Archive for the “Broadband/Internet” Category

The next Broadband Forum is set for Auguts 21 at Fortuna’s River Lodge,  8:30 AM - 5:00 PM. According to a email from Connie Stewart, the theme for this year is “Rural Connections: From Grassroots to Treetops: Getting Broadband to All of the Redwood Coast“.

The keynote speaker will be Sunne McPeak, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF). The Forum will also feature presentations from “leaders in technology development.”  The email continues:

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:
Recent events have demonstrated the critical role that
telecommunications plays in the economic and social health of
our community. There’s money on the table and political
will to bring broadband to rural communities like ours, but we
need to develop strong public/private partnerships and work
together to make this happen! In addition, local participants
will receive critical education on statewide and national policy
and funding trends that will affect our broadband future.

The invitation to attend is for “…elected officials, city managers, county administrators, economic and community development professionals, tribal representatives, and community leaders from Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties.” So if  you are, or think you are, one of those AND you want a free lunch, you can contact Connie Stewart or call (707) 445-7014 to reserve a spot.

You can download the agenda here.

After months of gather and analyzing data, Redwood Coast Connect is starting to share its findings and plans. Tomorrow they will make a presentation to the Board of Supervisors. RCC has been developing information on the best ways to get broadband deployed to rural areas of the region.

If you can’t make that meeting, a similar presentation will be offered at the Redwood Technology Consortium’s open meeting this Thursday, 5:30 PM at the Humboldt Area Foundation Conference room.

Technorati Tags: broadband, Redwood Coast Connect, Redwood Technology Consortium

That could be roman numeral four, but it could also be IV like in intravenous, as in fiber and other wired and unwired pathways for data which our body politic needs so badly to be healthy. OK, I’ve strained the analogy too much. In any case, if you’re interested in the health of the region’s telecommunications infrastructure, marke the date for Broadband Forum IV to be held August 22 21 at Fortuna’s River Lodge.

There should be plenty to discuss as Redwood Coast Connect should have assembled the data they have been gathering and be ready with a presentation. People will be reporting on state efforts to improve broadband services. And I have high hopes that by then at least one solid plan for an alternate fiber route will have been unveiled.

In a time when fuel prices continue to skyrocket, the Internet will become an even more crucial factor in economic and cultural development as more and more of our transactions will need to take place in the global data network.

Rich Ryan offered some exciting options in his presentation for the RTC last night. His company, Hunter Communications has a great deal of experience building fiber networks in rural areas. They seem to know the issues that confront a region like ours. They understand the physical and regulatory landscape. They also seem to be able to make economic sense out of building fiber in areas that are generally under served by the telcos.

Rich is also very community oriented and is open to partnering with anyone. He has an interest in expanding his operations in to Northern California. I am hoping we can get him started on some solutions very soon.

Technorati Tags: alternat fiber, broadband, fiber, hunter communications

The Redwood Technology Consortium has invited Rich Ryan, CEO of Hunter Communications from Southern Oregon to speak at the monthly meeting tomorrow, March 13 at 5:30 PM. Ryan has built fiber networks in Oregon and is very interested in finding solutions for the North Coast.

Topics discussed will include:

* Hunter Communications background and current composition

* Development of fiber networks and the implementation of the Rural and
Metropolitan Area Network in Southern Oregon

* Vision for the Northern California Coastal Region and what a
regional fiber network could mean for businesses, municipalities and
other groups

* Hunter’s Plan for our region and how it fits in the “big picture”

Hunter Communications’ formed a creative public-private partnership model that leveraged pre-existing, school budgeted telecommunications funds to build a network infrastructure capable of handling regional demands, and currently servicing over 90 sites. Hunter’s efforts have resulted in unprecedented new communications and connectivity resources for a number of previously disregarded rural communities.

The meeting this month is at the Humboldt Area Foundation Conference Room. 373 Indianola Rd., Bayside.

Technorati Tags: alternate fiber, fiber, redundant fiber, Redwood Technology Consortium

The newly formed Humboldt Film and Digital Media Commission is holding a public meeting tonight to discuss state and the future of these arts in our region. The event starts at 5:30 PM at the Wharfinger Building. You can find details of the event on the Redwood Technology Consortium Calendar.

Update: There was a somewhat small but very enthusiastic turnout for this meeting. Of particular interest was a presentation by the folks putting on the upcoming Humboldt Film Festival. With a new venue, a whole lot more entries to choose from and some interesting judges it should be an exciting and eye opening event.

As for the Film and Digital Media Commission itself, it’s hard to know exactly where things will lead, but they seem to have a dedicated group with a vision for region as a center for film and digital media.

After some dire budget issues traumatized the City Council the proposed feasibility study that would give Eureka a basis for making intelligent decisions on telecommunications issues was put off once again. The motion that passed indicated that the project would be re-visited in six months. As if the budget will magically get better by then. Not with this economy, and not with state budget troubles that will roll downhill to cities.

However, they did also agree that the issue could be brought up again sooner if staff could find alternate sources of funding. It’s likely that these sources will be found, and I was surprised that these alternatives were not part of tonight’s proposal. So, we’ll see.

Technorati Tags: broadband, municipal wireless, wireless

In spite of the what seems like huge sucking sounds coming from massive server farms and data centers soaking up electricity it appears, according to a new study, that the “net” affect of the growth of the Internet is a savings in energy usage.

“Indeed, all America’s servers – the computers that direct traffic on the Internet – and the systems that cool them use about 1.2 percent of the nation’s electricity, according to a study last year.”

“But it turns out that for every kilowatt-hour of electricity used by information and communications technologies, the US saves at least 10 times that amount, the new ACEEE report found.”

Good news! One more reason to invest in improved broadband infrastructure. Doing so will help energy efficiency thus reduce our impact on global warming and reduce our dependency on imported oil. Let the bit torrents begin!

Technorati Tags: energy, global warming, internet, oil

When the Governor’s Broadband Task Force released its report (PDF) a couple weeks ago there was some optimism and excitement that practical steps would be taken to advance the broadband infrastructure in the state particularly in rural and under served areas. Some of us believe that government needs to take the lead as clearly the free market is failing us as we fall further behind the rest of the world.

But the Eureka Reporter managed to find someone who thinks otherwise. In an opinion piece by Daniel Ballon of the Pacific Research Institute, the report’s recommendations a likened to Senator Ted Stevens’ (R - Alaska) boondogle bridge to nowhere. The Pacific Research Institute appears to be a think tank with a mission to”…champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility for all individuals by advancing free-market policy solutions.”

While Mr. Ballon makes some interesting arguments, his conclusions make little sense. In the face of the Broadband Task Force’s conclusions and all evidence he claims “Only in the absence of government interference can the state achieve service that is both universal and competitive.” If this were true, why does the U.S. keep falling behind countries where governments have realized that public investment is necessary to advance deployment, boost speeds and keep prices reasonable for the very individuals the Pacific Research Institute purports to support?

Technorati Tags: broadband, daniel ballon, free market, pacific research institute, task force