Go Ahead Make Our Day
The Get Broadband team has started a blog: Blandin on Broadband, which tracks news on broadband policy, applications and related topics. You can make our day by checking it out and posting a comment on any article you find interesting.
Skype Requests Access to Mobile Networks
Skype has requested that the FCC require mobile phone companies to open their network to outside devices and software. They are basing their request on the "Carterfone" rules of 1968, which allow consumers to hook any device up to the phone network, so long as it does not harm the network. Carterfone helped spur new innovations, such as the fax machine and internet modem, but has not been applied to cellular networks. (Learn more.)
Regional Legislators Interested in Broadband
A group of legislators from Manitoba, MN, SD and ND have a conference to discuss how these governments can work better together. This year, one of their topics is broadband. Get Broadband Community Leader, Bill Coleman is helping to organize a panel discussion. It will be interesting to see what issues or agreements are raised in the session.
Social Networks Going Business Class
Cisco Systems recently bought Tribe.Net, a social networking site, smaller but akin to MySpace or Facebook. Earlier Cisco purchased Five Across, a social network design firm. As the New York Times points out, Cisco is now set up to provide social networking services to large corporate clients.
Public Safety Broadband Networks
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced new legislation that would auction off spectrum made available by the transition among television broadcasters to a digital signal from analog. The legislation requires bidders to commit to building a network that meets standards set by a public-safety working group and to agree to let public-safety entities access the network. There has been debate on whether to reserve spectrum for a public safety network or sell it to the top bidder. (We have been tracking this issue in the Blandin on Broadband blog.)
Broadband in Rural Summit 2006 Study
Editor’s Note: In their research, the Center for Rural Policy and Development does not qualify their definition of broadband. So some of those surveyed may not have connections that are considered broadband by international standards. (Please see article below for more information on broadband.)
The Center for Rural Policy and Development will publish the results of their 2006 research on broadband in rural Minnesota in early spring; Center President, Jack Geller was kind enough to share preliminary data and impressions with Blandin’s eNews.
Acceleration of Broadband Adoption is Big News
Acceleration of broadband adoption almost doubled in 2006 compared to years past. Adoption rates have always increased, generally at about six percent; the increase in 2007 was 12 percent. Broadband use in rural Minnesota was 39.7 percent in 2006.
Clearly a tipping point has been reached. Geller offers three contributing factors.
- First and foremost, there are new applications for personal entertainment such as gaming, iTunes, and Vongo. In earlier years broadband users basically did the same things as dialup users – just faster and with more convenience. Today there are more applications that require and assume broadband.
- Second, businesses need to be online to be competitive and more home-based businesses have emerged with broadband.
- Third, more public and government services are available online such as filing quarterly sales taxes, getting permits, filling out unemployment claims and more.
Computer Ownership Big Factor
Geller points out that we will hit a ceiling of broadband adoption soon. Currently 60 percent of rural Minnesota is online and 40 percent uses broadband; however one third of rural Minnesota does not have a computer in their homes. This is and will be an issue as long as the primary appliance used to access the Internet is the computer.
So what does this mean to broadband adoption? Perhaps we need to think even further than the last mile to consider how we tap into fiber, cable, copper, or WiFi. We could find new appliances and ways to get online. We could find new ways to get computers into homes. We could capitalize on the applications that require broadband by creating or promoting more progress outside the entertainment arena.
No longer Early Adopters
Another interesting fact brought up by the research – broadband is not just for early adopters anymore. We are approaching a time when the majority of homes and businesses will use broadband. While there are new applications, the Internet is no longer a novelty. This too may alter how we approach promoting and supporting broadband initiatives; it is becoming a necessity not a nicety.
Look Forward to More
Look for more facts, figures, and theories in the full report by the Center for Rural Policy and Development in 6 weeks or so. (We will post a link on the Blandin on Broadband blog and eNews when the report is available.)
What’s the Broadband Difference?*
[Editor’s Note: The following is taken from Blandin’s Broadband Vision for Minnesota]
Digital data rates, or speeds, are typically expressed as megabits per second (Mb/s) or gigabits per second (Gb/s). A megabit is one million bits; a gigabit is one billion bits. Current broadband networks, such as DSL or cable modems, typically have an asymmetric speed (upload rates lag behind download rates) of about 2 Mb/s. Fiber optic and cable-delivered networks are capable of symmetric digital rates 50 to 500 times as fast.
Ultra high-speed broadband is not just about speed or increased bandwidth. It’s about the capabilities that ultra high-speed broadband brings – capabilities that ensure a high quality of life and a globally competitive future for all Minnesotans.
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