MN Broadband Coalition

MN Community Coalition LinkedIn Group
A few members had asked about a place where we could discuss topics and ideas online. So, we’ve created a group on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1878162  Please join us.

Paragraphs for the Task Force
The Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Task Force is starting to write their recommendations for the legislature. Each member was asked to write a few paragraphs before the next Task Force meeting on April 17. They seem open to receiving paragraphs from non-members too. To encourage Coalition members to think about what you’d like to see them include, we’ve opened up a discussion topic on LinkedIn and hope to share that information with the Task Force: http://tinyurl.com/dnkeut

Note: Thanks to Peg Werner on the update on summer meeting locations for the Task Force. They will meet in Grand Rapids in June, Mankato in July and Fergus Falls in August.   An extra note: Blandin Foundation is planning to hold a community broadband workshop the afternoon before each of these meetings to help inform broadband stakeholders about issues, trends and the work of the task force.  Look for more information soon.

What are your Broadband Principles?
The main tenet of the Minnesota Broadband Coalition is that we want more, better broadband. We have some stated principles and wanted to do a quick check on which ones are most valued by members. If you have a minute, we hope you’ll take our quick survey to let us know. http://tinyurl.com/dm6o9n

Plans for Stimulus Projects
A small group of Coalition members were able to meet in March (http://mnbroadbandcoalition.com/news/notesmar09.html); stimulus funding was a hot topic. To help continue the conversation, we’ve created another discussion string on LinkedIn: http://tinyurl.com/ch6sq8. Our hope is to create a space where people can vet their ideas and find partners.

Blandin Foundation is exploring strategies for maximizing the amount of broadband stimulus dollars, especially those for community planning, technology application deployment and community broadband networks.  If you would like to be a part of the discussion, please send an email to broadband@blandinfoundation.org.

Your contributions are most welcome.  Email them to atreacy@treacyinfo.com