Getting High Speed Connection – MCBA and YOU!

I. MCBA Activities since March 2007
• Mapped residences from Navarro Ridge to Caspar to get residential densities
• Conducted an interest and needs Survey to obtain more detailed local information (see Executive Summary Handout)
• Reached out to the local business community to inform, inspire, and listen in person and with the Why NET Connect? newspaper articles plus participation with the Fort Bragg Economic Development Action Committee
• Strategized a public awareness outreach campaign which included three coastal community meetings (Gualala and Pt. Arena got involved as a result), collaboration with KZYX on programming and news features, booths at local events, and an hour-long program on KZYX on the future of broadband
• Experimented with possible connection solutions to fill the need locally
• Drafted an initial feasibility study for a business plan
• Set the wheels in motion to become a 501c6 entity to get grants/funding
• Collaborated with RCC since November 2007 on regional analysis/surveys and were greatly helped in our work to figure out what to do and how to do it
• Partnered with Kathy Moxon of Humboldt Area Foundation (HAF) and RCC to continue regional coordination work toward deployment
• Partnered with Mitch Sprague of MCN on solutions and local needs
• Partnered with County CEO Mitchell, County Superintendent of Schools Tichinin, County Supervisors and Deputy CEO Of Technology Phan to move Broadband connection project further – Voila! This meeting is the result!
• Introduced more comprehensive language for revised County General Plan to have broadband be considered a utility and basic infrastructure for all residences and businesses, most of which has been accepted for next draft
• Forged relationships with Federal and State legislators and feel supported by Field Representatives from the offices of Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, Representative Thompson, Senator Wiggins, and Assemblyman Chesbro
• Met with CPUC Commissioner Chong’s Chief of Staff relative to the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) and attended CPUC meetings on the Stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
• Attended broadband conferences in Fortuna (CA), Newport, (OR), Los Angeles, and Washington DC

II. MCBA Current activities
• Building relationships with a number of associations, advocacy groups, and foundations to share information and create a stronger rural voice
• Researching providers to deploy broadband connections – AT&T applied to connect a number of communities on the Coast but Comcast challenged it and knocked it out. Comcast has not applied however. Comptche survived and AT&T will install DSL service there this year. Randy MacDonald and his group did a masterful job of advocacy for four years to get that.
• Considering public/private partnership possibility if the community needs to set up its own company
• Coordinating regionally with Kathy Moxon of HAF to get the necessary source of bandwidth (backhaul) installed which makes local connection possible – she has made a blanket application to California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) for the four counties in the RCC project to put in this vital backhaul
• Preparing to launch another public awareness campaign to aggregate the demand and get pre-registration for a new high speed Internet service
• Initiating a new partnership with Access Humboldt to work more regionally on marketing, advocacy and deployment strategies
• Offering mentoring to other community demand aggregation and advocacy groups since each community in the County will need to take responsibility

III. YOU can help by doing these things – please sign the email list so we can send details, or visit www.mendocinocoastbroadband.org
• Community and neighborhood collaboration groups must form to better define the local density statistics, create an advocacy voice, and get people “pre-registered” for service so potential providers know there is sufficient demand
• Businesses need to write Letters of Support to legislators and agencies about the broadband need on the coast, quantifying the local and County benefits to the economy as well as the possible losses without it
• Individuals are encouraged to write letters to Federal and State legislators requesting their support as well as Letters to the Editor to educate on need and to encourage people to be counted as wanting/demanding connection
• Individuals will be invited to write their stories of challenges without high speed Internet and quality of life issues to present to the CPUC and other agencies along with the applications
• Financial resources are necessary if we need to form our own entity to provide service since we need to come up with matching funds to the Stimulus funds
• Stay connected with the Broadband Leadership team Facebook site – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48919381810&ref=ts

THIS IS OUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY AND WE NEED TO SEIZE IT TOGETHER.
The Mendocino Coast Broadband Alliance thanks you for coming!

Point and Click Radio on KZYX.org 1/21/09 @ 7 pm

Please leave comments here.
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Many of the links mentioned on the show are in the Reference Links Page.

Why NET Connect? … Participate in the New Paradigm

In the big picture, the 21st Century signals a move away from Industrial Age into the Technological Age. It requires smarter, more creative ways of thinking, working, relating, socializing, purchasing, selling, governance, and participation in government. New types of businesses will be birthed, unimagined jobs created, and social innovation unparalleled. Like it or not, we are a technologically driven world, and every part of our society and world will be transformed by it. The Internet models the principles of this new paradigm.

The first principle of the new paradigm, and computer systems theory, is that everything is interrelated. It is about getting connected, and forming networks on every level from our local community to vast social networking communities like Facebook. The possibilities of future global connections are unfathomable.

Participation by the many is now a key principle to balance the few in Board rooms holding hierarchical power. President-elect Obama is modeling a new way of governance by inviting participation of the citizens on his websites to offer their questions, stories, and ideas. Those on dialup cannot access his weekly video addresses, although they did add text. He is encouraging self-organizing communities so we, the people, can get involved to do our parts locally, and connect to the other communities nationwide on the Web. It is about “WE” more than “ME” in the new paradigm. Obama is bringing a team of advisors together to represent the many and diverse voices in America to promote understanding, cooperation and coordination. All people should be able to tap into these Internet discussions and video conferences.

Equality of Web-based economic opportunity and education are necessary in order to participate in, and reap the rewards of, this new Age. With high speed Internet, it does not matter where a person lives or works now that the world is “flattened” into a computer screen.

What can you do? Even on dial up? Go to http://www.change.gov/  and tell President-elect Obama your story about why it is important for his administration to make funding available first for broadband infrastructure in our rural area to revitalize our economy. On the bar at the top, click on “Agenda” click and scroll down to “Technology” to see the thoughts on broadband. Click “Submit your Ideas” to offer your support and even insistence for rural access. Let our County Supervisors as well as State and Federal elected officials know it matters to you.