RUS ARRA Broadband Grant Status
Final announcements on the USDA-RUS grants are slated to be announced next week. The waiting will be over and we will know which direction we need to point our efforts next: Either towards helping North East Service Cooperative build a network, or looking for new approaches to getting the job done.
We learned last week that the Arrowhead Electric board voted to withdraw their application from consideration by RUS for building a fiber optic network in Cook County. We understand that the gaps left when their partner, Pulse Broadband pulled out of part of the agreement were too big for them to fill within the allotted timeframe. This news means that the North East Service Cooperative is the only organization with an active grant application to provide broadband services to Cook County.
Local Service Provider News
On August 24th, the shareholders of both Qwest and CenturyLink voted to approve the merger of the two companies. While the merger still needs to be reviewed by 14 state regulatory commissions and the FCC, the process is expected to be completed during the first half of 2011. It is unclear at this point how the merger will affect Cook County customers. The North East Service Cooperative is in discussion with both companies about using the fiber optic network to deliver services to their customers in Cook County.
AT&T continues to move forward with their plans to expand wireless coverage in Cook County. According to Duane Ege, Cook County’s radio technician, modifications are almost complete that will accommodate AT&T equipment on towers in Grand Portage and Lutsen. Preparations are also underway to replace towers at mid-trail and Gunflint Lake on the Gunflint Trail in order to support additional AT&T wireless service in those areas. We are being told that plans to roll out 3G service at these sites will happen incrementally over the next year.
Blandin MIRC Grant
As reported last time, we have published the RFP/Application for community broadband projects. We would love to hear from the organizations that are planning to submit an application. We are aiming to schedule an “RFP Workshop” later this month that will help answer applicant’s questions, and possibly identify partnership opportunities. We have almost 200 votes on our Ideas site where we are gathering community input on the project.
Boreal Video Site Wins an Award!
Boreal Video Labs is a small project that was spawned from all of the great discussions surrounding community uses of broadband. The project gathers videos by and about the people and places of Cook County in an effort to add another facet to our unique sense of place online. The site was nominated for recognition in the Minnesota Community Pride Competition and received the Best in Class award for Broadband Improvements & Applications Category. Thanks to the Minnesota State Fair, Minnpost, and Minnesota Rural Partners for the opportunity and recognition. Thanks to local videographers like Joan Farnam, Barbara Jean Johnnson, and Bryan Hansel for sharing their videos with the community!
