CONNECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Broadband Mapping in Minnesota

Diane Wells

&

Wes Kerr

Pre-SBI: Minnesota

• May 12, 2008, Governor signed bill requiring MN Dept. of Commerce to contract with a non-profit to create maps displaying levels of broadband service

• Total appropriate of $175,000 from TAM fund

• Summer 2008 RFP published, proposals reviewed

• October 2008 Contract signed with Connect Minnesota

• 110 providers submitted coverage data for the map

• 7600 speed tests, 85 broadband inquiries

• Final report submitted June 30, 2009

Pre-SBI: National

• Broadband Data Improvement Act

• Signed October 10, 2008 by President Bush

• Recognized importance of broadband and need to improve data on the deployment and adoption of broadband service

• No funding was attached

Pre-SBI: ARRA

• American Recovery and Investment Act

• BTOP funding of $4.7 billion included up to $350 million for a national broadband map that carries out the intent of the Broadband Data Improvement Act

• President Obama signed ARRA on February 17, 2009

• Minnesota established a Memorandum of Understanding with Connect Minnesota; NTIA awarded SBI grant funding to Connect Minnesota in December 2009

First Minnesota MapPre-SBI

Mapping Deployment Technologies: DSL

• Large Number of Providers

• Different business models leading to Different deployment strategies

• Legacy data formats and knowledge

Mapping Deployment Technologies: Cable

• CAD• Franchise Boundaries

Mapping Deployment Technologies: Fixed Wireless

• Unknown Data• No Boundaries• Different Technologies• Environmental Impacts on

propagation of Signals.

Mapping Deployment Technologies: Mobile Wireless

• Data was provided by the Providers directly and simply added to the Map

Mapping Deployment Technologies: Fiber

Data was provided in various formats however CAD data was common.

SBI Mapping

Requirements

All Providers

Validation

6 month interval

Speed Tiers

Technology Type

Broadband Growth

Broadband Growth throughout the state over the SBI program.

Validation Work

Terrestrial, non-mobile availability(10/1/2014)

10Mbps/6Mbps

Mapping Statistics

Mapping Statistics

Current Federal Mapping

FCC undertook enhanced Form 477 data collection

Pertinent dates:

First submission was due in October but due to Technical issues wasn’t completed until December.

First NBM update with 477 is expected this summer

Next submission is due on March 1st, 2015.

Broadband Adoption

Statewide adoption has grown from 72% in 2010 to 77% in 2014

Mobile adoption has more than doubled from 26% to 59% during that same time.

Home broadband adoption in rural areas of the state grew significantly since 2010 (from 58% to 68% in 2014)

TBD Mapping in the FUTURE

“Future” is the short term

OBD entering a “bridge” contract with Connect Minnesota to end of current fiscal year (June 30, 2015)

Plan is to have one round of data collection; collect data under old tiers for tracking comparison and also Minnesota’s 10/5 speed tier

Create maps

No residential/business surveys under bridge contract

Review future data collection/surveys following legislative session

Q&A

Contact:

Diane WellsOffice of Broadband Development at DEED

diane.wells@state.mn.us

Wes KerrConnected Nation

wkerr@connectednation.org