HI guys!
Thanks to Sally and Steve for passing on the need for broadband stories. I
attended the Minnesota Task Force meeting today. You can see my pretty complete
notes (and video) on the Blandin on Broadband blog: http://wp.me/p3if7-4dy
They talked about the letters that were submitted and each Task Force member
got a copy of the letters. They weren't read aloud and the details weren't
discussed much. BUT I have posted copies of the letters on the blog.
I am always looking for stories of broadband in rural Minnesota. Happy and
frustrated stories. If you have a story you'd like to share - please feel free
to send it my way. I realize the irony of saying this given the topic - but
email is the best way to reach me.
I know that the blog is ready by policymakers, journalists and many of the Task
Force members so it can be a good way to amplify stories from the front lines.
Thanks a million!! Ann
Ann Treacy
Treacy Information Services
1841 Fairmount Ave
St Paul MN 55105
651-239-4581
<email obscured>
www.treacyinfo.com
www.blandinonbroadband.org
Thanks to Sally and Steve for passing on the need for broadband stories. I
attended the Minnesota Task Force meeting today. You can see my pretty complete
notes (and video) on the Blandin on Broadband blog: http://wp.me/p3if7-4dy
They talked about the letters that were submitted and each Task Force member
got a copy of the letters. They weren't read aloud and the details weren't
discussed much. BUT I have posted copies of the letters on the blog.
I am always looking for stories of broadband in rural Minnesota. Happy and
frustrated stories. If you have a story you'd like to share - please feel free
to send it my way. I realize the irony of saying this given the topic - but
email is the best way to reach me.
I know that the blog is ready by policymakers, journalists and many of the Task
Force members so it can be a good way to amplify stories from the front lines.
Thanks a million!! Ann
Ann Treacy
Treacy Information Services
1841 Fairmount Ave
St Paul MN 55105
651-239-4581
<email obscured>
www.treacyinfo.com
www.blandinonbroadband.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Minnesota Voices Online [mailto:<email obscured>] On
Behalf Of Steven Clift
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 12:27 PM
To: mnvoices <<email obscured>>;
inclusion@forums.e-democracy.org
Cc: sally fineday <<email obscured>>
Subject: [MNVoices] [CassLeech] Please join me in responding to the Statewide
Broadband to let them know we need high speed too
From: sally fineday <<email obscured>>
Date: Wed, Aug 16, 2017 at 12:24 PM
Subject: [CassLeech] Please join me in responding to the Statewide Broadband to
let them know we need high speed too
To: e democracy <<email obscured>>
The Governors MN Broadband Taskforce will hear a presentation from Satellite
providers on the merits of wireless internet including satellite systems on
Wednesday August 16th 2017.
Quoting Ms. Janet Keough from North Star Township “ The Minnesota Legislature
has invested in rural broadband for three years. They are considering
additional funding; however recent speed increases in satellite internet have
caused legislators to say that rural areas in the state no longer need
additional broadband infrastructure” and “I urge you and the Task Force to
listen to wireless and satellite subscribers, not just to the providers. And
include subscribers from the hilly and conifer forested parts of Minnesota, not
just the open agricultural areas, as wireless behaves quite differently “up
north” than it does in southern Minnesota.”
If you are a satellite internet user, you might be interested in sharing your
views around cost, reliability and/or how satellite internet impacts your
business development with the Chairperson of this taskforce Ms.
Margaret Anderson-Kelliher.
Residents and business owners can email Ms. Kelliher at <email obscured><mailto:
<email obscured>><mailto:MAK@mhta.org<mailto:MAK@mhta.org?>> and are encouraged to
cc staff of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development –
Office of Broadband, Ms. Danna Mackenzie
<email obscured><mailto:Danna.Mackenzie@state.mn.us><mailto:
<email obscured><mailto:Danna.Mackenzie@state.mn.us?>>,
and Ms. Diane Wells at <email obscured><mailto:
<email obscured>><mailto:Diane.wells@state.mn.us<mailto:
<email obscured>?>>
Please offer the email below as an example and inspiration.
Cheryal Lee Hills
Executive Director
Region Five Development Commission [e943ecc8-5be2-4768-a17e-1b829b908afe] <
https://www.facebook.com/regionfivedevelopmentcommission/>
& affiliate 501c3 North Central Economic Development Association
200 1st Street NE, Suite 2
Staples, MN 56479
Office: 218-894-3233 x1
<email obscured><mailto:chills@regionfive.org><mailto:c
<email obscured><mailto:chills@regionfive.org?>>
Cell: 218-270-0188
[R5DC logo]<http://www.regionfive.org/>[NCEDA<http://www.
regionfive.org/%3e%5bNCEDA> LOGO]<http://www.northcentraleda.org/>[good<htt
p://www.northcentraleda.org/%3e%5bgood> life]<http://www.
thegoodlifenorthcentralmn.com/>[RR<http://www.thegoodlifenorthcentralmn.com/
%3e%5bRR> Logo]<http://www.resilientregion.org/>
Begin forwarded message:
From: Janet Keough <<email obscured><mailto:lemmus52@gmail.com><mailto:
<email obscured><mailto:lemmus52@gmail.com?>>>
Date: August 15, 2017 at 10:04:55 AM CDT
To: <email obscured><mailto:deed.broadband@state.mn.us><mailto:
<email obscured><mailto:deed.broadband@state.mn.us?>>,
<email obscured><mailto:MAK@mhta.org><mailto:MAK@mhta.org<mailto:MAK@mhta.org?>>
Subject: Comments on satellite and wireless internet Dear Ms. Kelliher,
The Minnesota Broadband Task Force will be discussing the merits of wireless
internet including satellite systems this week. I wanted to give you some first
hand experience with satellite internet. Here is a letter to the Duluth News
Tribune that I submitted this spring and it was ultimately published, shortly
after the MN Broadband Day at the Capital.
While current satellite internet systems can deliver up to 25Mbps down, as I
point out here, they are very expensive, with cost increasing as data plans are
exceeded with a necessity to purchase additional data to get through the month.
Once people have access to fast internet, they find more and more ways to use
it, with multiple family members or home based businesses all trying to use the
internet at once from multiple devices. And the internet of things, such as
home monitoring systems, also tap internet data. Data plan- based systems are
generally much more expensive than comparable non-data plan offerings. This
includes mobile wireless and satellite systems.
We currently have wireless internet from a set of towers established by our
electric cooperative. The speed is up to 7Mbps down, with no data caps, and the
cost is $60 per month. The electric coop says that the technology they have and
the spectrum they use does not allow them to increase the speed beyond 7Mbps.
While fairly reliable (although they are currently having difficulties with
their service provider and the system is very erratic (off and on), the speed
provided is quickly becoming frustrating. And the distance of service from each
tower is 1.5 miles, so this system cannot cover all the residents in my
township, approximately half of them cannot get service. We are located at the
very margin of Century Links CAF map and they have told us that they may not be
able to reach us by the end of the
CAF2 program. There are still many many rural areas in Minnesota that are
caught between very slow vs very expensive internet access.
I urge you and the Task Force to listen to wireless and satellite subscribers,
not just to the providers. And include subscribers from the hilly and conifer
forested parts of Minnesota, not just the open agricultural areas, as wireless
behaves quite differently “up north” than it does in southern Minnesota.
Sally Fineday
Cass Lake, Cass Lake
About/contact Sally Fineday: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/sallyfineday
------------------------
Reply: Reply-All or visit http://forums.e-democracy.org/
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Steven Clift
Ericsson, Minneapolis
About/contact Steven Clift: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/stevenclift1
------------------------
Reply: Reply-All or visit
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/V6EqtSB0hgCUOoL09bvtF
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From: Minnesota Voices Online [mailto:<email obscured>] On
Behalf Of Steven Clift
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 12:27 PM
To: mnvoices <<email obscured>>;
inclusion@forums.e-democracy.org
Cc: sally fineday <<email obscured>>
Subject: [MNVoices] [CassLeech] Please join me in responding to the Statewide
Broadband to let them know we need high speed too
From: sally fineday <<email obscured>>
Date: Wed, Aug 16, 2017 at 12:24 PM
Subject: [CassLeech] Please join me in responding to the Statewide Broadband to
let them know we need high speed too
To: e democracy <<email obscured>>
The Governors MN Broadband Taskforce will hear a presentation from Satellite
providers on the merits of wireless internet including satellite systems on
Wednesday August 16th 2017.
Quoting Ms. Janet Keough from North Star Township “ The Minnesota Legislature
has invested in rural broadband for three years. They are considering
additional funding; however recent speed increases in satellite internet have
caused legislators to say that rural areas in the state no longer need
additional broadband infrastructure” and “I urge you and the Task Force to
listen to wireless and satellite subscribers, not just to the providers. And
include subscribers from the hilly and conifer forested parts of Minnesota, not
just the open agricultural areas, as wireless behaves quite differently “up
north” than it does in southern Minnesota.”
If you are a satellite internet user, you might be interested in sharing your
views around cost, reliability and/or how satellite internet impacts your
business development with the Chairperson of this taskforce Ms.
Margaret Anderson-Kelliher.
Residents and business owners can email Ms. Kelliher at <email obscured><mailto:
<email obscured>><mailto:MAK@mhta.org<mailto:MAK@mhta.org?>> and are encouraged to
cc staff of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development –
Office of Broadband, Ms. Danna Mackenzie
<email obscured><mailto:Danna.Mackenzie@state.mn.us><mailto:
<email obscured><mailto:Danna.Mackenzie@state.mn.us?>>,
and Ms. Diane Wells at <email obscured><mailto:
<email obscured>><mailto:Diane.wells@state.mn.us<mailto:
<email obscured>?>>
Please offer the email below as an example and inspiration.
Cheryal Lee Hills
Executive Director
Region Five Development Commission [e943ecc8-5be2-4768-a17e-1b829b908afe] <
https://www.facebook.com/regionfivedevelopmentcommission/>
& affiliate 501c3 North Central Economic Development Association
200 1st Street NE, Suite 2
Staples, MN 56479
Office: 218-894-3233 x1
<email obscured><mailto:chills@regionfive.org><mailto:c
<email obscured><mailto:chills@regionfive.org?>>
Cell: 218-270-0188
[R5DC logo]<http://www.regionfive.org/>[NCEDA<http://www.
regionfive.org/%3e%5bNCEDA> LOGO]<http://www.northcentraleda.org/>[good<htt
p://www.northcentraleda.org/%3e%5bgood> life]<http://www.
thegoodlifenorthcentralmn.com/>[RR<http://www.thegoodlifenorthcentralmn.com/
%3e%5bRR> Logo]<http://www.resilientregion.org/>
Begin forwarded message:
From: Janet Keough <<email obscured><mailto:lemmus52@gmail.com><mailto:
<email obscured><mailto:lemmus52@gmail.com?>>>
Date: August 15, 2017 at 10:04:55 AM CDT
To: <email obscured><mailto:deed.broadband@state.mn.us><mailto:
<email obscured><mailto:deed.broadband@state.mn.us?>>,
<email obscured><mailto:MAK@mhta.org><mailto:MAK@mhta.org<mailto:MAK@mhta.org?>>
Subject: Comments on satellite and wireless internet Dear Ms. Kelliher,
The Minnesota Broadband Task Force will be discussing the merits of wireless
internet including satellite systems this week. I wanted to give you some first
hand experience with satellite internet. Here is a letter to the Duluth News
Tribune that I submitted this spring and it was ultimately published, shortly
after the MN Broadband Day at the Capital.
While current satellite internet systems can deliver up to 25Mbps down, as I
point out here, they are very expensive, with cost increasing as data plans are
exceeded with a necessity to purchase additional data to get through the month.
Once people have access to fast internet, they find more and more ways to use
it, with multiple family members or home based businesses all trying to use the
internet at once from multiple devices. And the internet of things, such as
home monitoring systems, also tap internet data. Data plan- based systems are
generally much more expensive than comparable non-data plan offerings. This
includes mobile wireless and satellite systems.
We currently have wireless internet from a set of towers established by our
electric cooperative. The speed is up to 7Mbps down, with no data caps, and the
cost is $60 per month. The electric coop says that the technology they have and
the spectrum they use does not allow them to increase the speed beyond 7Mbps.
While fairly reliable (although they are currently having difficulties with
their service provider and the system is very erratic (off and on), the speed
provided is quickly becoming frustrating. And the distance of service from each
tower is 1.5 miles, so this system cannot cover all the residents in my
township, approximately half of them cannot get service. We are located at the
very margin of Century Links CAF map and they have told us that they may not be
able to reach us by the end of the
CAF2 program. There are still many many rural areas in Minnesota that are
caught between very slow vs very expensive internet access.
I urge you and the Task Force to listen to wireless and satellite subscribers,
not just to the providers. And include subscribers from the hilly and conifer
forested parts of Minnesota, not just the open agricultural areas, as wireless
behaves quite differently “up north” than it does in southern Minnesota.
Sally Fineday
Cass Lake, Cass Lake
About/contact Sally Fineday: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/sallyfineday
------------------------
Reply: Reply-All or visit http://forums.e-democracy.org/
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Steven Clift
Ericsson, Minneapolis
About/contact Steven Clift: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/stevenclift1
------------------------
Reply: Reply-All or visit
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/V6EqtSB0hgCUOoL09bvtF
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