best of your knowledge, is broadband or high-speed Internet service available in the area where you live? (n=399 rural MN residents) In rural Minnesota, 5% of adults report that broadband service is not available where they live, and 9% do not know whether broadband service is available where they live. Source: 2011 Connect Minnesota ® Residential Technology Assessment www.connectmn.org According to Connect Minnesota ’s April 2011 provider-validated Broadband Service Inventory, 6.7% of rural households do not have terrestrial fixed broadband access. Perceptions of Broadband Availability Among Rural Minnesota Residents

13. Annual household income Q: Does your household have a computer? and Which of the following describe the type of Internet service you have at home? (n=1,200 MN residents) Technology Adoption by Income Source: 2011 Connect Minnesota ® Residential Technology Assessment www.connectmn.org

14. *Low-income=annual household income less than $25,000 Q: Does your household have a computer? and Q: Which of the following describe the type of Internet service you have at home? (n=1,200 MN residents) Source: 2011 Connect Minnesota ® Residential Technology Assessment www.connectmn.org Technology Adoption by Demographics

16. On the web: www.connectmn.org

17. Questions