“Broadband Strategies: Linking Rural Wisconsin with the Global Market Place” 3-21-13

Professor Andy Lewis, Center for Community Technology Solutions/University of Wisconsin-Extension

4/22/1995

“The telecommunications industry promises to redefine the way we do business in the state. But again, rural areas are in jeopardy of being left with a communications gravel road if special efforts aren’t made to connect our small communities to the Information Super Highway. I’m not sure our rural resident fully understand the speed at which change will take place. We need to build their awareness.”

-Sustainable Design….will it play in Mayberry?, 4-22-1995, Andy Lewis

What kind of a vision have we been getting from some in the private sector?

“What are you going to do with 20 Mbps? It’s like having an Indy race car and you don’t have the racetrack to drive it on. We are going to be offering 3 Meg….most users won’t use that”- SBC's Midwest Networking President, Kirk Brannock who was talking to a city council in

Illinois about the Pabst Farm Development in Wisconsin, 2004 (9 years ago), http://www.designnine.com/news/taxonomy/term/26 CLIP

“It's like buying a Jaguar when a Ford Focus would be perfectly adequate” --Andrew Petersen, spokesman for TDS Telecom, about 1 Gbps Networks, Source: From Milwaukee to Chattanooga, a sea of digital divide, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rick Barrett, 2-26-2012 , http://www.jsonline.com/business/from-milwaukee-to-chattanooga-a-sea-of-digital-divide-5e4ai4d-140520573.html

What is Broadband?

In simple terms, broadband essentially means high speed Internet. It allows you to download large files quickly (books, movies, music, medical records, bank statements, etc.).

Speed Matters….

Dial-up+ (56 Kbps): 1 day, 10 hrs, 44 min

T1/DSL (1.54 Mbps): 1 Hour, 15 min

Cable (10 Mbps ): 11 min, 44 sec

Fiber (1 Gbps): 7 sec

Wisconsin ranks #24 (Access)#38 (Adoption)Residential

Source: Eighth Broadband Progress Report, FCC, August, 2012, http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-12-90A1.doc

Susan Crawford

“But perhaps Americans will start to care when they realize that, compared to other countries, they are paying more for less and leaving behind many of their fellow citizens. As things are, The United States will be unable to compete with nations whose industrial policy has been more forward-thinking.”

The State of the Internet, Q2, 2012

http://www.akamai.com/stateoftheinternet/

High Broadband Connectivity

True Broadband (Residential) Connectivity (>4 Mbps)

Broadband Connectivity in U.S.

Municipal Networks in Wisconsin?

Center for Community Technology Solutions

2003 Wisconsin Act 278/66.0422 StatutesPublic entities are essentially prohibited from providing broadband to businesses and residents.

IEDC Survey 2012

76% of economic development professionals thought a minimum of 100 Mbps or greater was needed to effectively attract new businesses

Source (Craig Settles!): http://www.cjspeaks.com/msp/IEDC2012.pdf

Won’t the Private Sector Take Care of this Problem?

Bruce Kushnick, a former telephone industry consultant estimates that telephone customers have already paid $360 billion/$3,300 per household to build our “superfast electronic highway”. More than enough money to finance a fiber-optic system.

Instead, the high speed data lines in America are among the slowest in the world.

Subsidies to Wisconsin Telecommunications Providers 2005-2010

http://www.usac.org/hc/tools/disbursements/default.aspx

We Can’t Get Discouraged…there are things that can be done.

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Public Vs. Private Debate….

Strategies

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Know your providers Inform your decision makers, citizens Demand SurveysTechnology Fairs, Technology Advisory

CommitteesProvide access to public infrastructure Dig Once PoliciesPublic/Private PartnershipsCoordinate public works projects, ease

permitting on public infrastructureCANs: Community Area NetworksOutreach to increase broadband

subscribership Inform public policy

Know your providers: http://wi.linkamericadata.org

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Know your providers

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Know your providers• Plans for expansion of service

area or services?• What’s needed to expand

service?• Minimum 4 Mbps download/1

Mbps upload services?

Inform your decision-makers and citizens

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Policy Options for Broadbandin Rural Regions, March 2013

“Programs specifically focusing on the economicdevelopment potentials of broadband applications in highly public ways – through town meetings, public demonstrations, and through mobilizing local community change agents – may contribute to improved adoption levels.”

Source: http://expeng.anr.msu.edu/uploads/files/133/Brief_RuralBroadband_Whitacre_etal.pdf

Demand Surveys: Are People Getting What They Need?

Source: LinkWISCONSIN, WI PSC, http://wisconsindashboard.org/node/405

Resources:http://www.link.wisconsin.gov/lwi/default.aspx?page=52&bhcp=1

Technology Fairs, Advisory Committees

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Access to public infrastructure

Center for Community Technology Solutions

They’ll Never Know….

Actually, we need really big pipes

Dig Once Policies

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Public Works Projects Coordination

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Community Area Networks

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Public Access, Outreach

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Metro Vs. Non-Metro Broadband Divide

Household Broadband Adoption Rates by Metro/NM Status, 2003 and 2010

Metro – Non-metro Gap consistent

since 2003

Source: Rural Broadband Availability and Adoption: Evidence, Policy Challenges, and Options, March, 2013 http://expeng.anr.msu.edu/uploads/files/133/BroadbandWhitePaper.pdf

In summary …economic impact

Statistical analysis showed that increases in broadband adoption between 2008 and 2010 resulted in higher levels of median household income and total employment (for non-metro counties)

Model results found that broadband adoption thresholds have more impact on changes in economic health indicators than broadband availability thresholds in non-metro counties between 2001 and 2010Source: Rural Broadband Availability and Adoption: Evidence, Policy Challenges, and Options,

March 2013 http://expeng.anr.msu.edu/uploads/files/133/BroadbandWhitePaper.pdf

Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives

Inform Public Policy

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Susan Crawford:

“America needs more people who can calmly and rationally oppose the free-marketeer rhetoric…People who can understand this issue and then channel their understanding into useful, long-term political engagement. People who will make this an electoral issue for all public offices”

Center for Community Technology Solutions

Questions?

Contact Information:

Prof. Andy LewisCommunity Economic Development Specialist Center for Community Technology SolutionsUniversity Wisconsin-Extension(608) 890-4254 or andy.lewis@uwex.edu