Tech Trends

May 12 - Bill Coleman Helps in Lac qui Parle County

Earlier this week community leaders gathered in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota to discussion the future of broadband in their area. As part of his role supporting Blandin Foundation's Community Broadband Resources, CTAC Founder Bill Coleman, attended to the meeting to provide background information on broadband technologies and the issues that rural communities are facing. (Learn more)

May 5 - Bill Coleman on the Radio

CTAC Founder, Bill Coleman, was on the radio last week talking about broadband in Minnesota. He participated in a call in program on KTIP, a community radio station in Cook County.

You can listen to the archive online.

April 28 - Clearwater Minnesota Moves Towards Broadband

As part of the Blandin Community Broadband Resources program, CTAC founder Bill Coleman has been working with Clearwater Minnesota. They requested assistance in assessing their community’s telecommunications environment as they are unsure if their current services are meeting the current and future needs of their community.

Bill has been meeting with community leaders and talking to local telecommunications providers. Learn more on the Blandin on Broadband blog.

April 21 - TV Converter Box Coupon Program

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched the TV Converter Box Coupon Program (Coupon Program), as authorized in the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.

As of January 1, 2008, all U.S. households are eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. For more details on the federal regulations, including the budget information, please see the TV Converter Box Coupon Program Rules.

April 14 - Free Seminar on Community Broadband in Mpls on May 14

Alcatel-Lucent is offering a free, one-day seminar to encourage community leaders to network with peers and learn how to bring broadband to the community.
The will Answer your questions on:

1. How to overcome regulatory and legal issues?
2. How to develop and present your business case?
3. What funding sources are available?
4. What fiber technology to deploy?

The conference will be on May 14, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Learn more)

April 7 - Building the Broadband Economy May 14-16, 2008

Join CTAC Founder, Bill Coleman, at the Intelligent Community Forum conference on Building the Broadband economy. The conference will be held in New York City, will offer a global perspective on the best ways to capture economic opportunity by creating broadband infrastructure, attracting knowledge workers, fostering innovation and implementing e-government programs that contribute to economic growth and bridge the digital divide.    

April 1 - Update on Blandin Broadband Communities

CTAC Founder Bill Coleman has been working with the Blandin Foundation to support rural communities in Minnesota in their quest to bring broadband in their areas. For more information on recent progress and other Broadband news, check out the most recent Blandin Broadband eNews.

Mar 24 - Journalism Not Going Online

The state of the American news media in 2008 is an annual report produced by the the Project for Excellence in Journalism. The future looks bleak for traditional journalism though the spirit of those is the newsroom is optimistic.

The root of the issue is that readers have gone online and the advertisers have not. (Learn more.)

Mar 18 - Broadband Competitive Environments

CTAC Founder, Bill Coleman is looking at what happens when a third wired, triple-play provider enters a local market. Where does the third provider generally set their price point? What is the competitive response from the incumbent phone and/or cable providers?

If you live in such a community or have heard stories, please visit the Blandin on Broadband blog to tell us more about your experience.

Mar 10 - CTAC in Grand Rapids

Through the Blandin Foundation, Bill Coleman has been working with the Grand Rapids Minnesota community to identify projects and technology applications that will increase the technological vitality of the area.  Bill has been interviewing organization leaders about their plans for technology improvements and investments and will provide a report to Blandin Foundation about opportunities where the Foundation can assist.  The interviews should expose areas for community collaboration.  For example, several organizations have talked about the desire to begin video streaming; a shared video server might be the result.  Grand Rapids has a competitive local telecom situation with three triple play providers, including Paul Bunyan Telephone’s new FTTP network so that there is plenty of network capacity to support high bandwidth applications.

Mar 3 - Early Adopters

Pew Internet & American Life recently published a portrait of early Internet adopters. It was interesting to see that many of the activities that were popular at the onset of the public Internet such as social networking (bulletin boards) and searching are still popular but have evolved.

One difference is that early adopters were more likely to consume materials online while today those early adopters are just as likely to produce material. (Learn more.)

Feb 26 - Dakota Future Telecommunications Initiative

On February 19, Dakota Future, led by CTAC Founder Bill Coleman, hosted a forum on telecommunications with more than 50 audience members including state and local elected officials, telecommunications providers and city and county IT and economic development staff. 

The agenda included presentations about the importance of broadband to business and communities by Bill Coleman, Dakota Future’s executive director and Peter Lindstrom of the MN High Tech Association; community representatives from Burnsville, Eagan and Lakeville and county IT staff.  A panel discussion of providers included representatives from Frontier Communications, Comcast and Time Warner Telecom. (Learn more)

Feb 18 - Iron Range Go Run

The White House Project is sponsoring a Go Run event in Northern Minnesota. Go Run is a weekend-long training to inspire, equip, and inform women from all walks of life to lead more effectively in your work, community, and politics. The training will focus on communications, fundraising, organizing and other leadership skills.

Go Run is happening April 11-13 at the Fortunate Bay Resort Casino in Tower, Minnesota.

Feb 12 - Wired Chocolate for Valentine's Day

Wired Magazine founder, Louis Rossetto, who plans to reinvent chocolate by helping farmers in Africa and Latin America apply more-scientific techniques to growing and fermenting. He has launched a company called Tcho with a factory in factory in San Francisco that pans to create chocolate like some create wine -  labeling the cacao varietals and  origin. (Learn more)

Feb 4 - Internet and the Elections

Accordingly to Pew Internet & American Life, the Internet is a playing a larger role in the elections this year. The number of people who say they regularly learn something about the campaign from the internet, almost doubled; currently 24 percent say they do while only 13% did in the 2004 campaign.

The numbers are even higher for younger population. Fully 42% of those ages 18 to 29 say they regularly learn about the campaign from the internet, the highest percentage for any news source. Visit the Pew & American Life web site for more details.

Jan 28 - Afloat in the Wireless Pond

Kenneth Brusic, executive editor of the Orange County (CA) Register, will be the keynote speaker at conference whimsically entitled “Afloat in the Wireless Pond” on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Exploring the changes that the Internet is making in our lives on the state, local, and personal levels, the conference will take place at Luther Seminary, 2481 Como, St. Paul, from 9:00-4:00.

Other scheduled speakers include David Wiggins, Mississippi River Visitor Center; Laura Waterman Wittstock, CEO of Wittstock Associates; Jane Leonard, Executive Director of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission; Thomas Leighton, Principal City Planner, City of Minneapolis; librarian and geographer Carol Urness; Jim Ramstrom of the Land Management Information Center; Helen Burke, Director of the federal depository library at Minneapolis Public Library; scholar and educator Peter Shea, and youth representatives of the state’s History Day program. (Learn more)

Jan 19 - Municipal Fiber-to-the-Home Networking Day

A day dedicated to fostering communication and sharing information between municipalities considering or already deploying Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), this event will have no vendor pitches and no PowerPoint presentations.

From 8:30 am to 5:00 pm participate in six discussions organized around specific topics of interest led by industry leading moderators, including CTAC founder, Bill Coleman. You will also have plenty of time to network with peers from other Municipalities. There is no charge for participating. This event is open only to Municipal employees.

If you would like to register for this one day event and see the agenda, please go to muniftthnetworkingday.calix.com. Registration closes February 11, 2008. If you have any questions, please contact David Russell at 763-268-3337 ordavid.russell@calix.com.

Jan 14 - Is Video the Killer App?

A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project report indicates that 48 percent of internet users have been to video-sharing sites such as YouTube and the daily traffic to such sites on a typical day has doubled in the past year.

The basic findings in a national phone survey that ended in December show:

• 48% of internet users said they had ever visited a video-sharing site such as YouTube. A year ago, in December 2006, 33% of internet users said they had ever visited such sites. That represents growth of more than 45% year-to-year.
  
• 15% of respondents said they had used a video-sharing site "yesterday" - the day before they were contacted for our survey. A year ago, 8% had visited such a site "yesterday." Thus, on an average day, the number of users of video sites nearly doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007.

Jan 7 - Overnight Web Site Challenge

Sponsored by Sierra Bravo, the Overnight Web Site Challenges partners nonprofit organizations with web development teams for one day. Teams will be matched together and have 24 hours to work together to create new web site for the nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofit organizations are invited to apply to participate. Ten nonprofits will be selected. The deadline for pre-registration is February 1, 2008.

Dec 29 - Top Startups to Watch in 2008

Communities that are interested in supporting economic development need to offer support to small and emerging businesses. Wired magazine just posted their list of the top 10 startups that are worth watching in 2008.

It’s interesting to take a look at the list, many of which have created businesses around or that require broadband to see if there are businesses that should either be added to the list or might be groomed to lead the list in 2009.

Dec 17 - Go Broadband and Go Green

According to two recently released reports, an easy way to use technology to become more environmental friendly might be as simple as switching to a high-speed internet connection. In "Broadband Services: Economic and Environmental Benefits" (released Oct. 31, 2007), the American Consumer Institute (ACI) suggests that if broadband adoption became widespread, there could be a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, equaling 1 billion tons over the course of 10 years. Australian telecommunications company Telstra also released a recent report suggesting that its country could reduce emissions by nearly 5% by the year 2015 if it takes advantage of new telecommunication technologies.

For more information visit the Pew Internet & American Life's most recent report, Could broadband help the environment?

Dec 10 - Wi-Fi is Open Game

According to a recent report by security company Sophos, 54 percent of computer users have admitted breaking the law, by using someone else's wireless internet access without permission. According to Sophos, many internet-enabled homes fail to properly secure their wireless connection with passwords and encryption, allowing freeloading passers-by and neighbors to steal internet access rather than paying an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for their own.

Sophos recommends that home owners and businesses alike set up their networks with security in mind, ensuring that strong encryption is in place to prevent hackers from eavesdropping on communications and potentially stealing usernames, passwords and other confidential information. They provide the following tips:

1. Use encryption
2. Use a password
3. Don't broadcast the name of your wireless network
4. Use MAC address filtering
5. Restrict internet access to certain hours
6. Make sure your computers are properly secured

Nov 30 - Eden Prairie Community Technology Task Force

CTAC founder, Bill Coleman, was in the news or at least in the blogs when he recently traveled with the Eden Prairie Community Technology Task Force to the local Rotary. During the visit the Take Force reported on their vision and  an open public process, which produced a final report which is available at the “Special Reports” section of the City’s website. The recommendations of the final report are organized under five headings: Digital Inclusion, Competitive Environment, Gathering Data, Municipal Considerations, and Next Steps.

Nov 26 - Pew Looks at Broadband in US

Last year the Pew Internet and American Life, University of Texas at Austin, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology held a conference to discuss the need to measure access to broadband in the US. Proceedings from that conference have recently been published. The main theme was “networks may be global, but measurement must be local.”

Visit the Pew Internet and American Life site for more information.

Nov 21 - Blandin Technology Needs Survey

Here is a rare chance to get your voice heard by a foundation.

Blandin Foundation will soon launch the Blandin Community Broadband Resource Program, a flexible assistance program to help communities overcome barriers to a shared broadband vision. Bill Coleman will be working on the Resource Program with the Foundation.

They invite you to take a few moments to help direct the program by completing a very short survey about the types of information and services that would be most valuable to you and your community team. Your participation will go a long way in informing our decisions.

Nov 5 - Todd County Telcom Survey

CTAC recently completed an updated telecommunications infrastructure and services assessment for Todd County.  CTAC interviewed all telecom providers and assembled information about school networks within the county.

It is interesting to note that the services in Todd County have greatly improved since the first assessment completed several years ago. DSL and/or cable modem service are available in communities and some independent telephone companies have extended broadband services into the rural areas.  Staples has a competitive telecom situation with ACS competing with Qwest for customers.  Still, large rural portions of the county do not have significant broadband coverage, unless you count satellite services from Wild Blue or the wireless service provided by Wisper Wireless.  Todd County has been a participant in the Blandin Get Broadband program to build market demand for broadband focusing on the business community and high school students as entrepreneurs.  Lakewood Hospital in Staples received a LightSpeed grant from Blandin to begin using broadband applications to connect to clients in their homes.  (See the Report)

Oct 29 - Select a Candidate

Minnesota Public Radio has again put together their Select a Candidate Tool, where Minnesota voters can answer a series of questions on a range of topics and then web site will show them the candidates who most closely align with their own.

Right now they are tracking the US Senate and Presidential elections – but you can also visit the archive of past candidate selection tools to see who you should have voted for last year.

Oct 23 - Why does access to a high-speed connection at home matter?

The Pew Internet and American Life Project just released a report that talks about how broadband is used in homes across the US. The report says that nearly half of all Americans have broadband at home. But the big focus is on – why does that matter.

First and more obviously a broadband link at home means more information coming at the user faster. More importantly, a broadband links allows people to join the networked society by becoming a publisher – either with a web site, a blog, a profile on a social networking site, or simply by participating in online discussions. Online video is the new up and coming attraction and is already starting to take hold with tools such as YouTube.

For more information, visit the Pew Internet and American Life Project report.

Oct 16 - Upcoming Funding Opportunities for Communities

Electronic Health Records Revolving Loans Applications are being accepted for no-interest six-year loans to help finance the installation or support of interoperable health record systems.

MPCA Environmental Assistance Grants
Annual grants that provide financial assistance for the development of environmentally sustainable products and practices in Minnesota through voluntary partnerships and goal-oriented, economically-driven approaches to pollution prevention and resource conservation.

Target Field Trip Grant Program
Awards grants to schools across the United States for field trips in the spring of 2008. Up to 1,600 grants of up to $1,000 each will be awarded.

2008 “100 Best Communities for Young People Competition
Looking for applications from U.S. communities that consider themselves the best places for young people to live and grow up. Applicants will be eligible to apply for a total of $300,000 in grants from the alliance.

Minnesota Rural Pharmacy Planning and Transition Gran Programt
Rural communities and health care facilities are eligible.

NFL Youth Football Fund Grassroots Program
Provides nonprofit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. Applicants may request a maximum of $200,000 for capital improvements.

Oct 8 - Web Site Tracks Candidate's Comments on Broadband

According to the Wireless Communications Association International, 6 of the 17 Presidential candidates have announced a broadband policy while at least another 6 have yet to make any statements on broadband.

WCA has created a web site that tracks candidates’ comments and policies related to broadband. You can track new by topic, party, or candidate.

Oct 2 - Strategic Entrepreneurial Economic Development (SEED)

Governor Pawlenty unveils his first proposal of the 2008 legislative session - Strategic Entrepreneurial Economic Development (SEED) - a comprehensive program designed to stimulate rural economic development. SEED will help strengthen communities and expand the small business base throughout Minnesota.

It is interesting to note that while Broadband infrastructure is eligible for the $40 million of state funding described in the two bonding programs (redevelopment and business infrastructure), the State has not actively promoted broadband support. The important note is that broadband is eligible. You can listen to Pawlenty’s podcast on SEED or download a brochure.

Sep 24 - Americans Go Online for Hobby Info

A recent survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that the Internet is not just for work anymore. Apparently 83 percent of online Americans have used the Internet to get about their hobbies. Almost a third do so on a typical day. Looking for information about hobbies is among the most popular online activities, on par with shopping, surfing the web for fun, and getting news.

Get more information from the Pew Internet & American Life Project web site.

Sep 17 - Bill Coleman Hosts Blandin Webinars in October

Sep 10 - Blandin Foundation Announces LightSpeed Grant Recipients

The Blandin Foundation announced the four recipients of the “Light Speed” grants:

• Home and Community Options in Winona County,
• the City of Windom/Windom Net/and the Windom School District,
• Lakewood Health System in Staples, and
• Little Crow Telemedia Network in Hutchinson and the 19 surrounding school districts.

Grant amounts total $130,000. For more information, read the interview with CTAC Founder Bill Coleman on the Light Speed program on the Blandin on Broadband blog.

Sep 3 - Blandin Fall Broadband Conference November 7-8

Mark your calendars for the Fall Broadband Conference in St Cloud MN, November 7-8. The theme is Community Broadband: Making the Right Choices. The goal is to introduce community leaders to the tools, knowledge and resources to make informed decisions about your community’s future broadband needs and technology vision. Speakers include local and international experts.  

CTAC founder, Bill Coleman is a planner and key component of the upcoming conference.

Aug 27 - Broadband in Minnesota

The Pioneer Press recently published an article that outlined community broadband projects throughout Minnesota, from the Iron Range to Monticello.

The article discusses the advantages of wireless and fiber as well as the different business plan approaches. Some communities are led by municipal effort, some are pilot projects, while the incumbents are worried that tax money will be wasted competing for services they already provide.

Aug 15 - CTAC in the News

Community Technology Advisors Founder, Bill Coleman, recently had an article published in the Irish Gazette. The article introduced Dakota County’s upcoming Trade Mission to Ireland.

You can read the entire article online.

Aug 6 - Closing the Broadband Divide

Pew Internet & American Life recently released a commentary on closing the broadband gap in the Untied States. The report states that 47 percent of US adults have broadband at home, many adults access broadband from work, some still use dialup, and 29 percent don’t use the Internet.

Reaching those who are not online might be difficult. That population tends to be older and poorer than the average. They suggest that a very aggressive education or outreach effort might be able to entice these people to go online.

For more information, visit the Pew Internet & American Life web site.

July 30 - Online Video is Taking Off

According to a recent survey by Pew Internet & American Life, 57% of internet users have watched videos online and most of them share what they find with others, 19% do so on a typical day.

The growing adoption of broadband and increased push by content providers are credited with helping to increase the number of online video viewers as well as number of viewers who share video with others. Three-quarters of broadband users (74%) who enjoy high-speed connections at both home and work watch or download video online.

Learn more from the Pew Internet Life web site.

July 23 - Eden Prairie Tech Task Force Update

CTAC has been working with the Eden Prairie Technology Task Force to help them assess their current and future technology needs and strategies.  We have been working with the various incumbent and competitive providers to identify their services and infrastructure.  We have received varying levels of cooperation and it is very interesting to see the different approaches the providers take in working with us and the community.  Time Warner Telecom was very happy to provide us with their fiber map which serves a good portion of the commercially zoned areas of the city.  Comcast was able to give us a glimpse of their service area map, but would not provide a copy for our planning and analysis purposes.  Comcast was interested in telling us about their plans to move to much higher speed services.  To date, Qwest has been unwilling to provide much information about their services.  They did talk about the need for cities to support statewide video franchising.

The task force has been gathering information from businesses and will expand that effort to get input from citizens before developing recommendations for the city council.

July 16 - Broadband has Positive Economic Impact

According to a recent study by the Brookings Institute, broadband has had appositive impact on economic development – both in regards to output and employment. The Brookings Institute research ranged from 2003-2005 and focuses on growth at a state level.

The research suggests that employment is strongly related to broadband deployment, particularly in certain service sectors, such as finance, education, and healthcare, but even manufacturing employment appears to be related to broadband penetration.

For more information, download the report.

July 9 - Half of US Adults Have Broadband

According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life reports, 47 percent of adults have high-speed internet connections at home as of early March 2007, up five percentage points from a year earlier. However, home broadband access in rural areas is note quite as high at 31 percent.

Overall Internet use in rural areas is also not as high. According to Pew, 60 percent of adults in rural areas use the Internet anywhere, compared to the national average of 71 percent.

Read the full report on the Pew Internet and American Life web site.

July 2 - Dakota County Trade Mission to Ireland

CTAC Founder, Bill Coleman, is heading up a group of Dakota County businesses on a trade mission to Ireland in late September.  A range of business and cultural activities are planned, including meetings with companies, chambers of commerce and government officials.  Several of our colleges and communities will formalize sister city partnerships during the trip.

Visit the Dakota Future web site for more information.

June 25 - Americans Don't All Love Technology

In April 2007, the Pew Internet and American Life Project published a report that many talked about how many Americans use and/or are comfortable using gadgets such as Internet-enhanced call phones, PDAs, and iPods.

Pew group users into the following categories:

• Omnivores (love technology)
• Connectors
  
• Productivity Enhancers
  
• Connected but Hassled
  
• Light but Satisfied
  
• Indifferent

The report has lead to recent commentary on American’s feelings about such gadets. (Some 45% of Americans say information technology gives them less control over their lives or makes no difference.) Pew also points out strategies to encourage non-users.

You can find out what category you fit with their online quiz.

June 10 - Eden Prairie Community Technology Update

The Eden Prairies City Council recently established an ad hoc task force, called the Community Technology Task Force, to assess Eden Prairies communications infrastructure and provide future recommendations.
Members of the task force include community volunteers, telecom providers, economic development manager, David Lindahl and Community Technology Advisors principal, Bill Coleman.

The community volunteers represent people from all sectors including private citizens, small businesses and corporations who live or work in Eden Prairie and have current experience in technology and working with service providers.

The task force is charged with answering three key questions:

1. What technological services are available now?
   
2. What is not available, but needed?
   
3. How will the City obtain services that are wanted?

The task force will work throughout the summer and is expected to share its findings and recommendations at a City Council meeting sometime this fall. The end result of this process is to create a dependable and reasonably priced communications infrastructure.

June 3 - Blandin Grant Deadline Extended to July 20

The Blandin Foundation has extended the application deadline for its Light Speed Grant Program to July 20, 2007. Applications for the Open Network Feasibility Fund are accepted on an ongoing basis until funds run out.

• The Light Speed Grant Program will provide matching funds to support project implementation of new community broadband applications, including but not limited to education and health care.
• The Open Network Feasibility Fund will provide matching grants to communities for feasibility studies for Open Access Telecommunications Networks.

May 30 - CTAC Leads Effort in Eden Prairie

The City of Eden Prairie has formed a Community Technology Task Force that will be examining the available telecommunications infrastructure and services, determining community perceptions and expectations for these services and developing recommendations for City Council consideration.  The task force has members from both private and public sector members.  The technological sophistication of the task force is very high.  Business members represent the full range of businesses, from small to large, from manufacturing to retail to business services, including home-based entrepreneurs.

Bill Coleman, Mike O’Connor and Griff Wigley will be facilitating the work of the task force.  An inventory and analysis of telecommunications providers is now underway with meetings scheduled with several providers.  Online surveys of both businesses and residents will be launched soon.  Community and business forums on the telecommunications issue will be held in late June.

Once the information gathering phase is complete, task force members will begin to discuss the assessment, set a community vision and develop the recommendations for City Council consideration in October.

May 22 - Blandin Grant Programs Workshops

Community Technology Advisor Founder, Bill Coleman has been leading a series of workshops to promote and support two new grant programs sponsored by the Blandin Foundation. Workshops have been held in rural areas around the state.

The first program, the Light Speed program, provides funding to launch new bandwidth-intensive applications.  Attendees at the workshops brought their ideas for tele-psychology, home health care, services to the home schooled and other ideas.  The projects will bring new partners together to meet community needs or provide new opportunities for existing partners to expand services.  The relatively short time frame from program announcement to grant deadline (June 20) rewards those organizations with technology plans in place.  Applications that are bandwidth intensive, reach the home user and are interactive will receive priority for funding.  The maximum grant is $50,000.

Several communities have expressed interest in the Blandin's second program, Open Networks Feasibility Fund program, which will provide matching funds to study the development of a new high speed network in a community, enabling multiple providers to sell retail services over the same network.  Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded; applications involving multiple communities can receive up to $40,000.

Learn more on the Blandin web site.

May 14 - Meadowlark Project

Northern Great Plains Inc. recently convened the Meadowlark Project Leadership Laboratory to look at the future of the region and find innovative ways to make sure it is a positive one for everyone living the northern Great Plains. They have created 4 scenarios of the future:

There’s No Place Like Home: This is a world in which a long-term drought caused by climate change has a catastrophic impact on the robust ethanol industry, which leads to economic and social collapse within the northern Great Plains. This collapse and struggle spawns renewal and a new, more equitable and just way of life for all people and species.

The Good Lands: Through active guidance and leadership from the region’s tribal nations, a collaborative government and leadership structure is formed. The Good Lands become a leader in renewable energy research, and are nationally recognized for their economic, environmental and social reforms.

The Big Empty: This is a world in which the region sees an expansion of ethanol and biofuel production, which provide short-term growth for rural communities. But as efficiencies emerge, a third of the region’s population dies and is not replaced.

A Tech No Color World: This is a world in which choices made related to both on-line and physical access, significantly impact future lifestyle, quality of life and opportunities for people in the northern Great Plains. The region is split into two worlds: one shaped by advanced connective technologies and the other by a focus on maintaining the transportation infrastructure.

Northern Great Plains plan to convene 60 community dialogues around the region during the next six months to discuss them. You can learn more on the Meadowlark Project web site.

May 7 , 2007 - How Many Americans are Big Tech Users

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, Americans sort into 3 distinct groups of users of information and communication technology.

• Elite users (31 percent) are strong Internet users who connect to others online.
• Middle-of-the- road Tech Users (20 percent) are cell phone users, have used technology, but are not necessarily thrilled with it.
• Few tech assets (49 percent) include people with limited experience using the Internet and cell phones or limited interest in using technology.

Learn more from the Pew Internet & American Life web site.

April 30, 2007 - Blandin Foundation Hosts Funding Workshops

The Blandin Foundation is pleased to announce the Pre-Application Workshop schedule for two new foundation grant programs supporting the development and use of broadband in rural communities in Minnesota. The new grant programs are:

• The Light Speed Grant Program will provide matching funds to support project implementation of new community broadband applications, including but not limited to education and health care.
• The Open Network Feasibility Fund will provide matching grants to communities for feasibility studies for Open Access Telecommunications Networks.

April 23, 2007 - Teens & Web 2.0

Pew Internet & American Life recently published a report on how teens balance privacy and online identities. It’s interesting to take a look at how actively youth are because it’s a glimpse of what the adults of tomorrow will expect in terms of online collaboration in the workplace. Here are some of the statistics:

• 55 percent of online teens have online profiles
• 49 percent of teens who use social networks are actively seeking new friends online
• 32 percent of online teens have been contacted by a stranger
• 93 percent of teens (ages 12-17) are online
• 85 percent of parents have established rules for Internet use

April 17, 2007 - Broadband Primers

Broadband has become an essential tool for economic development. CTAC has helped many communities through the process of becoming e-commerce ready and/or creating a broadband strategy to promote business growth and retention.

 Here are two recently developed primers to help community leaders, elected officials, and economic developers better understand broadband.

Fiber to the Home provides information at all levels from introductory to advanced information on Fiber to the home.  

Speed Matters  working definition of high speed broadband and examples that illustrate why it is necessary. It talks about how policies have had a negative impact on the US, while countries with progressive broadband strategies have improved their ranking.

April 9, 2007 - Upcoming Meetings

TISP Meeting April 11

Telecommunications & Information Society Policy Forum will be meeting to talk about High Speed Minnesota: Gigabit Broadband Goals with speakers Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon, Rep. Sandy Masin, Rick King, from Thomson West, and Tom Garrison, Communications Director, City of Eagan. (Learn more)

Where: HHH Institute of Public Affairs, Roy Wilkins Room (215)
301 19th Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55455
When: April 11th, 2007, 4:00 to 5:30pm

Community Broadband Seminar April 26

This Seminar, sponsored by MACTA, the League of Minnesota Cities, and the City of St. Louis Park, will provide information on the latest developments in Community Broadband. This information will be presented by recognized leaders in this field. (Learn more)

Where: Recreation Center Banquet Room, 3700 Monterey Drive, St. Louis Park, MN
When: April 26, 2007 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

April 5, 2007 - Blandin Announces New Technology Grant Program

The Blandin Foundation recently designed a new Light Speed Grant Program to help local organizations make use of telecommunications network improvements to reach out in new and exciting ways. Light Speed will provide grants of up to $50,000 for communities, health care providers, schools and others to implement new broadband-intensive applications that reach out to end-users, preferably all the way to the home. (Learn more on the Blandin on Broadband blog.)

The RFP will be available very soon on the Blandin Foundation web site.  The Foundation will also be providing details on this and another exciting new grant program at regional workshops in May.  Stay tuned or contact Bill Coleman at 651-491-2551 or bill@communitytechnologyadvisors.com for more information.

March 26, 2007 - Broadband Plan Bill Introduced at Capitol

Last Friday a new bill was introduced to the Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Committee at the Capitol. The goals of the bill are to:

1. Provide 1 gigabit/sec (Gbit) to everyone
2. Provide it by 2015
3. Establish a broadband policy director and advisory board

The bill was introduced by Dakota County Representative Masin; several area businesses provided testimony. Learn more…

March 19, 2007 - Helping Local Communities Use Technology as a Business Tool

Last week CTAC founder Bill Coleman represented the Blandin Foundation at a meeting in Mora, Minnesota. More has been working on a business visitation program and telecommunications is emerging as an issue. Bill joined the city government, municipal utility, chamber of commerce, several providers (wireless and wireline) a local IT consultant to talk about how they could use technology as an asset in and of their community. (Read more about it in the Blandin on Broadband blog.)

Bill has been working with communities throughout the Midwest to help them create and implement strategic plans that help them use technology as an economic development tool. Some plans have been finite and straightforward, such as getting E-Commerce certified. Other plans are ongoing, such as the efforts of Dakota Future but the goal is the same to use technology as a means to improvement local economy and quality of life.

March 12, 2007 - What is a TELPOD?

TELPOD is a searchable database of telecommunications providers and services in places CTAC has worked Minnesota and several other states. It’s a great place to start a community-wide assessment of telecommunications in your area. Community Technology Advisors has used the TELPOD tool to help different communities to assess what is currently available. It can be a good step towards getting e-commerce certified, to creating a community-wide WIFI, FTTH, or other Internet access strategy.

For more information, please contact Bill Coleman.

March 5, 2007 - Blandin on Broadband

The Blandin Foundation has recently started a blog, Blandin on Broadband. The blog tracks news and events related to broadband and Internet access, applications, and policy. Community Technology Advisor founder Bill Coleman is a member of the Blandin Foundation broadband leadership team.

February 26, 2007 - One Third of American Internet Users Use Wireless

Pew Internet and American Life recently reported that one third of American Internet users have logged onto a wireless internet connection either at home, at work, or someplace else. Users of wireless access show deeper engagement with cyberspace:

• 72% of wireless users check email on the typical day, compared to 63% of home broadband users and 54% of all internet users.
• 46% get news online on the typical day, compared to 38% of home broadband users and 31% of all internet users.

For more information visit the Pew Internet and American Life web site.

February 19, 2007 - E-Government & E-Policy Updates

Recent Pew Internet Life reports indicate that Americans are increasingly going online to get government and political information. Some 15% of all American adults say the internet was the place where they got most of their campaign news during the 2006 election, up from 7% in the mid-term election of 2002.

Almost 25% of those who went online for political information actually created or forwarded online original political commentary or politically-related videos. (Learn more.)

February 12, 2007 - Dakota Future Annual Event a Big Success

Dakota Future, led by CTAC founder, Bill Coleman, enjoyed a successful annual meeting last week. The event was well attended and the evaluations were very positive. Various presentations, given by Dakota County business professionals, are available on the Dakota Future web site.

Dakota Future is looking at extending the conference by providing online follow up with presenters through online collaboration tools. Stay tuned for more details.

February 3, 2007 - Design Competition

Minnesota Rural Partners is sponsoring a design competition, Thriving by Design competition, that challenges interdisciplinary teams of adults and teams of youth from across the state to consider this question:

After 150 years of statehood, knowing what we know now and the tools we have, combined with the ingenuity of our people, and facing the global pressures around us, how would you "design" Minnesota today to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, to carry on with our high quality of life well in the 21st century?

Winners will be announced at the “Thriving by Design! A Minnesota Sesquicentennial Kickoff!” on May 10 & 11, 2007 at Cragun’s Resort & Conference Center in Brainerd, MN.  (Learn more)

January 26, 2007 - Dakota County Economic Development Conference on February 7

Dakota Future, led by Community Technology Advisors’ Bill Coleman, is organizing an economic development conference on February 7, 7:30 am to noon at the Eagan Community Center. The one-day event will feature speakers from successful local businesses including keynote speaker Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D., President of the Science Museum of Minnesota. (Visit the Dakota Future web site for more information.)

January 24, 2007 - Dakota County Company is Looking to Expand

The Thomson Corporation announced today its intention to expand its facilities on the Thomson West Eagan campus to include a new office building and data center. Thomson expects the new office space will house 2,000 additional employees by 2012. Learn more.

Community Technology Advisors’ Bill Coleman has been working with Dakota County businesses through the Dakota Future, the economic development agency for Dakota County.

January 14, 2007 - Education is Going Online

Stories have been popping up more and more lately on educator’s use of technology, specifically Internet-based technology in and out of the classroom. David Williamson Shaffer, author of the book How Computer Games Help Children Learn, says video games help children master technology, an essential skill for successful careers. In fact on Future Tense he claimed that video games might help the United States compete against India and China, which are turning out engineers and scientists at a faster rate.

Also on Future Tense, you can learn about more than 100 universities worldwide that are making class lectures available for free in the form of audio and video podcasts in a movement called OpenCourseWare. Check it out for a sample of educational podcasts.

January 8, 2007 - Looking for Cities with Fiber to the Home

Bill Coleman and the Blandin Foundation’s Get Broadband initiative are looking for communities that have and/or are looking into Fiber to the Home (aka Fiber to the Premises). We are looking for feedback, ideas, and potential participants for Get Broadband projects that focus on developing or promoting online applications that encourage broadband use.

If you are a community that is involved with Fiber to the Home and you are interested in learning more, please contact Bill.

January 2, 2007 - 2007 Minnesota Rural Summit

Looking for good conference for your community in 2007? The theme for the 10th annual Minnesota Rural Summit is "Kickoff to Minnesota's Sesquicentennial - Thriving by Design!!" The goal is to think about what you might do differently in your community if you could start from scratch.  If you could start over, knowing what we know now and the tools we have, combined with the know-how and ingenuity of our people, and facing the global demographic, economic and environmental pressures around us, how would you "design" Minnesota today to carry on with our high quality of life well in the 21st century?

To learn more visit the Minnesota Rural Partners web site.

Dec 26, 2006 - Almost 40% of US Adults Look for Homes Online

The number of Internet users who go online to look for information about a place to live has grown steadily over the past six years. Now, nearly two in five adult internet users in the U.S. (39%) have done this, up from 34% in 2004 and 27% in 2000. Fully half of internet users ages 18 to 29 have looked for housing information online.

For more information, please visit the Pew Internet & American Life web site.

Dec 13, 2006 - 2006 Year of the Blogs

Blogs have been around for a couple of years now – but it seems as if they really entered the mainstream in 2006. Surveys still indicate that most bloggers still write about niches topics that they feel will interest a small groups of readers, primarily friends and family, but there are plenty of blogs out there that are being read by more than a niche group of friends. Ironically, you can find a good list of blogs on a blog called Fimoculous. It includes blogs on many different topics.

This year, I started a blog called Dakota County Economic News for Dakota Future that focuses on business and economic news for Dakota County. It’s just a start but I am hoping to write more in 2007.

Dec 5 , 2006 - Regional Broadband Workshop

Dakota County is host to a regional broadband workshop where government and industry leaders will talk about broadband and various community-wide options including the Dakota County I-Net Project. Learn more on the Dakota Future web site.

Nov 28, 2006 - Gathering for Economic Development Leaders - January 28-30

International Economic Development Council: 2007 Leadership Summit, “The Power of Collaboration,” will address the latest trends and issues that are affecting economic development leaders today. The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to helping economic developers do their job more effectively and raising the profile of the profession.

The summit will be held January 28-30 in San Diego, CA. The “The Power of Collaboration,” will be highlighted through sessions led by industry innovators including Mary Walshok, Bill Strickland, Duane Roth and Mark Lautman.

Nov 21, 2006 - The Future of Internet II

Pew Internet & American Life recently surveyed Internet leaders on their predictions for the future of Internet II. Here are some of the highlights.

• A low-cost global network will be thriving and creating new opportunities in a “flattening” world.

• Virtual reality will be compelling enough to enhance worker productivity and also spawn new addiction problems.

• Tech “refuseniks” will emerge as a cultural group characterized by their choice to live off the network. Some will do this as a benign way to limit information overload, while others will commit acts of violence and terror against technology-inspired change.

• People will wittingly and unwittingly disclose more about themselves, gaining some benefits in the process even as they lose some privacy.

Visit the Pew Internet & American Life web site for the complete report.

Nov 14, 2006 - Dakota Future Web Site Keeps Growing

Dakota Future is the economic development agency of Dakota County. Last year Dakota Future, led by Community Technology Advisors founder Bill Coleman, unveiled a web site that promotes Dakota Future to site selectors and businesses looking to relocate.

Recently Dakota Future added a Key Properties section that promotes specific properties that are for sale in Dakota Future.

Nov 9, 2006 - Broadband Policy after the Elections

Tuesday’s elections are already spurring speculation on the potential impact on broadband and telecommunications policy. WebProNews points out that Net Neutrality has been a partisan issue in Congress but that efforts such as Save the Internet have shown that it’s not a partisan on the outside. Save the Internet has joined together strange bedfellows.

They predict that the Democrats, led by new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), will introduce this issue and more.

Oct 31, 2006 - Americans Use the Internet for Health Information

According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life report, 80 percent of American internet users have searched for information on at least one of seventeen health topics. Most internet users start at a general search engine when researching health and medical advice online. Most health seekers are pleased about what they find online, but some are frustrated or confused.

Just 15% of health seekers say they “always” check the source and date of the health information they find online, while another 10% say they do so “most of the time.” Fully three-quarters of health seekers say they check the source and date “only sometimes,” “hardly ever,” or “never,” which translates to about 85 million Americans gathering health advice online without consistently examining the quality indicators of the information they find. For more information visit the Pew Internet & American Life web site.

Oct 24, 2006 - MacArthur Foundation Launches Digital Media Initiative

Interested learning more about how the Internet is having an impact on youth? Keep your eye on the MacArthur Foundation. They recently launched a five-year, $50 million digital media and learning initiative to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life.

Oct 17, 2006 - FTC Seems to Lean Towards Municipal Wireless Network

The Federal Trade Commission Commissioner recently released a new staff report on municipal wireless Internet networks. The report compiles federal and state legislative proposals that feature the pros and cons of municipal service. Pros include increasing competition, lowering prices, and increasing efficiency. Cons are primarily associated wit incentives for government to engage in anticompetitive practices.

While the report does not overtly purport one side or the other, it advises that "policymakers considering this issue may want to evaluate whether competition and consumers would be better served if they permitted municipalities to provide broadband Internet services but insured that municipalities would not engage in conduct that disadvantaged or excluded private competitors."

Oct 9, 2006 -Get Broadband at RuralTelecon

CTAC Founder, Bill Coleman will be presenting with Bernadine Joselyn from the Blandin Foundation at the 10th Annual Rural Telecommunications Congress later this month.  The RuralTelecom is a national conference focused on broadband and emerging rural economies.

For the past few years, Bill and Bernadine has been part of the Get Broadband leadership team. Get Broadband is project that offers rural communities $15,000 and a great deal of expertise and technical support to promote broadband in their areas. At RuralTelecom they will be talking about taking that project a step further by working more intensely with fewer communities on adopting bandwidth-intensive applications. The working title is “Stimulating Community-Wide Technology Adoption”.