Broadband Is Key to Economic Development – It’s all about the children – Comments requested on Montana’s future.

What is the bottom line for communities in this new century? It’s all about the children.

Societies serve many purposes, but one outweighs all others. Societies exist to protect children. Like creatures whose first law is self-preservation, societies ensure their future by safeguarding the children who will bring it into being.

Communities must adapt continuously and at an ever-greater rate, or risk seeing cherished ways of life vanish because lack of opportunity bleeds them of the children who are their future. Today broadband offers every community the opportunity to move from the periphery to the center in economic terms.

By Robert Bell

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/695560

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I wanted to also include an interesting conversation about the state of broadband deployment and development in Missoula. Thanks to those who add their comments. What do you think?

Marcy Allen wrote in a e-mail to Chris Aageson of the Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development:

"As promised here is the email reminder to look into the $300,000 that was allocated for broadband mapping out of the ARRA. BREDD developed a plan here to look at underserved areas in the region and develop strategies to better serve those regions considering telcom business models and latest technologies. We were unable to secure funding to implement it, but I do have hope for the ARRA money.

I think there are three main reason the Governors office should be concerned with how this money is used.

1. Distance Learning-Access to internet with high enough speed will be essential in the deployment of the upgraded distance learning program that the Governor has said are a priority for the higher education systems.

2. Super Computer and Centers of Excellence: Broadband will be essential in the funcationality, access, and market of the States Super Computer services in Butte.

3.Global Trend towards Cloud Computing: There is a strong trend with software companies like, Google, Microsoft, and others to deliver Cloud Computing. This means very little will be loaded on local computers but access to software will be done through the internet with access to large servers. Google Docs, Salesforce.com, are some leaders in this field.

Here are some recent articles on cloud computing trends-

1. http://www.focus.com/articles/hosting-bandwidth/top-10-cloud-computing-trends/

2.http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=707508

3.http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/cloud-computing-web-20-trends-emphasized-075

I think that it is essential as a state that we determine our needs and not let those be driven by the telcom companies. If Montana is to compete in the global economy high speed access to internet is essential for the delivery of other programs like those mentioned above that will drive economic activity in the state. A friend just traveled through southern Siberia and had access to internet the whole time!!!

We, as a community decide whether we are served or underserved, not let that decision be driven by the telcoms. Here is an overview of the communication study that BREDD tried to fund within our three counties http://www.matr.net/files/CommunicationOverview.doc . I believe we could implement something very similar to this on a statewide basis. This type of study would arm communities with the data they need to secure funds local for the infrastructure development.

Thanks for looking into this.

Best Regards,

Marcy

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Marcy Allen

Executive Director

BREDD, Inc

200 West Broadway

Missoula, MT 59802

406.258.3435

http://www.bredd.org

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Paul DeWolfe responded:

Marcy

You make some very compelling arguments. Allow me to add a few details about the distance learning issue. Effective use of distance learning services requires significant bandwidth if you are trying to support a school with 100+ kids. According to the telecom providers in our State, almost every K-12 school in the State has broadband access. As usual, the devil is in the details. Many, if not most, of those connections are DSL or cable modem services with bandwidth equal to a typical residential service (1.5 to 3 Mbps). What is wrong with that? Imagine sharing your home broadband with 20 people at the same time. Now, multiply that by the number of classrooms in a typical elementary, middle, or high school. Now you begin to see the problem. For our schools to begin to exploit the resources of the internet, they need an order of magnitude (or two) better service. I understand that there was an effort late last year to develop this kind of access for K-12 schools, but it was defeated, in part, by the telecom providers claims that all schools already had broadband service.

How do I think this impacts the need for an independent mapping effort? First, I think the example above provides just one more demonstration of the lack of objectivity on the part of the providers. Their successful efforts to strip broadband stimulus funding from HB 645 also cause me to question their objectivity. Second, a mapping effort should not be limited to the presence of DSL or cable modem in a zip code or community, but should also look at adequate service to remote, rural users. It should also look at the adequacy of the existing service for future applications (distance learning, tele-medicine, etc.). Some of this information may paint the incumbent provider in an unflattering light, and should not be subject to “spin” by that provider. Finally, the solution to the remote underserved and unserved areas should not default to satellite, as seems to be the trend in many reports we read. An objective mapping effort is likely to identify areas for which the most economical solution is a technology that is not available from the incumbent provider.

I hope these thoughts help. As someone who has been working on this subject for over four years, I know first hand the positive impact that broadband has had on our Clients in rural Idaho and North Dakota. Please let me know how I can help advance this effort.

Paul DeWolfe, PE

Access Consulting – Principal/Owner

http://www.access-consulting.net

265 West Front Street

Missoula, MT 59802

Voice: 406-327-0629

Fax: 406-541-9881

[email protected]

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The Push for a Real, No-Hype National Broadband Strategy

By Indrajit Basu

World-class broadband speeds aren’t just something leading-edge computer geeks dream about. Fast broadband interconnectivity lies at the heart of American business and agricultural competitiveness. Fortunately the Obama administration clearly sees a comprehensive U.S. national broadband strategy as a federal government priority.

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/691095