Isanti County Broadband Isanti County EDA September 2018
Design Nine High Speed Internet Study Residential survey Business survey Service provider & anchor institution interviews Tower inventory & mapping Inform Capital investment Proforma projections Organizational structure recommendations
Broadband Standard/Goals FCC set targets of 10 Meg down/1 Meg up and 25 Meg down/1 up as a lower limit on what is needed Minnesota considered more realistic and forward looking 2022 minimum of 25/3 2026 100/20 Download speed is consumption; upload speed is production 5 upload is needed for much business communication Isanti County goals 2022 minimum of 25/5 2026 100/20 or greater
One billion $$ + going out of the county/region over 30 years
Red areas no wireline service of at least 25/3
Survey Summer 2017 Residential Satisfaction with Internet Speed and Reliability Isanti County 2017 Exceptionally high survey response rate 13,972 households 1,624 respondents 11.6% response rate Not at all satisfied Somewhat satisfied Satisfied Very satisfied
Residential Survey Highlights 88% of residents I need better Internet/data service 13% of residents I m satisfied with all my services 31% have K-12 student(s) in household; 21% college student(s) 92% consider Internet access very important to their household. 1% say it is not important 60% spend over $100 per month for landline, TV, internet (no cell) 65% have no other options available 40% if households need the Internet to complete school assignments several times a week 18% would work from home if I had better Internet at home
Business Survey Highlights 83% of businesses I need better Internet/data service Only 8% are very satisfied with current speed and reliability 95% stated Internet is essential to their business 75% consider redundant or a second Internet connection somewhat or very important to their business 49% say they can t rely on their Internet service provider 50% need to work from home on a consistent basis 66% indicated that limited Internet access at employee s residence impacts their business 59% have no other options available 24% say Internet service options impact their business decision to relocate or stay in the county 42 businesses responded to the survey; 464 computer users; average of 12 Internet users per business
Other findings Strong interest from health care in telemedicine Health outcomes better at home People prefer to be at home Nursing home ave cost $8,000/month 23 pages of comments (residential) Commuting Ability to access work from home Homework Home sales/relocation Concerns about cost, reliability, speed, bandwidth limitations, customer service, no alternatives, no landlines available Lots of help!!... we re frustrated... please do something
Alternative roles for local government RFP Vision: All Isanti County residents, businesses and institutions, border to border, will be able to use convenient, affordable world-class broadband networks that enable us to survive and thrive in our communities and around the globe.
Approach
Rural area challenge Large incumbent providers (e.g CenturyLink, Midco, Frontier, Windstream) not likely to reach coverage/speed needed in rural areas in the foreseeable future...better places for private sector to make capital investments Solution: Government involvement supporting private/nonprofit/cooperative
What s next? Isanti County partnership with CTC, a telephone cooperative based in Brainerd Lakes area Mission-driven Broadband partnerships in Little Falls, Long Prairie, NE MN, Mille Lacs Co and Brainerd Lakes Isanti Co Design Concept Fiber to the Home (likely in areas with more density; phased approach) Wireless broadband (likely in areas with lower density Fiber connecting new & existing towers Engineering 4 th quarter 2018 Business plan 4 th quarter 2018 Seeking funding, including state and federal grants - 2019
Discussion Thank you Contact Kevin VanHooser, County Administrator 763-689-3859