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According to a Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project study, "The Mobile Difference," nearly 40 percent Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, thereby further immersing themselves into a more robust digital lifestyle.
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How will broadband affect burgeoning controversies over health care? The answers to this question and more came courtesy of a Broadband Cenus-hosted, hour-long panel discussion. View a video of the discussion.
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President Obama on Innovation and Sustainable Growth. President Barack Obama has new plans to strengthen the economy that will all favor people with hi-tech educations. View Now
Elevate Miami, a comprehensive Digital Inclusion program launched by the city of Miami, aims to serve youth, low-income families, minorities, seniors and residents facing barriers to digital inclusion. View Now
The Knight Center of Digital Excellence held its first Stimulus Webcast Session for Knight communities and program directors July 23. Watch it online now. View Now
By pushing hard on broadband, lawmakers hope to close the "digital divide" that has long separated rural America. In doing so, they hope to give rural consumers access to the same sorts of high-speed services and opportunities - think telemedicine, distance-learning and Web-based commerce - that city dwellers have enjoyed for years. View Now
One of the most infamous standup comedy routines is George Carlin’s “seven ‘dirty’ words you couldn’t say on television.” The routine was played on the radio and even spurred a hearing with Supreme Court to review the legality of saying these words on-air. While that list is obviously not appropriate here - the words that have been bandied about and debated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this year are important for you to know if you want to participate in the bid for stimulus dollars.
Broadband
Providing two-way data transmission with advertised speeds of at least 768 kilobits per second (Kpbs) downstream and at least 200 Kbps per upstream to end users, or providing sufficient capacity in a “middle mile” (see below) project to support the provision of broadband service to end users. Many have said this definition of broadband is much too slow and should be more like 5 or 10 Mbps.
Community Anchor Institutions
Schools, libraries, medical and healthcare providers, public safety entities, community colleges and other institutions of higher education, and other community support organizations and agencies that provide outreach, access, equipment and support services to facilitate the greater use of broadband service by vulnerable populations, including low-income, unemployed and senior citizens.
Critical Community Facilities
Public facilities that provide community services essential for supporting the safety, health and well-being of residents, including, but not limited to, emergency response and other public safety activities, hospitals and clinics, libraries and schools.
Last and Middle Mile
Last mile refers to any infrastructure project the predominant purpose of which is to provide broadband service to end users or end-user devices (including households, businesses, community anchor institutions, public safety entities, and critical community facilities).
Middle mile refers to a broadband infrastructure project that does not predominately provide broadband service to end users or end-user devices, and may include interoffice transport, backhaul, internet connectivity, or special access.
Rural Area
Any area, as confirmed by the latest U.S. Bureau of the Census data, which is not located within a city, town, or incorporated area that has a population of greater than 20,000 inhabitants; an urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants.
Underserved
A proposed funded service area, composed of one or more contiguous census blocks* meeting certain criteria that measure the availability of broadband service and the level of advertised broadband speeds. These criteria conform to the two distinct components of the Broadband Infrastructure category of eligible projects.
Specifically, a proposed funded service area may qualify as underserved for last mile projects if at least one of the following factors is met:
• No more than 50% of the households in the proposed funded service area have access to facilities-based, terrestrial broadband at greater than the minimum broadband transmission speed.
• No fixed or mobile broadband service provider advertises broadband transmission speeds of at least three megabits per second (Mbps) downstream in the proposed funded service area, or;
• The rate of broadband subscribership for the proposed funded service area is 40% of households or less.
A proposed funded service area may qualify for middle mile projects if one interconnection point terminates in a proposed funded service area that qualifies and unserved or underserved for last mile projects.
Unserved
A proposed funded service area, composed of one or more contiguous census blocks*, where at least 90 percent of households in the proposed funded service area lack access to facilities-based, terrestrial broadband service, either fixed or mobile, at the minimum broadband transmission speed (set forth in the definition of broadband above). A household has access to broadband service if the household can readily subscribe to that service upon request.
Although this list is not as comprehensive as others (click here to download the all the definitions in the NOFA), these are the terms or “dirty” words that have continued to be discussed and debated since the initial notification of the opportunity to bid for stimulus dollars in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence we encourage you to learn these words and continue to follow our blog as it parses their meaning so that your community will be better able to apply for your share of the stimulus pot.
*Census blocks are the smallest geographic areas for which the U.S. Bureau of the Census collects and tabulates its census data. Census blocks are formed by streets, roads, railroads, streams and other bodies of water, other visible physical and cultural features, and the legal boundaries shown on Census Bureau maps. Census data at this level serve as a valuable source for small-area geographic studies. See the Census Bureau’s website at www.census.gov for more detailed information on its data gathering methodology.
While Vermont’s farming industry and rural atmosphere still plays a major part in attracting and retaining young families, Eva Sollberger, Seven Days videographer and author of the weekly online video series “Stuck in Vermont,” said she found well over 1,000 tech-savvy Vermonters at the Vermont 3.0 Creative/Tech Career Jam – where students and job seekers got connected with local high-tech companies looking to hire.
At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we understand that some wonder why rural areas really need the bulk of broadband stimulus funding. Keep in mind that even the most rural areas of our country have high-speed needs – besides the obvious ones. Not only are these areas looking to bolster their existing economic strengths, but they’re also trying to retain and attract talent at new, tech-based businesses that many don’t even know exist.
In an interview, Sollberger said Vermont’s job market is growing and becoming more reliant on new communications technology. People are excited about new companies, technologies and the opportunities they present.
This video highlights Vermont’s growing need for increased connectivity while also showcasing that the state has a lot more to offer besides Holstein cows and rolling hillsides:
We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it as time approaches to submit proposals for federal stimulus money: Communities that work together on broad-minded proposals will have a big advantage. Organizations that go it alone risk getting lost in the mix.
Collaboration within communities is critical for many reasons, including the credibility it lends to proposals. As they review proposals, government agencies will want to see well-developed strategies that advance large, sustainable goals. This means individual organizations may need to set aside some of their special interests to stay focused on grander-scale local and regional efforts. The question to ask is: How can my organization contribute to a bigger project?
MuniWireless writer Craig Settles went as far as to say that for rural communities, the only option for getting stimulus money is by working together.
In his commentary, “Will Broadband Projects Dodge the Missteps of Municipal Wireless?”, Settles called attention to communities around Heppner, Ore., that are working toward a shared network to improve emergency services. By collaborating, these communities can build a better network for less money while simultaneously planning solutions for similar issues they all face.
If you’re not sure whether you’re heading in the right direction, we at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence will try to help answer your questions.
Our team leaders at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence are noticing something special in meetings with civic leaders in communities around the country: It’s a spark – an energy – that is emerging as people gather in town meetings to discuss the promise of federal stimulus money and how technology and innovation can change the future of community life.
In Aberdeen, S.D., for example, 100 civic leaders turned out recently for a series of meetings to discuss how digital initiatives might advance Aberdeen and surrounding rural areas.
In Detroit, community leaders are considering how new broadband networks can improve public safety, enhance job-training programs and bridge the digital divide.
Leaders in Lexington, Ky., are weaving plans that include fiber backbones, public WiFi and broader urban/rural access. The community is taking advantage of necessary preparations for World Equestrian Games in 2010 to implement strategies that will benefit the greater community for years to come.
High-speed Internet communication allows us to connect to each other and our communities in new and innovative ways. The ability to implement technology for the rural and underserved has been there – what’s been lacking is a will and a sustainable business model.
Stimulus money can help move projects into reality.
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