When the Knight Center of Digital Excellence prepares to enter one of the 26 Knight Communities, it has a specific methodology to measure progress as that community works to become connected. Regardless of where the community is located, what its population size is, or what its needs are, the steps followed to reach the end point do not change much.

Basically, every community map points to the same spot. It’s the route and mode of transportation that’s different.

Knight Center Community Program Manager Lynda Goff provided an example of this by comparing two of her Knight Communities: Lexington, Ky., and Aberdeen, S.D. Communities such as Lexington already realize what benefits broadband technology can bring and may already have a few projects in the works. Communities such as the more rural Aberdeen may realize their needs, but aren’t fully aware of what the benefits of a broadband network may be.

One needs a facilitator. The other needs an advisor. Both need to emphasize different types of collaboration to get the right community projects moving.

In Lexington, the University of Kentucky and local government have some existing network sharing, but it wasn’t until a more collaborative community process was established that current key stakeholders were able to define what projects really were needed. A more collaborative process with the community brought other people to the table to develop a stronger, more representative voice.

The Knight Center facilitated the formation and on-going support of the Lexington Broadband Coalition, a group that has designed plans to extend the existing four square mile, downtown wireless network to cover a 10-square-mile area and extend a fiber connection from University of Kentucky’s Coldstream Research Park to the Kentucky Horse Park, site of the upcoming 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games. The city expects over 600,000 visitors during the event, and plans to utilize the expanded wireless network to allow downtown visitors access up-to-the-minute event results and information on area transportation, parking, traffic, airports and hotels/restaurants/clubs.

But the wireless network project won’t stop when the games are over. With a more thorough collaborative effort, Lexington leaders were able to take a few months to form a team with stakeholders from various levels of the community to look at how the network can be used to increase public safety and move broadband into underserved areas of the city.

In Lexington, Goff said her experience in getting key stakeholders together and motivated was relatively easy since discussions were already taking place. Groups were small and the people needed to move projects forward were easily identified. However, a facilitator was needed to keep discussions ongoing and help leaders prioritize projects.

In Aberdeen, a broadband leadership role had never been fostered until the Knight Center began its work there. In fact, the small city had never even really discussed what a broadband network could help it achieve. With proper advising, however, the city is now having robust discussions on how to use broadband to build out to rural communities. Absolutely! Aberdeen, an online economic development and marketing program designed to improve the quality of life and job creation in the Aberdeen area through promotion, has stepped up as the area’s main leader in talking to individuals and facilitating a more regional discussion.

Absolutely! Aberdeen’s regional development plan, Prairie Vision, outlines an understanding: By unifying shared concerns and pooling resources, the region strengthens its voice and effects positive change and development while building relationships and bringing about mutual opportunities.

Those concerns center on services. Consider the rural area Aberdeen is located in. The city itself is home to 25,000 people. The surrounding 12-county area has a low population density, stretching 14,000 square miles with only nine inhabitants per square mile. That leads to some interesting questions. How do you effectively deliver health care to these people? How do you form interoperability so public safety forces can talk to each other?

The answer turned out to be broadband communications. The right program turned out to be the Northeast South Dakota Rural Broadband Project, which was made possible through a partnership between the Knight Center, TelServ Communications and the North East Council of Governments. The project aims to bring a wireless broadband super-highway linking 12 contiguous counties in rural Northeast South Dakota and provide broadband connectivity to more than 60,000 people. The Knight Center also worked with both partnering organizations to submit a Broadband Information Program application for funding.

In Aberdeen, stakeholders are now looking at broadband solutions to determine how to address regional concerns. What was once a topic that was never discussed has now developed into a strategic, long-range plan with a strong community leader receiving input from different sectors in the community.

Both Lexington and Aberdeen are looking at a broadband map pointing to the same spot. The route and mode of transportation each is using to get there is what’s different. Regardless, as both communities continue to plot their broadband directions, guided collaboration and leadership will help pave the way.