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Broadband: The Education Superhighway
January 15, 2016
Presenters:Denise Dittrich, Associate Director of Government RelationsMinnesota School Boards Association
Danna MacKenzie, Executive DirectorMN Office of Broadband DevelopmentDepartment of Employment and Economic Development
A brief summary of the status of household and K-12 broadband connectivity in Minnesota
Recent Steps in MN Broadband Policy-making
2008-2010
• 2008 - First broadband taskforce created
• 2009 - First broadband map created (prior to federal mapping program)
• 2010 - Broadband goals established
2011-2013
• 2011 – Current broadband taskforce created
• 2013 - Office of Broadband Development was created within DEED
2014-2016
• 2014 - Border to Border Broadband Infrastructure Grant created
• 2015 – Taskforce appointments renewed
• 2015 – Additional funding for broadband grants
• 2016 – Proposed $100M fund, Increased TEA support
Percentage of Households Served by Wireline Service
- at least 10Mbps
down/5Mbps up
89 %Statewide
75 %Rural
Border to Border Broadband Development Grant
• $20M one-time appropriation in 2014, $10.58 in 2015
• Distributed in single competitive grant round
• Technology must be scalable to at least 100Mbps Up/Down
• At least 1 to 1 match (50% of eligible expenses) required (More
points awarded for higher match)
• Eligible locations had to be unserved at FCC 25/3 or underserved at 10/5
• Over 10,000 households, businesses and
institutions served under these two rounds.
MN Governor’s Broadband Task Force2016 Recommendations – Speed Goals
By 2022Speed: 25Mbps down/3 Mbps upload
Where available: Everywhere
By 2026Speed: 100Mbps down/20 Mbps upload
Where available: Everywhere
MN Governor’s Broadband Task Force2016 Recommendations - Continued
• $200 million to the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program in FY2016-17
• Create an Office of Broadband operating fund to promote broadband adoption and use
• Increase telecommunications aid for schools and libraries
• Make sales tax exemption for telecom permanent• Reform regulations of Minnesota’s telecommunications• Review existing permitting criteria to see where there
might be opportunities for efficiencies
What Does This Mean For Schools?
• 2013 law charged DEED with measuring K-12 connectivity and reporting on their needs
• DEED invited Education Super Highway to assist with gathering high level data
• In the process of gathering input and formulating recommendations for policy actions
Why we need broadband — current and future needs• Basic: Bottlenecks exist today in meeting wi-fi
and testing needs
• Current trends: Digital learning (1:1, flipped classrooms, etc.) demand will continue to grow dramatically
• Near horizon: Media-rich applications will need high capacity infrastructure. Back office function needs continue to grow, Internet of Things will mean thousands of connected devices in each building.
K-12 Broadband Goals for MN?
• FCC broadband goals for K-12 exist today:
– Internet access:
• 100 Kbps per student/staff by 2014
• 1 Mbps per student/staff by 2018
– District transport (WAN):
• 1 Gbps per school (2014), scalable to 10 Gbps per school (2018)
How Does MN Compare to FCC Goals?
ESH analysis of 2015 MN E-Rate data:– ~22% districts are not meeting 2014 Internet
access goals
– ~80% districts are not meeting 2018 goals
– ~26% of schools in MN need upgrades to fiber
– MN districts pay on average $10/Mbps, but top quartile districts in MN pay $2.5 per Mbps
– $65M of Category 2 funding is available through the federal E-rate program (both charters and traditional schools)
How Do Schools Tap E-Rate to Expand Broadband?• E-rate is a federal Universal Service program
that provides discounts on telecommunications services to eligible schools and libraries
• In 2014, the FCC modernized the program:– FCC increased the E-rate funding cap by $1.5 B
• $1 B funding for Wi-Fi and internal connections (Category 2)
– Modernization makes fiber deployments more feasible• The FCC will match state funding up to 10% on fiber builds
• More friendly financing options for schools doing larger fiber projects
Recommendations for Next Steps• Set K-12 connectivity goals for the state that support digital learning
efforts to ensure equity and access for all Minnesota students• Fiber: Ensure that all schools are connected to fiber, or a scalable
equivalent. – Identify schools that need more robust support– Secure resources for a state matching fund to leverage E-rate
programs
• Affordability: Identify and support districts that are paying too much for Internet access and transport service
• Wi-Fi: Educate and support districts on effective procurement– Ensure that they understand the Wi-Fi / Category 2 funding
opportunity– Increase awareness of E-rate modernization and implications
How Can We Help You?
More Information/ContactsDanna MacKenzie, Executive DirectorMN Office of Broadband [email protected]
Denise DittrichAssociate Director of Government RelationsMinnesota School Boards [email protected]
http://mn.gov/deed/broadbandSubscribe to the MN Broadband E-Blasts to receive more information as it becomes available.
