|
|
News
Connected Nation's Ohio and Illinois Programs Launch New Interactive Mapping ToolToday, Connected Nation launched its new interactive broadband mapping platform in its state-based initiatives of Ohio and Illinois making it publicly available on both state’s websites: www.connectohio.org and www.connectillinois.org.
BroadbandStat is designed to provide a multi-functional and comprehensive view of broadband in a state as a roadmap for increased high-speed Internet. Both states held live online demonstrations for more than 200 stakeholders, community leaders, broadband providers, and others outlining the usefulness of the new mapping platform.
Connect Ohio’s Executive Director Tom Fritz explained some of the meaningful ways the average user can use the tool.
“Ohio consumers now have the ability to quickly and easily find participating providers that offer broadband service to their homes,” Fritz said. “The application will also help broadband providers, Ohio municipalities, and economic development organizations pinpoint exactly which areas should be targeted for broadband expansion.”
The broadband-related data can be used for grant writing, broadband investment, economic development, and it gives the public the ability to find information about broadband providers down to the street level. The software allows providers to calculate feasibility plans which could help them decide to expand their business or offer services at a reduced rate to disadvantaged individuals or families, Fritz said.
Morton O’Kelly, chair of the Department of Geography at Ohio State University, complimented the efficiency and use of the tool.
“The mapping tool provides a snapshot of current coverage at a high level of detail,” said O’Kelly. “The assembly of data from major providers is key to a comprehensive portrait of state-wide coverage. As a geographer, I am immediately able to see significant regional contrasts, as well as gain a greater appreciation for the challenges facing providers as they attempt to complete coverage in lower density rural areas.”
Additionally in Ohio, J.C. Wallace, executive director of the Ohio Economic Development Association, noted, “High-speed broadband connectivity is critical to almost every business in Ohio, but especially in manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, retail, and tourism.
“The new tool developed by Connect Ohio should help economic developers market their broadband assets to new and existing businesses, and should also provide our members with vital information to encourage new companies to make investments in broadband services,” Wallace said.
In Illinois, Todd Heinrich, CEO of Genesis Health Technologies, LLC, had this to say: “The broadband mapping tool offered through Connected Nation is one of the better tools we have seen to date, specifically for mapping and drilling in on targeted areas for broadband development and other projects. The drawing capabilities coupled with the measurement capabilities are very useful when, as an example, plotting potential routes of new fiber, while also being able to mark and overlay existing fiber routes with the color feature. Great for being able to accurately budget either middle-mile and last-mile loop.”
Connected Nation joined forces with ESRI, a market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, to create the revolutionary software.
Along with Ohio and Illinois, Connected Nation will be releasing BroadbandStat in nine more states and the territory of Puerto Rico. BroadbandStat was launched in Tennessee earlier this month.
All Connected Nation partner states and territories will be using BroadbandStat to organize the results of data they are currently collecting on available broadband services. This activity is supported by State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program funds that are made available through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for improving broadband accessibility across the nation.
Statewide broadband gets a boostBy Steven Rickeri/The Southern
CARBONDALE - A new website launched Wednesday by Connect Illinois offers users new tools that they hope will narrow the digital divide.
Connect Illinois, a public and private partnership led by the Office of the Governor and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, is partnered with Connect SI, Connected Nation and Man-Tra-Con Corporation. The goal of Connect Illinois is to bring broadband access to un-served and underserved regions throughout Illinois.
BroadbandStat was launched via a webinar and utilizes Geographic Information System (GIS) technology that will allow users to access data related to current broadband availability, population and education demographics and scenarios for broadband expansion.
BroadbandStat offers a picture of broadband data and makes the information accessible to the public. Connect Illinois hopes that BroadbandStat will help consumers, technology providers and policy makers formulate a plan to expand and adopt broadband.
Rex Duncan of Connect SI said the new website will help analyze the broadband situation in Southern Illinois in terms of understanding broadband connectivity.
"We have not seen data like this before," Duncan said. "This will provide data on what kind of access is available and what providers are available." Duncan said the map will help users visualize un-served areas that could lead to individuals or businesses considering capital investment opportunities.
Currently, the Connect Illinois mapping project covers 93 percent of all Illinois households or 4.28 million households. Duncan said this is the most in-depth mapping program to date, but said there will be more mapping yet to come.
stephen.rickerl@thesouthern.com
618-351-5823
Connected Nation Previews Interactive Broadband Mapping Tool at Technology Policy Exhibition in Washington, D.C.
Andy Blair from George Washington University asks Connected Tennessee’s Michael Ramage for more detail about interactive broadband coverage maps while Sabrina Matteson, a representative from the American Farm Bureau Federation, observes the presentation.
Connected Nation, in conjunction with ESRI, a market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, showcased its jointly developed new interactive mapping tool for viewing, analyzing, and validating broadband data at a technology policy exhibition on Capitol Hill.
At Tuesday’s technology policy kickoff reception, more than 100 people had the chance to view Connected Nation and ESRI’s BroadbandStat demonstration. Michael Ramage, Executive Director of Connected Tennessee, continued showcasing the technology well after the official end of the event. 
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) welcomes attendees to the Congressional Internet Caucus Kickoff Reception and Technology Policy Exhibition.Jon Gant, a professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign, stopped by to view the BroadbandStat demonstration on Tuesday.
Gant, who teaches GIS classes and has used GIS data from more than 20 years, was impressed by the easy, user-friendly interface of BroadbandStat.
“Look at how smooth the graphics transition from query to query,” he said, pointing to the screen of BroadbandStat. “And, the small things—like the menus—they are a lot better this way.”
“This [GIS data] is really complicated stuff,” he said Tuesday after viewing BroadbandStat. “And, how you all use and represent this complicated data with this kind of interface is really interesting,” he said.
Jim Geringer, director of Policy and Public Sector Strategies at ESRI and former governor of Wyoming, was on hand on Tuesday, prior to his participation in Wednesday’s panel discussion, “Transforming Government Through Technology: The Real, The Possible, The Surprising.”
“The common underpinning of all activities—economic, social or health—is people connecting with other people and that activity doesn’t happen without broadband,” he said. “You will never understand how much information is in the world until you can connect with broadband. Broadband mapping—or showing who is connecting and who is not—is just the first step.”
The Technology Policy Exhibition is a free, educational event that briefs lawmakers and staff, reporters, and representatives from government agencies and private sector organizations on cutting-edge Internet technologies. It is the largest technology exhibition on Capitol Hill. Yesterday’s event served as the official kickoff of today’s 6th Annual State of the Net Conference, hosted by ICAC at the Hyatt Regency, Capitol Hill. GIS Cafe: States Use ESRI's BroadbandStat Application for Broadband InitiativesJanuary 27, 2010
By GIS User
More than $20 Million in U.S. Stimulus Funds Are Awarded to 10 States and Puerto Rico for GIS-Based Broadband Mapping and Planning Initiatives
Redlands, California — Ten U.S. states and one U.S. territory will soon launch comprehensive broadband mapping and planning initiatives based on ESRI's geographic information system (GIS) technology. They will use BroadbandStat, an application developed by ESRI and Connected Nation, to organize and display broadband service and related data on the Internet.
The BroadbandStat application hosts interactive Web maps that show broadband coverage across U.S. states and incorporates other relevant data. It includes tools that use service provider and demographics data to identify unserved and underserved broadband areas with optimum potential for new broadband infrastructure development. Its Web capabilities enable a shared picture of broadband data and support transparency by giving the public access to the information.
The new state broadband mapping initiatives are supported by more than $20 million in State Broadband Data and Development Program grants recently announced by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
"These grant dollars are an investment in the future of Texas," said Texas agricultural commissioner Todd Staples in a press release on NTIA's $2.5 million award to Texas.
"Many communities do not have sufficient broadband service, which limits their abilities to attract new economic development opportunities. It is essential that families, schools, and businesses have high-speed Internet access that will open up the prospects for development."
Funds were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). More than $7 billion in ARRA stimulus funds have been designated to help expand broadband access in unserved and underserved communities across the United States. The NTIA grants were awarded to each state's designated project entity, which in many cases is Connected Nation, a nonprofit corporation and leader in promoting broadband expansion. Awards include the following:
• Florida: $2.5 million, to Florida Department of Management Services
• Illinois: $1.8 million, to Partnership for a Connected Illinois
• Iowa: $2.2 million, to Connected Nation
• Michigan: $1.8 million, to Connected Nation
• Minnesota: $1.7 million, to Connected Nation
• Nevada: $1.4 million, to Connected Nation
• Ohio: $1.8 million, to Ohio Office of Information Technology
• Puerto Rico: $1.4 million, to Puerto Rico Office of the Chief Information Officer
• Tennessee: $1.8 million, to Connected Tennessee
• Texas: $2.5 million, to Connected Nation
For more information about ESRI's BroadbandStat application, visit www.esri.com/bbstat.
Link to article here. Connect Illinois Initiative to feature latest in broadband mapping technologyDecember 28, 2009
By Mona Sandefur
Benton Evening News
SPRINGFIELD - An Illinois project has received federal support through a grant in the amount of $1.8 million from the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to support a comprehensive broadband mapping and planning initiative. The funding will yield a highly detailed map showing areas throughout the state down to the street level where gaps in broadband coverage exist.
The Partnership for a Connected Illinois, the host organization for Connect Illinois, is a not-for-profit corporation that includes Southern Illinois University, Man-Tra-Con Corporation, and Connected Nation.
Connect Illinois was selected by the State of Illinois to help close the digital divide with the goal of increasing broadband Internet access throughout Illinois. The federal grant is comprised of $1.3 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a five-year period in Illinois. The award provided through NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The funding will be used to develop a highly interactive statewide map showing broadband Internet availability and the results of statewide research regarding adoption rates and barriers.
These tools will be invaluable in helping identify gaps in broadband Internet service, helping public and private sector entities and network providers understand what the barriers to Internet n are in the state, and providing new information to help in the development of a statewide broadband plan.
Ron Duncan is president of the board of directors of The Partnership for a Connected Illinois.
“A lot of very committed and talented people have worked extremely hard over the past 18 months to get to this point,” he said. “We are honored to have been chosen by Governor Quinn as the state’s designated entity and certainly by the confidence placed in us by NTIA.”
Link to article here. Broadband project gets federal fundsDecember 25, 2009
By Rhys Saunders
The State Journal-Register
Efforts to expand broadband Internet availability in rural areas of Illinois are getting a boost from federal stimulus funds.
A non-governmental organization, the Carbondale-based Partnership for a Connected Illinois, this week was awarded $1.8 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The grant was announced by the office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill, who said broadband is “an important economic tool, and too many Illinoisans lack adequate and affordable access.”
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant was one of 15 given nationwide to fund broadband mapping and planning activities. The national program aims to increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning.
The Partnership for a Connected Illinois is a statewide partnership project, according to Rex Duncan, director of community development and outreach at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Duncan said the federal money will be used to determine broadband availability throughout Illinois.
“We want to know where it’s available and, particularly, where it’s not available,” he said. “From there, we want to develop strategies of how to get it into these underserved areas.”
About $1.3 million will fund broadband data collection and mapping activities the first two years, while $500,000 will be used for planning activities over a five-year period, according to NTIA.
The formation of The Partnership for a Connected Illinois dates back to 2005 at SIU, Duncan said, when a university-backed group was charged by the state to find a qualified, non-profit corporation to run a state broadband project.
“Broadband is a requisite infrastructure these days for economic success,” Duncan said.
“Frankly, the United States is falling behind globally. There is going to be an increasing volume of health information exchanged over broadband in the coming years, so we have to have the infrastructure in place to support that.”
Rhys Saunders can be reached at 788-1521.
Link to article here.
$1.8 Million Awarded to Illinois to Improve Broadband Access; Federal Funds Will Help with Mapping, Planning EffortsDecember 24, 2009
Chicago Press Release Services
Gov. Pat Quinn today announced that Illinois has received $1.8 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve broadband access throughout the state.
The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), will assist the state with broadband mapping and planning efforts.
“This funding will help ensure that no one in Illinois is left out of the technological revolution.
Today, too many individuals are without access to affordable internet service – this is especially true in our rural and low-income communities,” said Governor Quinn. “This funding is a big step toward realizing Illinois’ broadband goals.”
A Partnership for a Connected Illinois (Connect Illinois) is the non-profit entity that has been designated by the state to manage this project.
Connect Illinois will use approximately $1.3 million of the funding for broadband data collection and mapping activities and approximately $500,000 for broadband planning activities.
Once complete, Illinois will have statewide data on the availability, speed and location of broadband services. The data collected and compiled will be used to develop broadband maps with the intention of targeting state resources to unserved and underserved areas.
The data will also eventually help populate a national broadband map.
“These maps will ultimately help us focus state resources on the neediest areas, helping to ensure that no matter where you live, you have the availability and access to internet service,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Warren Ribley.
“With these resources, we’re opening the door to greater opportunities for 21st century job growth and economic prosperity in Illinois.”
A long-time advocate of improving the state’s broadband access, Governor Quinn has taken many significant steps to ensure connectivity in all areas of Illinois.
The Illinois Jobs Now! capital bill provides funding for placing fiber-optic network conduit along highway projects in unserved areas; and the state provided technical grant writing assistance and matching grants to ARRA applicants who would provide broadband services.
The federal government is expected to announce those grant recipients at any time.
For more information on the state’s broadband efforts, visit Broadband.illinois.gov.
Link to article here.
Illinois receives $1.8 million Internet grantDecember 24, 2009
By The Associated Press
The Hearld and Review (Decatur, IL)
SPRINGFIELD (AP) - Illinois is to receive about $1.8 million in federal money to increase Internet access.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday that the money will come from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It will be used to expand access to broadband Internet through better data collection and planning.
Durbin's office says the non-governmental organization Partnership for a Connected Illinois will use about $1.3 million of the grant money for broadband collection and mapping. The state-supervised group will use about $500,000 for broadband planning.
Durbin says ``broadband is an important economic tool, and too many Illinoisans lack adequate and affordable access.''
Link to article here.
|
