Living Connected in Benton County

Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC)

Benton County MIRC

• Benton County Broadband History

• What is MIRC and how does Benton County measure?

• Project Contractors• Statewide Partners • Where do we go from

here?

Benton County’s BB History

– Foley Businesses and Schools– Broadband became part of our Economic

Development Strategy– Introduced to Blandin Foundation 2004

• Survey’s showed strong broadband access and options in the cities

• Outside of cities are lacking

– MIRC – 2010• Resources and projects • Community involvement

– Provider directory, assist business, more access

Benton County’s History

What is MIRC? (Minnesota Intelligent Rural

Communities)

and how is it measured?

Intelligent Community Forum• ICF – “Studies how communities use

communication technologies to build prosperity and address social problems”

• Robert Bell – Co-founder

• Benchmarking tool for DCs– Broadband Infrastructure and Services– Knowledge Workers– Innovation– Digital Inclusion– Marketing/Advocacy

Broadband• Access to broadband

• Penetration

• Broadband TypesBenton County Rated high - 19.11 out of 20 pts

– Top tier for availability– Medium to high penetration– Reasonable selection of providers

Knowledge Workforce

• Educational Attainment • Computers in Schools – Ratio of students to

computers and technology training for teachers.

• Access to higher education • Benton County rated 15.69 out of 20

– High percentage of community college degrees but low in undergrad and grad.

– Moderate PC to student ratio and technology training for teachers.

– High number of community college and undergrad degrees awarded per capita.

Digital Inclusion • Internet Access - % using the internet. • Affordability • Public Access – computers and training• Programs – Description and results of programs

for everyone • Benton County rated - Medium to low – 10.44 out nof 20

– Moderate rate of basic internet access for residents – Moderately expensive average BB prices – suggests

a lack of competition – Limited public access computer, but strong trainings

for new PC and internet users

Innovation • Business Starts• Start-Up Capital • Sectors - top 10 industrial growth sectors.• Employment – Ave. number and age of

employees• Gov. and schools with transactional site

Benton County - Slightly below average - 12.33 out of 20

Low rate of new business starts and absence of risk financing High average age of business Government web sites lack transaction capabilities, though schools do provide such capabilities

Marketing and Advocacy• Marketing –Econ. Dev. marketing including the Intelligent

Community message• Advocacy – A task force for implementing the Intelligent

Community effort

• Strategy and Tactics –for Econ. Dev. and Social Dev. using ICT and achievement of specific goals

• Benton County rated slightly below average - 8.8 out of 20

– Lack of a task force devoted to Intelligent Community Development

– Economic Development site, although scored well for quality, lacked the IC messaging

Robert Bell’s Recommendations • Inclusion of Intelligent Community Themes

in Economic Development Marketing • Creation of a task force to guide

development • Creation of a documented strategy and

programs • More public access locations• Stop “Brain Drain” connect students to

business

MIRCProject Contracts

Project Contracts

• 10 Contractor Organizations

• Over $50,000 in cash match

• Over $20,000 in in-kind match

• Over 200 Businesses Assisted

• Over 500 Residents Assisted

Independent Lifestyles, Inc.A Center of Independent Living

Project BRAVE: Broadband, Resources And Vocational Exploration

Set up a computer lab open to the their clients and the public and provide computer training

Purchased equipment for the computer lab including computers to be used by disabled.

Partnership with Duet Wireless

Project name: What’s up in Foley Community WebsiteIncrease exposure to the community’s events, information and opportunities

Non-profit organizations take advantage of many features through the website at no charge

LA Home CarePartnered with Cybermation

Project name: Smart Home Technologies – Grand Care•Enhanced ability for aging members of the community to live longer at home

•Activities of Daily Living monitoring Internet communications (Skype, email, etc)•Tele-Wellness supporting an entire network of caregivers •Ease of access to the internet for aging

and Great River Regional Library

Created a new City of Foley Interactive Website -Benefiting over 2,600 residents, this new website, and the services provides: online payments, auto pay, information about utilities, ordinances

and notices and more

Purchased of computers to provide public internet access and training – library hours for use by the public, free of charge

Foley and Sauk Rapids Rice Community Education

Will increase computer lab time for students and the community this fallOffering basic computer skills classes and classes through the U of M - at little to no charge to residents and businesses of Benton County Computer classes for learners to explore computers, Lego robotics, on-line classes and fun computer projects that are not in school curriculum

Country ManorProject name: Enriching LivesProviding iPads for use by tenants and residents

The iPads have helped tenants/residents learn about new technology. Several have set up gmail accounts

Enhance intergenerational learning – Sartell High School students in the LINC program will help teach seniors how to use the technology.

Foley High School FFA

• Creating a website for the school’s FFA organization The purpose of the website is to have students implement projects that interact with the local agricultural community and to develop a first year well water testing project within the rural community through the website.

• Purchase of quality GPS receiver and mapping software program for the initial first year project

Foley Public Schools

• Purchase and install wireless access routers within Foley Public Schools – these routers will be used by students, staff, Adult Basic Education participants, Community Education participants and other community residents as well as guests of the community.

Maywood Group & New Frontier Services

• Implement the Business Website Assistance Program with six Benton County businesses – the program has been designed to offer an additional service that eliminates the constraints and gets small and new businesses started with a website and company email address through a “DoIt4UWebsite” process.

MIRC Committee Projects

• Marketing Benton County as an Intelligent Community – www.BentonCountyConnected.org – New Logo– School Video– Posters

• WiFi in access throughout the community – Goal of 20 WiFi sites

• Roadside Marketing – Goal of 75 business claim their Google site.

MIRCStatewide Partners

U of M Extension

Business Training and Technical Assistance– Held 11 classes with a total of 93 in

attendance with 5 more planned through July– Foley Chamber of Commerce Lunch and

Learn with 55 people in attendance

•1 on 1 counseling

•U of M Project – Roadside Marketing – additional $1,500

DEED Digital Literacy

• Intro to computers

• 10 Modules

• Ran by 18 ABE’s statewide

• Offered 12 four day classes

• Ages 18 – 84

• Held throughout the region and at Independent Lifestyles and this week at the Foley Library

Minnesota Learning Commons

• U of M, MNSCU, DoE • Library of on-line courses• 4 modules (4 hours each)• Leads to career choice/train• Held 2 courses at the Workforce Center

– January 6 attended– June 10 attended – On-line only classes – Planning one for May

PC’s for People

• 27 computers– 15 to Independent

Lifestyles– 8 Heritage of Foley

senior – 2 to Good Shepherd– 2 to the city of Rice

• Collected over 30 last year– No plans at this time to

take more computers

Atomic Training• On-line tutorials on a multitude of

computer applications• 1000 Subscriptions • 91 Subscriptions

– PC’s for People computers– Independent Lifestyles– Foley Library – ABE at Foley and Sauk Rapids – Some businesses

• Open House and Training – October 13

MNREM

• Similar training to Extension for Businesses and their vendors in the Renewable Energy area

• Webinars provide alternative to in class hands on training

U of M Crookston

Project Evaluation

MIRCWhere do we go from

here?

What’s next?

• Robert Bells analysis of how Benton County did.

• Continue working with our new partners• Programs are sustainable • Create a strategic plan to include IC

concepts into our work

We will be following you!

• We can do a lot with broadband

• How do we get affordable broadband to everyone in our community