Planning for Community Connectivity
Resources
Form 477 Reporting Requirements for Deployment Data - In March, 2000, the FCC adopted a semi-annual reporting requirement (FCC Form 477) to determine the extent of local telecommunications competition and deployment of broadband services. In November, 2004, the FCC decided to modify its rules for Form 477. In particular, it decided to remove the mandatory reporting thresholds, which had exempted certain entities from the requirement to file Form 477, and to make certain other modifications to the form. Access to reports and data from these reports are available at: http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/iatd/comp.html
High Speed Internet Access. While it has been difficult, if not impossible, to get good data on community connectivity rates, recent data collected by the FCC could shed light on the success our communities are having in terms of deploying advanced telecommunications.
High Speed Services for Internet Access: Status as of June 30, 2005 - FCC report, Industry Analysis and Technology Division Wireline Competition Bureau, April 2006
Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Annual Reports (LEC) 1996-2002 (WI Public Service Commission)
Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Annual Reports (LEC) 2003+ (WI Public Service Commission)
PowerPoint Presentation from the WEDA Fall Conference, Oconomowoc, WI, 9-20-05
PowerPoint Presentation from the Technology Planning Workshop in Neenah, WI, 9-28-05
Sample Request For Proposal For Development of Broadband Feasibility Study
- A list of 4 companies that responded to a recent RFP (12-05) in Shawano (If you know of other companies working in this area, please send me an e-mail with contact information, andy.lewis@uwex.edu):
DesignLiNC, Inc.
1910 Marvonne Rd.
Lawrence , KS 66047
Uptown Services, LLC
120 Cherokee Way
Boulder , CO 80303
Columbia Telecommunications Corporation
5550 Sterrett Place, Suite 200
Columbia , MD 21044
CTC has a Wisconsin Office at:
Thomas Asp
11521 N Bayview Drive
Edgerton, WI 53534
608.531.1739 phone 847.922.3978 portable
LinkIndigo, Inc.
60B West Terra Cotta Ave. , Suite 166
Crystal Lake , IL 60014
-This particular document does a good job of defining terms. It does not however, provide a definition of ISDN or describe the difference between ISDN and DSL. See this web resource for a simple explanation.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has several useful pieces of information on their web site that would be useful for assessing connectivity at the community level:
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Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Annual Reports (LEC) 1996-2002 (WI Public Service Commission)
- Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Annual Reports (LEC) 2003+ (WI Public Service Commission)
- Telecommunication Maps (Infrastructure maps, exchange boundary maps, local service providers). Care should be taken in interpreting these maps. For example, an area can be indicated as having broadband access without being able to serve all customers within that area.
Internet Service Provider Worksheet (Developed by the Laboratory of Community & Economic Development, University of Illinois Extension) This piece is getting a bit dated!
Articles On The Topic of Communication Technology Planning (The first ten articles are authored by Tom Asp, CTC & reprinted with permission):
Broadband Access Financial Analysis - Factors to Consider
Broadband Access, Telecommuting and the Urban-Rural Digital Divide, Moohoun Song, Peter Orazem, Rajesh Singh, Iowa State University, February 2006
Broadband for All? Gaps in California’s Broadband Adoption and Availability, by Jed Kolko, July, 2007 Public Policy Institute of California report.
Broadband: A Key Development Strategy
Communicate the Value of Connectivity To Bridge the Digital Divide
Communications for the Public Interest
Fiber-To-The-Home: Deployment Considerations
Five Steps for Designing an Effective Strategy
Public Safety & Wireless Networks
Strategy for Municipal Connectivity
Who Will Own Minnesota's Information Highway?, Institute for Local Self Reliance, June, 2005
Papers on the Topic of: The Economic Impact of Broadband Deployment/Connectivity
The Effects of Broadband Deployment on Output and Employment: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of U.S. Data, Robert Crandall, William Lehr and Robert Litan. June, 2007. This new research indicates that broadband deployment does indeed have positive economic impacts. In fact, for every one percent increase in a state’s broadband penetration rates, employment increases at a rate of 0.2 to 0.3 percent per year.
Home Broadband Adoption Rates 2007, John B. Horrigan, Aaron Smith, Pew Internet & American Life Project. Findings from a survey of 2,200 adult Americans conducted in February and March 2007 shed light on broadband and internet connectivity.
Measuring Broadband’s Economic Impact, Lehr, Osorio, Gillett, Sirbu, 1-17-06
Measuring Broadband's Economic Impact, Dec. 2005 issue of Broadband Properties - This article provides a great overview of the 2005 study by the same name (click here for a copy of the comlete study).
The Power of Technological Innovation in Rural America, Jason Henderson, in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Main Street Economist newsletter. A new study from Kansas City Federal Reserve researcher Jason Henderson argues that rural communities need to focus more on technology adoption strategies.
Ten Most Significant E-Commerce Developments of the Last Decade, Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), July, 2007
Funding Sources
USDA Rural Development Telecommunications Program - USDA Rural Development continues to provide many programs for financing rural America's telecommunications infrastructure.
Wisconsin USDA Rural Development: Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loans and Grants
The Broadband Tax Exemption and Credit Program, Wisconsin Department of Commerce - Internet providers seeking to provide broadband capability to previously unserved or underserved areas of Wisconsin can earn sales and income tax credits through this new program. Deadline is April 13, 2007.
Presentations
E-Commerce: Assessing Your Community's Readiness, 2-13-07, North Central E-Commerce Series (for a link to the complete series, click here):
