The project is a partnership with Palmer Wireless®, a relatively small local internet provider that had come up with a plan that would benefit both their business and the Becker schools, and it would not cost the district residents a penny in increased taxes to do so. 

 

The proposal put forward by Albert Kangas, one of the three principles in Palmer Wireless, called for the district to allow the company to put up a tower that is also one of the light stanchions in the new soccer field.  The district would lease the space to the company for free, through a five-year, endlessly renewable agreement, allowing them to reach family and business customers in the Becker area.

 

For their part, Palmer Wireless provides enhanced wireless service to more than 20 busses in the Becker fleet, which allows students on their daily commute, or when on sports or other trips to area schools, to be able to connect with the school computer system and do homework and other school-related activities during their transport time.  The company installed routers on all of the busses as part of the agreement, and also maintains an emergency back-up system that would allow district offices to function in the event of a power failure or other natural disaster.

 

Becker Supt. Dr. Stephen Malone stated that the program is entirely “revenue neutral” for the school district, meaning that all of the services and equipment involved are provided and installed by the wireless company free of charge.

 

The first units “went live” in Becker in October, and the project is the most extensive use of the technology by any school in the state to this point, Malone said.  Other schools have purchased limited Wifi service for some busses, but the Becker experiment is by far the largest in Minnesota.

 

The materials available on mobile WiFi are exactly the same as students could access in the computer labs at school, according to Becker IT Director Ryan Cox.  The mobile units are connected to the main school network, and have the same filters and blocking protocols that prevent users from straying away from the approved curriculum while on the road.

 

The average bus ride in the Becker district is 45 minutes, though some last an hour or more.  Students have the chance now to use all of that time in getting homework assignments done, often even before arriving at home.  The program provides for more family time, Malone said, as well as giving students more time to complete assignments or solve problems.

 

The effort is still a “work in progress”, Cox said, as the providers continue to find ways to make the system more efficient.  New features such as GPS are in the pipeline, he said, which would allow parents to monitor the position of the bus in real time on their home computers, and sending their children out just before the bus arrives in cold or rainy weather.

 

District Network Administrator Sumre Robinson was a key player in the process, Cox said, and he cited her many hours of work in getting the project up and running last year. 

 

 

The company that brought the WiFi partnership forward is about as “home grown” a communications business as it is possible to be.  The business has three principles, Albert Kangas, Laura Kangas and Tim Boie.  The first Palmer Wireless tower was literally erected in the back yard of the Kangas home in 2005.  

 

As the business grew and wireless service became more and more popular, a tall tower was erected at the Palmer Town hall in 2007, and a smaller tower went up in Becker in 2012 due to WiFi Internet demand, Laura said.

 

The company is always expanding, Boie said, and has focused on customers in rural areas near Foley and Duelm.  He and Kangas were both employed by Cell 2000 in St. Cloud when they began talking about a business like Palmer Wireless, with a focus on custom service for customers outside of metropolitan areas.  

 

“We would like to do Sherburne County,” Boie said, as well as providing business solutions and personal connections to customers in Milaca and the other areas mentioned, possibly including Santiago Township.

 

Flexibility is key to their business plan, Laura said, since a small business can respond to the needs of a small business much more effectively.  Customers also have ready access to the business owners in this kind of operation, she said, a benefit that does not exist with larger companies with anonymous management teams.

 

They are also able to offer business and private customers the same rates, she said, another benefit not generally available with larger companies.  Palmer Wireless will also continue to pursue school accounts going forward, as well as cities, law enforcement and other services.  The City of Becker has been especially positive in working with the company, she said, and has even referred customers to them in the past.

 

Albert Kangas, who joined the interview by phone mid-way, noted their company was in a position to fill a gap left by other companies who were not providing service to the areas that Palmer Wireless is working with away from Sherburne County cities and towns.

 

 

Cox conducted an impromptu demonstration of the WiFi connection when the school busses came to pick up students Wednesday afternoon.  Selecting one at random, he pointed out the router that is installed on the ceiling above the driver’s seat. Going to the back of the bus, he asked a group of 10th grade students to take out their iPads and demonstrate their use while inside the bus, which they did with no difficulty.

 

Cox also said Becker has received calls from other school districts in the area, as the idea continues to spread as technology continues to advance.