broadband needs assessment: the need for regional...
TRANSCRIPT
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Broadband Needs Assessment: The Need for
Regional Planning
Charles R. McClure, PhD, DirectorFlorida State University, Information Institute
[email protected] 22, 2011
Defining Broadband
• FCC says broadband = 4 Mbps– Previous definition was
• “first generation data,” from 200 kilobits per second (kbps) to less than 768 kbps in the faster direction
• “basic broadband tier 1,” from 768 kbps to less than 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps)
– Changed in December 2010
• This means that what was considered a high-speed connection a few months ago is now in need of upgrade– A T1 line is now insufficient (a T1 line offers transfer speeds of up
to 1.544 Mbps)
– Combing 2 T1 lines still falls short of what is now considered to be high-speed Internet
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Current Context: National• American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Over $7
billion expanding access to broadband services in the U.S.
• National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), through its ARRA-funded Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), awarded Comprehensive Community Infrastructure grants to connect anchor institutions to new/improved broadband (NTIA, n.d.).
• Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission researched, published the National Broadband Plan– This outlines specific roles for anchor institutions
– Broadband access providers
– Serving the unserved and underserved
Current Context: Broadband in FL Rural Anchors
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NFBA/FRBA and Anchors• Many residents rely on anchors for broadband
and broadband services
14.3%
28.6%
35.7%
47.6%
50.0%
52.4%
54.8%
54.8%
71.4%
71.4%
88.1%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other (n=6)
Services Immigrant Populations (n=12)
Investment information & databases (n=15)
Small business information (n=20)
Computer & Internet skills (n=21)
Community information (n=22)
Social networking (n=23)
Services for job seekers (n=23)
Email (n=30)
E-government services (n=30)
Education resources & databases (n=37)
Response rates differed for each question on the survey; the response rate for this question was n=42.Does not add to 100% because institutions reported in multiple categories.
NOTE: Data from NFBA survey only.
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NFBA/FRBA and Anchors
• Limited broadband available to anchors– Normally only one choice of ISP
• Primary need to maintain or lower cost of broadband
• Secondary need to improve levels of broadband connectivity and services
Anchors’ Broadband Speeds
1.42
1.1
1.33
14.24
15.64
3.85
2.55
2.69
5.72
1.35
2.69
4.11
1.27
1.04
1.29
9.86
13.02
2.91
2.51
1.75
3.41
1.32
2.63
3.72
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Workforce Board 1
Rural Health Clinic 2
Rural Health Clinic 1
Public Library 2
Public Library 1
K-12 Public School 1
Higher Education Insitution 1
Emergency Management Agency 1
County Health Department 2
County Health Department 1
City/County 4
City/County 3
City/County 2
City/County 1
MinimumObservedWired Speed(in Mbps)
MaximumObservedWired Speed(in Mbps)
NOTE: Data fromNFBA diagnostics only; the study team was unable to conduct speed tests at the two public libraries.
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Factors Contributing to Low Perceptions of Ability to Meet Needs
• Age of the building
• Age of the equipment
• Availability of IT support staff
• Lack of funding
• Lack of demand from patrons for increased technology resources
• Resistance to change from staff
• Lack of adequate justification for administrators
• Other demands on time/responsibilities
Importance of Broadband for Local Communities
• Broadband is essential for providing/improving – Education
– Economic development
– Telemedicine and healthcare
– E-government
– Quality of life
– Emergency management operations
– Interactive, real-time, high resolution video
– Other activities.
• Anchor broadband can help the community better provide these services
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Broadband and Economic Development
• Lack of knowledge of the importance of economic development to middle mile projects
• Questions about what the broadband economic development plan is and who is in charge of it
• Uncertainty about how to convince companies to move to area because of broadband availability
• Knowledge that broadband alone will not bring new business; also need schools, government services, etc.
• Skepticism about role of faster, less expensive broadband in facilitating economic development in rural Florida communities
Broadband and Regional Planning
• Participants do not know how to plan for broadband deployment and services
• Anchor institutions typically have no technology plan (except schools and libraries that require them for E-Rate)
• Anchor institutions are unaware of other broadband uses/applications in their communities
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Anchors Need Better Broadband
• A T-1 line (1.544 Mbps) is not enough anymore.
• Examples of why you need really high-speed broadband Internet:
• Remember, in many anchors, you have multiple simultaneous users on the same Internet connection – some requiring very high bandwidth– Requires more speed to support fast speeds for
everyone at the same time
APPLICATIONS SPEEDS
Download a movie (1-1.5 Gb) 1.544 Mbps (T-1) = 1.5 hours44.736 Mbps (T-3) = 3 minutes
Download e-government forms (5 Mb)
1.544 Mbps (T-1) = 30 seconds44.736 Mbps (T-3) = < 1 second
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Future Applications
• Imagine when anchors are offering– Real-time high resolution video chat services
– Internet training classes
– Online gaming programs
– Support to an emergency mobile command center
– Virtual education including real-time, interactive video chat and other applications, simultaneously
– Increasing numbers of mobile devices, and more
• All at the same time…– How much broadband will anchors need to support all
of these services at once?
Evolving Broadband Services
There are now and increasingly will be major and serious applications for anchors in terms of access to and use of broadband –
– Netflix, Hulu, etc.
– Broadband converter “boxes” for the TV and elsewhere
– iPhones, iPads, Androids, VoIP, and more
– Pervasive Wi-Max public access towers
– And who knows what else is coming!
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Need for Onsite IT Assistance and Diagnostics
• Step-by-step network diagnostic including:– Draw network diagram
– Inventory equipment and digital services
– Identify security protocols in place and/or needed
– Speed tests (conduct at multiple points in time)
– Age and number of workstations and peripherals
– Quality and availability of IT staff support
– And much more…
• Individualized awareness building and technology training– Need to identify institution’s enablers and barriers
– Customize training to institution’s (and staff’s) needs
Need for Broadband Planning
• Several ways to get organized –– County-based
– Consortia-based
– Region-based
– Institution-based
– Multi-institution-based
• Model of Community-Based Broadband Planning, Adoption, and Deployment…
(Alemanne, Mandel, & McClure, 2011)
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Basic Steps for Broadband Planning• Conduct needs assessment of the region/group:
look at enablers and barriers
– Have a Planning Team with someone in charge
Lack of resources
Failed attempts to upgrade broadband
Lack of competitive ISPs
Inability to negotiate with ISPs
Difficulty training patrons on successful broadband use
Resistance to change and/or organizational inertia
Lack of support from elected officials
Out of date network hardware & software
Lack of access to broadband
Lack of knowledge of broadband and
broadband applications
Broadband & technical knowledge/Trained IT staff
Existing equipment
ISP access
& pricing
Administrative support
Community support
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Basic Steps for Broadband Planning (continued)
• Broadband planning and deployment– Develop Technology Plan
– Conduct training on technology use
– Build technology awareness
– Build, upgrade, and expand network
• Outcomes assessment
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Anchors as Community Broadband Leaders
• One solution is a community-level planning model in which anchors partner with other local anchors, businesses, etc. to address community broadband needs
• Anchors can leverage their knowledge to bring communities together and in doing so, open the broadband possibilities of the future to their residents and other anchor institutions, businesses, etc.
Anchors and Broadband for Economic Development
• Anchors like libraries and workforce boards already do job training, and assistance filling out job applications
• Anchors already provide assistance and training for broadband and computing
• Every community is concerned about local economic development given the recession
• Partner with the local Chamber and others
• Learn how broadband can promote e-commerce and local economic development
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Lessons Learned• Strong need for onsite IT diagnostics
– See what you have
– See how well it works
• Also need to plan/coordinate among anchor institutions and community leaders– Should not operate in a vacuum
• Training, training, training
• Build awareness – Among user community
– Among funding/supervisory agencies
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Need for Training: Some Topics
• Broadband connectivity and deployment
• Internal network design and management
• Broadband applications, use, planning, and evaluation
• Broadband and network self-assessment
• What a middle mile is and how it operates
• Broadband and Economic Development
• New and cool broadband applications
Next Steps for Regional Broadband Planning
1. Conduct self-assessment and community-based planning for meeting current and future broadband needs
2. Identify other regional and statewide broadband planning strategies
3. Identify high-speed broadband applications and services your community needs NOW
4. Validate and refine regional broadband planning approach
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Resources and Tools• Toolkit (self-diagnostics and general
broadband/technology tools): http://nfba.ii.fsu.edu/toolkit.html
• Site includes links for
– Training
– Speed tests
– Self-diagnostics
– Tools for network monitoring, anti-theft, encryption, etc.
• Site also includes a list of recommended Standard Operating Procedures
Bibliography• Alemanne, N. D., Mandel, L. H., & McClure, C. R. (2011). The rural public
library as leader in community broadband services. Library Technology Reports, 47(6), 19-28. Preprint available at: http://mcclure.ii.fsu.edu/publications.html
• American Library Association, Florida State University, & University of Maryland. (2009). Libraries connect communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study. Chicago: ALA. http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/index.cfm
• Federal Communications Commission. (2010). Connecting America: The national broadband plan. Washington, D.C.: Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved from http://download.broadband.gov/plan/national-broadband-plan.pdf
• General Provisions, Indiana Administrative Code. 590 IAC 6 (2011). Retrieved from http://www.in.gov/legislative/iac/T05900/A00060.PDF?
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (n.d.). About. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved from http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/about
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Questions or Comments?
Charles R. McClure, PhD, Francis EppesProfessor and Director
Thank You!