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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.
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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.
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The Knight Center of Digital Excellence held its first Stimulus Webcast Session for Knight communities and program directors July 23. Watch it online now.
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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.
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Posts Tagged ‘utilities’
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
A recent event that didn’t get a lot of attention but managed to bring in a lot of the communication industry’s heavy hitters was SUPERCOMM 2009, held in Chicago during late October.
Speakers presenting on their insights and strategic plans included top-ranking officials from many major communications companies such as Verizon Communications, AT&T Operations, NBC Universal and Cox Communications – just to name a few. Verizon Communications Chairman Ivan Seidenberg delivered a keynote address touching on using networking technology to create a “smarter planet, smarter health care and smarter education.”
Private sector interests were also represented by Hardik Bhatt, Chicago’s chief information officer; Jonathan Adelstein, administrator, Rural Utilities Service; Larry Strickling, assistant secretary for Communications and Information and administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Blair Levin, executive director, Omnibus Broadband Initiative, Federal Communications Commission; and Aneesh Chopra, U.S. chief technology officer and associate director for technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, who delivered a keynote address on how he feels broadband will change the U.S. economy.
The event featured a number of suppliers showcasing the latest in broadband innovation as well as exhibits that demonstrated an industry-wide commitment to “green broadband,” which explores green regulations, recent studies on business opportunities in the low-carbon economy and how applications like intelligent monitoring can help reduce the energy burden of broadband.
Despite “always on” operation, broadband devices typically don’t consume a large amount of energy on their own, according to a U.S Department of Energy report. However, the appreciable indirect energy consumption they cause through extended use of related devices is proving to be significant. Figures presented at SUPERCOMM showed the standby power-draw from routers in 61 million U.S. homes served with broadband represents enough energy to meet the needs of the entire city of Oakland, Calif.
SUPERCOMM 2009’s complimentary programming also focused on broadband solutions. Technology-focused sessions took a forward-looking approach at how certain technologies were deployed in a network or how a service was applied, and how that technology or service will evolve to apply to future needs. Educational sessions covered topics such as the upcoming national broadband plan, digital content, service-oriented networks and social media.
While a number of interesting topics were discussed, it was good to see such a diverse group of key public and private sector thinkers convene to discuss how future innovation benefits everyone. It’s evident that key players in the communications game are placing an emphasis on broadband technology and the kinds of services and applications it can potentially power.
Tags: Aneesh Chopra, AT&T, Blair Levin, Broadband Expansion, California, Chicago, Cox Communications, digital, digital content, digital divide, economy, electricity, FCC, Federal, green broadband, Hardik Bhatt, high-speed, Illinois, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Ivan Seidenberg, Jonathan Adelstein, Larry Strickling, national broadband plan, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NBC Universal, NTIA, Oakland, Omnibus Broadband Initiative, Rural Utilities Service, RUS, service-oriented network, social media, SUPERCOMM 2009, U.S. Department of Energy, utilities, Verizon
Posted in Digital news, broadband | 3 Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
 When we read about a groundbreaking surgical procedure, we picture the surgeon using the scapel, not the hundreds of tests and years of clinical study that guided his incisions. When we watch an exciting football game, we see the elite quarterback dismantling a defense, not the days he spent watching film with a DVD remote in his hand instead of a ball.
We see the success, not the research that drove it.
However, at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we view research a little differently than most. Research data has proven itself to be invaluable to our cause of creating connected communities. Solid research serves as the backbone for any successful broadband initiative and ensures we don’t enter a community “blind.”
And it’s not just about collecting as many statistics and facts as possible. Research also includes making determinations on what to research and how to go about it. As the saying goes, there’s a method to the madness. So, how do we go about it? Knight Center Research Analyst Debra Canale took some time to provide detail on a handful of the many valuable tools in our data-gathering arsenal:
Environmental Scans give us a complete overview of a community even before we step into it. They help to answer:
• Who are the major stakeholders and key entities in the community?
• What is the demographic profile of the community?
• What are the economic/labor issues confronting the community?
• What are the major headlines/issues facing the community?
• What is the history of broadband/wi-fi/digital inclusion/technology, etc. initiatives in the community?
• What is the regulatory environment to promote/hinder broadband initiatives?
• What are the “anchor institutions” and key employers of the community?
• Who are the major stakeholders in the community and what kind of projects do they fund? Has the state issued any grants to fund technology/broadband initiatives?
• How does the community stand regarding the three top Knight Center verticals: Education, health care and e-government?
• How does the community stand regarding the six second-tier verticals: Safety and response, economic development, social services, workforce development, journalism and new media, civic engagement and arts and culture?
Broadband Market Profiles help benchmark current broadband coverage for households and institutional users and help identify market gaps and opportunities. They also help to answer:
• What are the broadband options available in a community (number of vendors, speeds, prices, adoption)?
• What are the disparities in broadband availability within the community (based on income, geographic location, etc.)?
• Who are the potential partners, competitors and customers?
Asset Inventories help us determine existing assets within a community that can be leveraged for a broadband infrastructure project by answering:
• What are the existing physical broadband assets within the community?
• What other community assets can be leveraged for a broadband project?
• Are there any regulations/ordinances that impact broadband deployment?
• Has the community received any funding that can be leveraged for a broadband initiative?
According to Canale, the first pass on these reports is based solely on secondary data from open and subscription data bases and other published sources – with phone calls to government offices, schools, libraries and other institutions thrown in for good measure.
Solid research is key to a successful broadband initiative. The first round of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act broadband stimulus program provided numerous opportunities for Knight Communities to pursue platforms for open dialogue, innovation, thought leadership and high-impact access projects. To ensure communities had the best chance to receive stimulus funding, the Knight Center relied on a five-stage research methodology to prove target areas were unserved/underserved as part of the Broadband Initiative Program and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program application directives.
The point: We place serious emphasis on the efforts of Canale and the entire research team. It not only enhances our efforts in the field, but it helps provide communities with an idea on how to ground their broadband projects with data-driven market realities.
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, asset inventories, BIP, broadband, Broadband Initiatives Program, broadband market profile, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BTOP, civic engagement, Debra Canale, digital inclusion, DVD, e-government, education, environmental scan, healthcare, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, journalism, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Knight communities, new media, public safety, research, stimulus, utilities, Wi-Fi
Posted in Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband | 6 Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
 In any national broadband strategy, adoption and use need to play a major role. We’ve seen numerous examples of broadband driving future applications that will enhance lives. Advances in education, health care and economic development are out there, and many Americans are going to need to increase their technological competencies in order to realize the benefits.
While the U.S. Broadband Coalition submitted a report on a national broadband strategy to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Sept. 24, it recently submitted another that offers more detailed policy suggestions.
The Broadband Adoption and Use Working Group, chaired by Charles Benton, of the Benton Foundation; Link Hoewing, of Verizon; Karen Archer Perry, of the Knight Center of Digital Excellence; and Kenneth Peres of Communications Workers of America, collaborated with more than 30 authors representing over 25 different firms to create a new report that was delivered to the FCC Oct. 29 and will be showcased in a public forum at the FCC Hearing Room in Washington D.C. Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. EST.
“Broadband Adoption and Use: Bridging the Divide and Increasing the Intensity of Broadband Use Across All Sectors of the Economy,” is a robust document focusing on policy options that promote: inclusion, increased intensity of broadband use, interoperability, integration of broadband and technology into other programs, and expanded innovation. The report’s hundred plus policy ideas address each of these principles directly.
Inclusion
As more functions in our society move online, the cost of digital exclusion continues to escalate. Conversely, the value associated with any given Internet-enabled service increases as more people or devices access that service. This report includes specific recommendations to bridge the digital divide. Its universal design principles seek to bring access to people with disabilities. The benefits of broadband can potentially reach 40 percent of American adults who currently have inadequate or no access.
Intensity of Broadband Use
While broadband appears to be well integrated in some sectors of our nation’s economy, we’re actually in the beginning stages of broadband adoption as a whole. The potential to further leverage broadband technologies across society and the economy creates unparalleled opportunities to grow our economy and enrich lives.
The report covers a number of policy options designed to increase adoption and use in the areas of economic development, health care, public safety, education, energy and sustainability, and democracy and civic engagement.
Interoperability
While broadband developments to-date are founded on the natural interoperability of Internet Protocol (the method by which data is sent from one computer to another), more application-level interoperability is needed to accelerate development across sectors and constituencies such as in health care and public safety. The report points out where policy and standardization can drive additional deployment and create new, more effective use models.
Integration of Broadband into Everything
Broadband technology and Internet-based applications can no longer be managed and funded in “technology silos” of policy and investment. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is integral to social services, education, health care, safety, civic rights and engagement, and all other sectors of the economy. The report recommends ICT investment and policy be incorporated into other federal and state programs such as housing, social services, education, and health care as integral funded and mission-aligned program components.
Investment
Strategic investments such as those made through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act’s broadband stimulus funding, Universal Service Funds and USDA Rural Health programs are critical to filling gaps in the market in terms of access, adoption and applications.
Innovation
The hallmark of the Internet age has been innovation. While change is necessary to broaden and deepen the impact of broadband across the U.S., changes must also preserve and encourage continued innovation at all levels of the economy and market. A number of recent studies have shown the Internet is the new platform for innovation not only in the U.S. but globally. Consider the number of new applications and devices over the past few years.
Could any of us have accurately predicted this exact kind of innovation would take place? Can we accurately predict the future possibilities that exist? Probably not.
But as the Coalition suggests, we can encourage policies that will “focus not on protecting status quo but in continuing to create a fertile environment for U.S.-based innovation, expansion as well as adoption and use.”
Over 30 industry experts from 25 firms contributed to “Broadband Adoption and Use: Bridging the Divide and Increasing the Intensity of Broadband Use Across All Sectors of the Economy,” In addition to the report co-chairs, Alcatel-Lucent, Net Literacy, Telcordia, Utilities Telecom Council, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, OneCommunity and many others contributed to this report.
Each report section includes a statement on the opportunity, barriers and possible policy options to be implemented at the federal, state or local levels of government. While the report reflects a few areas of contention, there is strong overall agreement that increasing the adoption and use of broadband technology and services is good for America and for Americans.
With the Internet celebrating only its 40th birthday and search functions just over 10 years old, this is still a field in the early stages of growth and value. There is much we can do to create greater inclusion in adoption and to drive for greater value across those sectors where broadband is already in use and this report includes a menu of serious options for consideration.
Future events
The “Broadband Adoption and Use: Bridging the Divide and Increasing the Intensity of Broadband Use Across All Sectors of the Economy” report will be publicly released Nov. 13 and will be showcased in live and webcast events at the FCC Headquarters on the same day at 1 p.m. EST. Please check the Knight Center website for more details, go to www.BB4US.net or contact Karen Archer Perry at kperry@knightcenter.org.
Tags: Alcatel-Lucent, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, bandwidth, benton foundation, broadband, Broadband Adoption and Use, Broadband Adoption and Use Working Group, Broadband Expansion, Charles Benton, Communications Workers of America, digital, digital divide, economy, education, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, healthcare, ICT, Information and Communications Technology, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Interoperability, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Karen Archer Perry, Kenneth Peres, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Link Hoewing, national broadband plan, Net Literacy, network, OneCommunity, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, public safety, rural communities, stimulus, Telcordia, telemedicine, U.S. Broadband Coalition, underserved, Universal Service Funds, USDA Rural Health, utilities, Utilities Telecom Council, Verizon, Washington D.C.
Posted in Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, broadband, national broadband plan | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
The Knight Center of Digital Excellence has been extremely active in helping its Knight communities participate in the first round of broadband stimulus funding by collaborating with like-minded organizations to create a host of innovative programs designed to create jobs and bolster local economies.
We also supported local groups with their own asks – including Philadelphia’s Digital Philadelphia initiative; Miami’s “Elevate Miami;” Miami-Dade County’s Public Safety/Special Purpose Broadband; Detroit Broadband LLC’s (Clearwire); St. Paul, Minn.; Duluth, Minn.; and Biloxi, Miss.
Our proposals included:
• Connect Your Community
• Miami-Dade Broadband Coalition Infrastructure Project
• Northeast South Dakota Rural Broadband Project
Connect Your Community
A Sustainable Broadband Adoption stimulus proposal, Connect Your Community (CYC) saw the Knight Center partner with a host of the nation’s top digital adoption experts to propose a program that would engage, train, equip and support new broadband users in multiple communities, including Aberdeen, S.D.; Akron, Ohio; Biloxi/Gulfport, Miss.; Bradenton, Fla.; Detroit; Lexington, Ky.; Miami; and St. Paul.
CYC would directly help more than 75,000 disadvantaged households benefit from Internet access through a high-touch, community-based, replicable approach. The program would include digital literacy training and support, creating about 136 direct jobs while generating another 50 indirect positions. The Knight Center has partnered with community agencies such as urban leagues, libraries, educational institutions, economic development groups and health and human services organizations that would carry out the work in each targeted region.
National collaborators that would support key aspects of CYC include the Benton Foundation; the Alliance for Community Media; PBS; PC Rebuilders and Recyclers; TechSoup; Angela Siefer, of ShinyDoor; Jim Baller, of Baller Herbst Law Group and the U.S. Broadband Coalition; and Karen Peltz Strauss, of KPS Consulting. Dr. Kate Williams, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois and a leading authority on program evaluation, would design evaluation methods for the project.
Miami-Dade Broadband Coalition Infrastructure Project
The Knight Center partnered with the Miami-Dade Broadband Coalition in the planned construction of a robust, open, carrier-neutral broadband network that would provide broadband services augmented by nearly 35 square miles of wireless Internet access to up to 900 community organizations and institutions while reaching more than 2 million residents. This project has the potential to serve as a model economic engine and platform for innovation for the healthcare, education, public safety, digital inclusion, biotechnology, research and e-government applications.
This infrastructure project is expected to create more than 1,150 immediate, high-paying jobs directly involved with the implementation of the project, and 575 indirect jobs as a result of project related activity. The estimated economic impact created by this project is projected to be more than $1 billion with an increase in direct annual income of more than $700 million.
The Knight Center and the Miami Dade Broadband Coalition submitted a proposal to the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, requesting $64 million to cover close to 80 percent of the total project costs. If this funding is not obtained, the project will continue at a smaller scale.
Northeast South Dakota Rural Broadband Project
The Northeast South Dakota Rural Broadband Project is 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 addition to the possible development and deployment of advanced public safety, e-government, telemedicine, agricultural, biotechnology and learning applications, the project is expected to generate an economic impact of more than $22 million a year, including preserving and creating more than 50 immediate, high-paying jobs directly involved with implementation and 470 indirect jobs.
These projects are just the beginning as rounds two and three should provide even more opportunities for Knight communities. The Knight Center of Digital Excellence is dedicated to helping our communities become connected communities. For more information on what the Knight Center is doing in your community and others, visit www.knightcenter.org.
Tags: Aberdeen, Akron, Alliance for Community Media, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, Angela Siefer, Baller Herbst Law Group, bandwidth, benton foundation, Biloxi, BIP, Bradenton, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Broadband Initiatives Program, broadband stimulus funding, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BTOP, community, Connect Your Community, CYC, Detroit, digital, Digital Philadelphia, Dr. Kate Williams, Duluth, economy, education, electricity, Elevate Miami, Gulfport, healthcare, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, Jim Baller, Karen Peltz Strauss, KCoDE, Knight, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, KPS Consulting, Lexington, Miami, Miami-Dade County, network, North East Council of Governments, Northeast South Dakota Rural Broadband Project, PBS, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, Philadelphia, rural communities, ShinyDoor, South Dakota, St. Paul, stimulus, stimulus watch, TechSoup, telemedicine, TelServ Communications, U.S. Broadband Coalition, University of Illinois, utilities
Posted in ARRA, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Stimulus Package, broadband | No Comments »
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
 By Mark T. Ansboury, the Knight Center of Digital Excellence
As federal officials begin reviewing 2,200 detailed proposals requesting more than seven times the $4 billion in broadband investment in this round of stimulus funding, it’s a good time to revisit the big-picture and ask what outcomes are we looking for and what should drive funding decisions. With the government investing ambitiously in economic recovery, Americans should be equally bold in expecting a return on our nation’s investment.
And to ensure the long-term benefits - particularly given this is our infrastructure for innovation and global competitiveness for years to come - we all should be thinking years and decades out. To quote the “Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, you should “go to where the puck’s going, not where it is.”
So, as the Federal Communications Commission is charged with establishing our nation’s first broadband policy, we should focus not only where we fall short today, but also where we will entirely miss opportunities - and the puck. We need to know where our broadband strategy is going and what happens to our nation’s future without a bold one.
We need to follow the lead of other countries and start aiming (including investing and incentivizing) for gigabit Internet speeds for all. Gigabit-speed networks would provide Americans with hundreds of times the Internet speeds broadband households currently have.
Only a broadband policy striving for gigabit speeds will put us on par with our world competitors and provide the infrastructure America will need to compete for years to come. Right now, the U.S. government and the stimulus package are allowing the bar to be set so low, we are certain to fund initiatives that are, by international standards, already obsolete, while other countries such as Australia and Korea are committing even greater funds than the U.S. to upgrade networks. Quite simply, tomorrow’s innovation will come from whatever parts of the world have the platforms to foster it.
Gigabit broadband can also drive sweeping transformation in our communities and across sectors that affect us all, such as health care, education, government and public safety, and get our economy moving in the right direction again.
If the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act is truly going to help, today’s investment needs to continue once the shovels are put back in the shed. That means investing in technologies that will continue to have impact and empower businesses individuals while creating new opportunities and sustainable growth. As our economy changes, business and individuals are looking for new ways to engage their future workforce. On the home front, it’s about addressing the future needs of a connected household, providing high-bandwidth networks to manage household services, access to sensors for environmental and health management, availability of real-time access to the workplace, school, public safety and community services and numerous applications that have not been invented yet.
What do we know? Internet service has become more and more a necessity of daily life. It was only 15 years ago when phone companies said the Internet was a fad. The world has changed and will keep changing. Enabling gigabit access throughout the community will foster economic development and enable citizens to have access to new applications where they live, work and play. We should be thinking about incentivizing investment and innovation enabling new markets, new consumers and new services so as a nation and as individual citizens, we have a choice on the type and level of services we can access. Such access will determine whether we can actively conduct business from a home office, participate in a class discussion remotely, or access top quality health care regardless how far we live from the best hospitals.
What don’t we know? The opportunities, services, efficiencies and competitive advantage that having a true platform for innovation - a gigabit national network - would provide.
Take the example of health care, and what gigabit speed - or lack of it - would mean to you. With gigabit speeds, you could live in a remote town, yet be “seen” by a top doctor any distance away via video, through your home television screen, use local sensors to provide environmental information, statistics regarding your condition or state of health, monitor the trends in regards to chronic conditions. Gigabit speed means you can be monitored daily from your home by nurses and technicians at your local caregiver or doctor’s office. This, too, is possible with medical devices available on the market and is already happening in pockets of our country, where broadband capacity is available.
Close monitoring of this kind can mean life or death to many individuals. Simultaneously, it can help shift the focus of health care to wellness and prevention, to avoid as many high-cost emergencies as possible.
Looking similarly at government, education and other key sectors of our economy, there are equally transforming possibilities that will result from gigabit speeds.
Collectively across sectors, the effect of gigabit speeds will be not just economic recovery, but also improved quality of life and sustained competitiveness. Today’s spending choices and public policy decisions amount to an incentive and investment into the business plan for America’s future. Good planning requires that we learn from the past while keeping our eye on a greater future. Our American tradition is one of reaching for the highest goals, whether, in our past, via the Oregon Trail or an Apollo mission to the moon. Today, in the 21st century, why wouldn’t we go for gigabit speeds?
Mark T. Ansboury is chief technology officer of the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, based in Akron, Ohio. The center is operated by Cleveland-based technology nonprofit OneCommunity, in partnership with The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and is dedicated to creating connected communities through strategies that utilize information technologies to drive civic progress and economic development. To learn more about the Knight Center, go to www.knightcenter.org or e-mail info@knightcenter.org.
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, bandwidth, broadband, Broadband Expansion, broadband stimulus funding, community, digital, economy, education, FCC, Federal Communications Commission, gigabit, gigabit Internet speeds, healthcare, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Mark Ansboury, network, OneCommunity, stimulus, stimulus watch, telemedicine, utilities, Wayne Gretsky
Posted in ARRA, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Opinion, Stimulus Package, broadband | No Comments »
Friday, August 7th, 2009
 By Charles Berry, Knight Center of Digital Excellence
As the Aug. 14 stimulus application deadline draws near, here are a few to-do items to include on your checklist.
Don’t forget to register by going to http://www.broadbandusa.gov/register.htm. This is a must, and time is running out. At this government registration site, you’ll be able to:
1. Get a DUNS Number for your organization.
2. Ensure your organization has a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN). (You should know the taxpayer name associated with these numbers.)
3. Register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). You also must register for a Level 1 eAuthentication ID to enable you to draw the proposed service area for the application.
Monitor BroadbandUSA’s website for FAQs and the latest announcements about funding requirements. You may also ask questions at the workshops hosted by the RUS and NTIA. The vetted answers are the basis of the FAQs.
Subscribe to Broadband Headlines Newsletter, a daily release from the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, to arm yourself with the latest news about broadband and stimulus funding. Subscribe
After covering the basics, you may also be wondering how to make your application stand out in a crowded field. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Show your community is working together to leverage assets toward common goals. Instead of going it alone, develop strong partnerships with anchor institutions in your community. Create a vision for how public/private partnerships can really work.
Pay attention to details and precise specifications in your application. Use concise, persuasive language, and present clear plans and supporting information.
Capture attention with your executive summary. Make sure it conveys the big picture, while flowing logically and matching information detailed in your narrative. At one workshop, a panelist suggested the executive summary be written after the application is complete in order to ensure consistency. Remember, the pieces have to fit together to tell your story.
Describe your methodology for gathering and analyzing data used in substantiating claims of unserved or underserved service areas.
Remember, it’s all about jobs. Focus on impacts to economic development, job creation, education/skill building and public safety.
Clearly say what you propose to do. Describe the applications to be deployed and the benefits to your community. Detail the user training and education programs, along with adoption and communication plans.
Calculate the expected ROI (return on investment) and VOI (value on investment) and explain how the project will become sustainable over time.
On the flip side, here are some things you don’t want your application to convey:
A timeline that doesn’t mesh with requirements for stimulus funding. ARRA projects must be substantially complete in two years and fully completed in three.
Don’t say what you don’t know for sure. Avoid statements or claims about resources, infrastructure or capabilities that might be difficult to substantiate should you be challenged during the due diligence period.
Avoid shortcuts. In particular, proving eligibility based on the unserved/underserved guidelines is very difficult given the lack of information available. But don’t ignore this step. Take your best shot at describing the data that leads you to believe your analysis of the service area is valid.
Finally, here are a few hints to further help you on your way:
Perform the BIP Self-Assessment test and ensure you have assigned individuals/experts who will be responsible for specific sections of the application.
Pay close attention to the Project Description section of the application. This is a three- to four-sentence description (400 characters) that should concisely describe your proposed project. Your answer will be published on Recovery.gov and BroadbandUSA.gov to showcase the types of projects received. Make sure those three to four sentences say exactly what you want to convey to the world as well as to any entities that may challenge your proposal.
Continue to collect data corroborating broadband demand and access after you submit your proposal. The NOFA infrastructure application offers incumbents a 30-day period to contest your proposal by claiming they already cover the unserved or underserved areas you want to cover. Best to compile data even after submitting your proposal, so you’ll be ready for a challenge, should it occur.
If you have questions, consult the proper documents or e-mail us at info@knightcenter.org
Charles Berry serves as Chief Operating Officer for the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, based in Akron, Ohio. The center is operated by Cleveland-based technology nonprofit OneCommunity, in partnership with The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and is dedicated to creating connected communities through strategies that utilize information technologies to drive civic progress and economic development. To learn more about the Knight Center, go to www.knightcenter.org or e-mail info@knightcenter.org
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, ARRA, BIP, BIP Self-Assessment test, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Broadband Headlines Newsletter, Broadband Initiatives Program, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, BroadbandUSA, BTOP, Central Contractor Registration, Charles Berry, community, digital, DUNS number, economy, education, EIN, electricity, healthcare, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Level 1 eAuthentication ID, methodology, network, NTIA, OneCommunity, Project Description, public safety, ROI, rural communities, RUS, stimulus, stimulus application, stimulus watch, telemedicine, TIN, underserved, unserved, utilities, VOI
Posted in ARRA, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, OneCommunity, Opinion, Stimulus Package, broadband | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 7th, 2009
 By Doug Adams, Knight Center of Digital Excellence
While President Barack Obama and Congress have made clear how important broadband is to our nation by putting $7.2 billion in stimulus funding behind broadband initiatives, there still seems to be a perception gap among many non-adopter citizens.
In short, there is a lack of understanding of the value broadband connectivity can bring to their lives. The U.S. Telecom Association recently said many citizens aren’t adopting because of “perceived lack of Internet relevance.”
If the perception is that high-speed access is about iTunes and iPods, then public education should become part of public policy as it relates to stimulus funding on broadband networks.
We know it’s routine for students to submit their assignments online, or for job seekers to find and apply for employment. What’s less obvious is that high-speed Internet is the new platform for innovation, collaboration, education, learning and professional development opportunities. Broadband networks are critical to our individual, community, and nation’s progress.
In the Cleveland area, for example, public libraries offer summer programs to teach children 3-D imaging, animation and other skills that will prepare them for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Or go to Detroit, where an organization named Youthville is promoting a holistic and integrated approach to developing youth. Programs for children cover computer skills, leadership, academics, fitness, Web broadcasting and music studio recording. Among these programs is a new, one-of-a-kind, 24-hour broadcasting studio.
This spring in Miami, the city announced the start of a $200 million Smart Grid initiative led by state utility company Florida Power & Light. An initial build-out to 1,000 homes will validate different devices and services such as dashboards, smart thermostats, smart appliances and demand response software that are designed to help consumers more actively manage their energy consumption.
These are just a few examples of ongoing initiatives we at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence are helping along.
It is a disservice to America to trivialize the importance of broadband by relating applications primarily to pop culture. Sure, entertainment options increase as broadband expands, but that’s hardly the driving force of broadband networks. The public relations firm Ruder Finn found in a recent survey that research and self-education topped entertainment as reasons for going online. Those findings mirror a 2008 study by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, which found over 60 percent of online visits at public libraries were work or education related.
While our nation invests $7.2 billion in stimulus funding for broadband initiatives, let’s not lose sight of the compelling “so what” – that is, the opportunity for economic growth that will improve quality of life for Americans.
Beyond what’s at stake for individuals and communities, our nation is now in a position of playing catch-up with global competitors. We’re woefully behind in developing the broadband platform needed to continue moving forward and spurring innovation. In a recent Technology Policy Institute study analyzing download speeds, the U.S. falls between 11th and 14th in the world in that category, depending on the survey.
More disheartening is a Speedtest.net study that shows the U.S. had one of the worst increases in download speed over the past year of any nation.
It gets even worse regarding upload speeds. A number of studies shows the average U.S. upload speed to be somewhere between 371 kilobytes per second (Kbps) and 435 Kbps. Hardly adequate for the many potential business, education, telemedicine and e-government applications we need to drive down costs and spur innovation.
It’s critical to get everyone in the U.S. connected to high-speed Internet as soon as possible. When citizens aren’t online, our nation’s resources – our entrepreneurial spirit and innovative minds – are not being leveraged.
It’s time now to connect the dots on the demonstrated payoffs, so that Americans clearly know what opportunities are in store as a result of broadband adoption.
So what? It’s our future.
Doug Adams oversees public information efforts for the Knight Center of Digital Excellence based in Akron, Ohio. The center is operated by Cleveland-based technology nonprofit OneCommunity, in partnership with The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and is dedicated to creating connected communities through strategies that utilize information technologies to drive civic progress and economic development. To learn more about the Knight Center, go to www.knightcenter.org or e-mail info@knightcenter.org.
Tags: 3-D, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, bandwidth, Barack Obama, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Cleveland, community, Congress, Detroit, digital, digital divide, Doug Adams, economy, education, Florida, Florida Power & Light, healthcare, high-speed, infrastructure, innovation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Internet, iPod, iTunes, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Miami, Michigan, network, non-adopter, Ohio, OneCommunity, Smart Grid, Speedtest.net, stimulus, stimulus watch, Technology Policy Institute, U.S. Telecom Association, upload speed, utilities
Posted in ARRA, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, OneCommunity, Opinion, Stimulus Package, broadband | No Comments »
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Attracting and retaining business is an important part of any community’s economic makeup. And it’s the little guy that can sometimes provide the greatest benefit for many areas.
Small businesses employ over half of the U.S. private workforce. In many communities, small businesses may employ even a higher percentage.
The stimulus package means jobs for small businesses. The U.S. Council of Economic Advisers projects the stimulus package – as a whole – will create of save about 3.7 million jobs (1.6 million in small and mid-sized businesses). Steve King, of Emergent Research, indicates a significant share of those jobs will take place in areas where growing businesses play a major role.
According to King, the stimulus package provides a number of elements to boost the economy, mostly centered around a modernized infrastructure, a shift to clean energy, an improvement in healthcare, broadened educational opportunities and an expanded use of technology.
At the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, we’re seeing how an “expanded use of technology” – specifically broadband technology – is already laying the groundwork for future economic development in numerous Knight communities. Consider just a few of the previous articles we’ve reported on: wireless networks taking off in Akron, Ohio; advances in Smart Grid technology in Miami; the use of ePrescribing and telemedicine applications in numerous states, IT workforce development programs in Lexington, Ky.
Broadband Internet is playing a crucial role in all areas outlined as crucial elements in getting our nation’s economy back on track. Keep in mind these programs not only lay the foundation for economic success for existing businesses, but for entrepreneurs as well.
Consider what the Internet has allowed many to accomplish already. Some 20,000 small businesses now operate on the Internet, 120,000 individuals are primarily employed as eBay sellers and 500,000 individuals have part-time businesses on eBay. In addition, there are several examples of Internet companies that have risen to prominence within the last 10 years to become major employers. Amazon, Cisco Systems, Symantec, Google and eBay collectively employ 75,000 people. All in all, consumer e-commerce comprises about 10 percent of all U.S. retailing.
Communities that can offer expanded broadband technology better position themselves to not only attract and retain existing business, but allow small ones to grow and thrive. And thriving local business means a more solid tax base and greater economic freedom.
Tags: Akron, Amazon, American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Cisco Systems, community, digital, eBay, economy, education, electricity, Emergent Research, Florida, Google, healthcare, high-speed, Information Technology, infrastructure, innovation, Internet, IT, KCoDE, Kentucky, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Lexington, Miami, network, Ohio, small business, Steve King, stimulus, stimulus watch, telemedicine, U.S. Council of Economic Advisers, utilities
Posted in ARRA, Stimulus Package | No Comments »
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
The first round of jobs that will be available from an immediate investment in broadband is obvious: Construction. After all, someone’s got to build the infrastructure.
But not everyone looking for a job wants to handle a shovel. Many unemployed Americans are better suited to return to jobs similar to the ones they lost.
So where do the jobs for those Americans come from? Most of these jobs are indirect – they come from using the broadband network and the utilization of e-solutions that enables new opportunities, increases productivity and promotes local economic growth.
According to a study by Strategic Networks Group Inc., which is currently providing support for the Knight Center of Digital Excellence through deployment of a number of tools and surveys in several Knight Communities, the secondary economic effects take longer, but have far greater impact as they improve productivity, competitiveness and quality of service on an ongoing basis.
Some findings from the study:
• Broadband enabled solutions provide opportunity. They promote regional economic development built on competitive businesses and skilled human resources; provide a path for local workers to develop entrepreneurial skills and pursue local high-wage employment opportunities; and increase local capabilities to address the gaps in expertise and knowledge.
• Work environments that adopt e-solutions will change, as they’ll require a more knowledgeable staff. That will translate to new jobs in multiple industries for individuals who obtain broader skills through training with broadband applications. SNG research reveals that local economic growth and secondary investment enabled by broadband is 10 times the initial broadband investment, and the contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 15 times the initial investment.
Despite the promise investments in broadband infrastructure bring, always keep in mind that investment alone doesn’t automatically produce benefit. There needs to be a concerted and focused effort by communities to promote and support applications and solutions to increase productivity and transform businesses practices.
According to SNG, businesses and organizations too often fail to achieve their full growth potential due to lack of knowledge and limited budgets to implement and use broadband its accompanying solutions.
There needs to be an ongoing focus on training and IT skills development in any community or region that wants to participate in today’s economy. The onus is on employers as well. They’ll need to hire these job seekers before they opt to move elsewhere and take their updated knowledge and skills with them.
Tags: broadband, Broadband Expansion, community, construction, digital, digital divide, economy, education, infrastructure, Internet, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, network, OneCommunity, smart planning, SNG, Strategic Networks Group Inc., utilities
Posted in Digital news, Knight Center of Digital Excellence | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
 By William “Garn” Anderson III, Knight Center of Digital Excellence
If you are trying to understand all of the possible program opportunities resulting from the ARRA and economic stimulus funds, you might feel overwhelmed. For example, how do you begin sorting through the complexities of the whole Smart Grid concept, and its potential benefits for U.S. communities and our energy utilization?
As in any building project, the first step is to settle on an overall strategic plan before you attempt to decide details. For communities, this means thinking hard about planning, so that Smart Grids and Smart Infrastructure can be a means of achieving goals and interoperability for hardwire or wireless applications. Smart investment means that smart planning drives decisions on new infrastructure.
Otherwise, in a few years from now, you might find yourself driving by a community college in town, a hospital, or even a high school or middle school, and kicking yourself for not thinking ahead.
The kinds of things you don’t want to be saying to yourself five years from now:
“Gee, when we did that big road project in town, with a little bit of extra effort and planning, we could have laid the fiber to make our community college wireless.”
Or: “What were we thinking? When we were installing those cameras downtown to improve public safety – so the police could monitor suspicious activity – we should have connected our emergency response system to the hospitals, too, so doctors, nurses and medics could quickly respond to the accidents and victims of injury.”
Or: “When we had the funds for interactive e-learning and work force development, imagine how much further ahead we’d be had we linked all of our anchor institutions and businesses together.”
You get the picture - of where you don’t want to be, that is.
Now here’s where you do what to be.
Instead of just planning for the use of Smart Grids, you’re examining the benefits of Smart Infrastructure and interoperability of numerous applications. A Smart Infrastructure ties together a vast array of projects and technologies for maximum benefit across sectors. It’s the opposite of the silo approach to planning, and it draws on an understanding that interconnectivity can serve multiple purposes. If you’re installing new roads, for example, you want to stretch your investment by laying fiber for Internet connections at the same time.
Similarly, with a little extra planning for a bridge project, you might easily connect an industrial park in your community to high-speed wireless Internet, allowing the sending and receiving of huge amounts of data and information. At the same time, having a smart road and smart bridge can improve traffic flow to help save time in daily commutes and avoid delays. All of this, in turn, could mean the difference between attracting new business or losing opportunities.
Smart Infrastructure isn’t just about Smart Grid energy efficiency. It’s also about having Smart Homes, Smart Schools, Smart Hospitals, Smart Buildings, Smart Safety Services, and really, Smart Communities. Just imagine all of the benefits. A Smart Home, for example, might have various medical monitoring devices, so that the frail and sick can be monitored and quickly assisted from remote locations. For some, this could represent the difference between living independently at home, or having no choice but to move to costly assisted-care facilities.
The take-away: The test of where you’ll be in five years, and whether your community is reflecting on what it should have done or reaping the benefits of a fully functional smart infrastructure, depends on where you are today. Is your community planning holistically? Are you thinking regionally about how you might leverage assets through collaboration? Are you working in tandem with your local, regional and state planning agencies?
A recent report from the Center for American Progress titled “Smart Grid, Smart Broadband, Smart Infrastructure,” points out that with “a bit of imagination and coordination” among federal agencies, federal stimulus funding can be stretched to achieve diverse goals. “The agencies,” the report urged, “should look for two-fers and three-fers – ways to update our electricity system, deploy broadband and achieve other goals when spending the stimulus money.’’
Even more recently, U.S. Rep. Anna Eschoo (D-Calif.) introduced legislation (HR 2428) to require that broadband conduit be installed as part of certain highway construction projects. It’s encouraging to see the momentum moving in this direction.
Yet in addition to federal initiatives, community leaders and stakeholders, in their requests for ARRA stimulus money, need to help lay the groundwork on a local level for comprehensive infrastructure to happen. Proposals should reflect holistic planning that considers education, health care, medical, economic development, employment, work force development and public safety as well as individual needs.
Smart Infrastructure? It starts with smart planning for smart stimulus proposals.
William “Garn” Anderson III is Vice President for Business & Community Intelligence of the Cleveland-based technology nonprofit OneCommunity, which operates the Knight Center of Digital Excellence in partnership with The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. To learn more about the Knight Center, go to www.knightcenter.org or e-mail info@knightcenter.org.
Tags: American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 2009, Anna Eshoo, broadband, Broadband Expansion, Center for American Progress, Congress, digital, digital divide, economy, electricity, high-speed, HR 2428, innovation, Internet, KCoDE, Knight Center of Digital Excellence, network, OneCommunity, smart grids, smart home, smart infrastructure, smart planning, stimulus, stimulus watch, utilities
Posted in Knight Center of Digital Excellence, OneCommunity, Opinion | 2 Comments »
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