Bill Coleman, Bernadine Joselyn and Kelly Peterson spoke to the TISP Forum about the Blandin project proposed to receive ARRA broadband stimulus funding.
Read more on the Blandin on Broadband Blog.
The list of NTIA broadband stimulus proposals is out. There were 28 submitted from Minnesota and three others that focused at least in part in Minnesota. CTAC was involved with two proposals: an application submitted by the Blandin Foundation and one submitted by Leech Lake.
CTAC founder, Bill Coleman, had been working with Dakota County to help them submit an application to the Intelligent Community Forum to be considered for a Smart Community title. Severn communities will be chosen for the honor and then will be in the running for the most intelligent community.
The application process was arduous but it was a great opportunity to take stock of Dakota County’s broadband and technology highlights. We have posted those highlights on the Dakota Future web site.
Bill Coleman has been working with Dakota Future on their broadband policy. They recently shared their draft broadband policy with the Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force. Dakota’s policy include the following principles:
Earlier this week, Bill Coleman gave a presentation to the MN Cable Communications Association to detail the strategy behind the application that Blandin Foundation is developing for ARRA funding. The focus is on the Sustainable Broadband project area. The goal is to bring together key Minnesota organizations to create a program that will fund a variety of market development, economic development and sustainable broadband practices in rural MN communities.
Bill Coleman was pleased to accept the EDAM award for economic development initiative on behalf of the Blandin Foundation last week. (learn more)
The Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative is a unique effort to stimulate the deployment of broadband networks and to increase the effective use of these networks as a means to enhance community vitality.
Bill Coleman recently worked with the Blandin Foundation to present a Broadband Policy Seminar in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The seminar was held as a precursor to the Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force meeting, also held in Grand Rapids.
The seminar was well attended and received. Several of the participants went on to make public comments at the Task Force the following day, encouraging Task Force members to consider rural areas when making their broadband recommendations to the legislature.
[slideshare id=1611254&doc=broadbandworkshopgrandrapids-090619211329-phpapp01]
CTAC founder, Bill Colem and and the Dakota Future were recently in the Rosemount Town Pages. Bill is leading the county-wide economic development group in an effort to become one of the top seven Intelligent Communities in the world by 2012. The award promotes smart use of broadband technology.
Pursuing the award is a good way to help Dakota Future make a concerted effort to use technology wisely to support economic development. Winning the award would bring worldwide recognition to the county.
Posted with permission…
Date: April 22, 2009
To: Prospective Partners
MN Broadband Stimulus Application
From: Bernadine Joselyn
Director, Public Policy & Engagement
Re: Call for Partners
Blandin Foundation intends to develop and submit an application for federal broadband stimulus funds and is inviting interested prospective partners to join us in a collaborative effort to bring significant federal funds to Minnesota. Blandin Foundation brings financial match, grant-making expertise and broadband program experience to the project. We have a talented and experienced grant writer in place to facilitate application development.
Blandin Foundation’s interest is focused on funds targeting community education, community access, market development, broadband-dependent application development and economic development. Ideal partners would be statewide, regional or local organizations with capacity to assist in the implementation of projects, especially at the regional and local level.
This Blandin-led initiative will not be seeking funds for significant infrastructure development. Organizations seeking those funds may find benefit in citing the Blandin project as a value-add to their infrastructure initiatives. We would be pleased to include your initiative in our application as one that would participate and benefit from our prospective market development programs.
Organizations with definite interest in pursuing this collaborative effort should contact Bill Coleman at 651-491-2551 or [email protected] for additional information and next steps. We are planning meetings with organizations that we have identified as key stakeholders. Bill may also be contacting you directly to determine your interest in this project.
Organizations with an interest in working with Blandin or looking for other partnerships are invited to share their ideas through the Minnesota Broadband Coalition site: http://www.mnbroadbandcoalition.com/stimulus.html
Thanks for your consideration.
Earlier this week, CTAC founder, Bill Coleman spoke with other members of the Blandin Broadband Initiative team to folks around the state you are interested in improving broadband access in Minnesota.