Sherburne, Wright and Isanti counties are an area of Minnesota which is under-served by broadband operators and has difficulty getting enough internet service to satisfy the needs of residents and business owners. Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer hosted a townhall meeting  in the Big Lake City Council Chambers to discuss the issue with a panel of experts.

 

On the panel was  executive director of the Office of Broadband Development Danna Mackenzie, from the Dept. of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), George Wallin, President of Wallin Advertising, Community Technology Advisors Bill Coleman, Brian Kamman, IT Director for Sherburne County, Kirk Lehman and Jack Phillips from Frontier Communications and Laura Cabes from Charter. 

 

Windstream was also invited to the meeting but failed to respond. Windstream is the provider that covers most of the Big Lake-Becker area. Frontier, Charter and Palmer Wireless were present and voiced interest in developing partnerships to bring better broadband to the community.

 

Also present and speaking at the meeting and offering support were Sen. David Brown, Rep. Sondra Erickson, Rep. Nick Zerwas and Rep. Eric Lucero, although to date, broadband is not regulated by the state, the way telephones and other utilities are. 

 

County Commissioners Rachel Leonard, John Reibel and Ewald Petersen also attended.

 

“Folks are frustrated because, as the community maps indicate, Big Lake is a broadband dead or slow zone, a black hole someone noted, in a region that seems to have better broadband in nearly every direction,” Sen. Kiffmeyer said.

 

“It’s as if Hwy. 10 had never been more than a gravel road, yet we were still trying to run the same amount of traffic down it every day,” she said.

 

Lack of reliable internet service effects everyone, from students trying to do homework or take mandatory tests in school to business owners who rely on the internet for their income, to homeowners just trying to browse the web or watch a movie. 

 

It also effects public health, which more and more is relying on electronic medical records for patients,  among many other issues.

 

Approximately 65% of Sherburne County residents are classified as under-served or unserved by broadband. A better broadband service would make it easier to recruit new business to the industrial park and help existing businesses survive in the community, creating a more stable tax base and better communications and opportunities for everyone.

 

While the meeting laid out the issues, it offered few solutions. As with fire protection and other community needs, it seems the answers will have to come through concerned citizens stepping up to make changes happen.

 

One way to make a difference is to connect with www.sherband.com to learn more about the issues, find ways to partner the present internet providers and advocate for change with local legislators. Contact Dan Weber at Sherburne County for more information.

 

Danna Mackenzie of DEED was among the first to speak, saying the state was not likely to meet its broadband goal of 10 mgs up and 5 down.

 

“We measure progress toward that goal. We look at what’s happening in other states. We also track federal programs and policies to help Minnesota better apply for federal funding,” she said. 

 

“We track the progress of our providers. We have innovative work happening in Minnesota’s rural areas. We help support anchor institutions’ such as schools and hospitals with access to broadband. We are focusing on E-Rate as an option for deploying broadband in unserved areas.”

 

“There isn’t a government solution,” said Big Lake resident, college professor and business owner George Wallin. 

 

“I need broadband. I am concerned Windstream is going nowhere. The plant is deteriorating. There is no way to keep up. The whole area needs more robust broadband service or you won’t be able to stay up to speed. We need providers that will maintain equipment and connectivity to meet our needs. We need to poffer incentives to bring competition into the area.”

 

Competition works in places like Minneapolis, said Consultant Bill Coleman, but it’s not working in places with lower population density, he said. 

 

“The investment is very difficult to recoup in a timely period,” he said “Governments have longer expectations for return on investment. In economic development, we try to match rate of investment with the expected life of the asset.”

 

“The speeds goals are not keeping up with national standards,” Coleman said. “People are now talking about Gig access. Gig (maybe 100 Mbps) is necessary to attract technologists. You never want the bandwidth to be a constraint to economic development. That’s like not always having enough electricity to run your fridge.”

 

“The community will set the standard for what’s good enough,” he said. “It should not be set by a company/provider that may or may not be in the community and may or may not be invested in community growth and success.”

 

Brian Kamman noted some rural areas with good internet service, like Lac Qui Parle, are run by local cooperatives, funded by federal grants.

 

Albert Kangas of Palmer Wireless began with frustrations of his own over lack of service for himself and his family.

 

“We started with fixed wireless for family and friends but we have branched out,” Kangas said. 

 

“We worked with Becker on how to serve the industrial park on the other wide of the railroad tracks. We received funding to reach them with fiber. We hope to turn on customers next week,” he said.

 

Kirk Lehman of Frontier Communications said he always comes to the table when talks about broadband are concerned. Frontier provides service from Forest Lake to International Falls. His only access into Sherburne County now is in Clear Lake. Using a copper wire infrastructure (instead of fibreoptics), and relay stations, Lehman says he can deliver 24 mg service to a home.

 

“Let’s all sit down at the table and find a solution,” he said.

 

Laura Capes of Charter said she was called on to fill in at the last minute. Charter will be moving forward as Spectrum, and they do provide service in the City of Big Lake and some other areas of Sherburne County.

 

“You get a gig pipeline,” she said. “So you can upgrade at any time in the future.”

 

Sen. David Brown said it was very appropriate for government to fund infrastructure needs.

 

“I lose connections all day long,” he said. “It is important if we want to remain competitive.”

 

Rep. Erickson, whose territory covers the south shore of Lake Mille Lacs to Baldwin and Blue Hill Townships thanked Frontier for the work they have been doing in the City of Zimmerman and other areas. Century Link has been offering service in Princeton.

 

“Sherburne County is very weak and there are areas that need to be filled out,” she said. “I am happy to bring this forward.”