Welcome - Joe Chopyak - Lincoln County Economic Development Council

Changing the Face of a Rural Economy

"Rural areas are at a disadvantage because they do not receive technology as fast as urban areas."

5.3m impact on economy because of KooteNet
34,000 visitors to KooteNet website daily
1,200 households on-line
85 businesses on web
Lincoln County Learning Centers are being implemented.

Use technology to benefit technology,

Access that is affordable for users & suppliers.

1.     Utility providers cannot justify expenses.
2.     Communities need to take steps to make it affordable.

State of the KooteNet - Randale Sechrest Growth and Power of KooteNet Users' needs are growing faster than what KooteNet can financially support. Need to break down barriers in order to move forward and not be left behind. Lincoln County is a telecommunications island. Need to break down walls in order to get the cost and quality of service that we need. Need telecommunications infrastructure in order to give users what they need. Currently, KooteNet connects only by 56K modems. This needs to improve. Support of the community is needed in order to get what is needed. State of the KooteNet is healthy. However, funds are greatly needed in order to move forward and not be left behind.

Guest Speaker - Steve Cisler

How Effective is a Community's Network

Community or Civic Networking (CN)

People and organizations working together locally to solve problems and create opportunities. Supplied by appropriate information and systems.

In 1990, there was:

Electronic Bulletin Boards
Commercial Services (WELL, CompuServe, AOL)
Community Networks

In 1998, all of these are now running on the Internet.

The Present:

1.     Future as a weather front
2.     National Public Telecommunications Network in 1996
3.     Commercial competition from newspapers, startups, etc.
4.     Global forces in telecommunications

Attraction of Community Network:

1.     Local control
2.     Uses technology to reinforce community
3.     More democratic in theory
4.     Safety net
5.     Local content and conversations

Factors in the Future of Community Networks:

1.     Regulatory
2.     Economic
3.     Technological
4.     Social

Regulatory:

1.     Changes in voice/data billing
2.     Telecommunications Act of 1996
3.     Universal Service
4.     E-Rate
5.     Wireless options for community networks

Economic:

1.     Competition in large metro markets
2.     Cream skimming
3.     ISP relations

Technological:

1.     New paths to the home and cheap hardware
2.     Hybrid systems
3.     Individual tools/toys and public spaces

Two more recent technological advancements are Web TV and cable modems.

Social:

1.     Building social capital - community networks
2.     Consumer priorities
3.     Local influence is more prevalent
4.     Community conversations
5.     Listening to those who question technology

Resistance and Rejection:

1.     Luddite Congress - Barnesville, OH
2.     Anti-globalization

Sources of More Information:

1.     University of Michigan - School of information
2.     Print
3.     Association for Community Networking

Books:

1.     Building Communities
2.     Making the Net Work
3.     New Community Network

Rural Life and Community:

1.     Never easy but often idealized
2.     Affected by outside sources

Waves of Technology:

1.     Railroads
2.     Electricity
3.     Automobile and Telephone
4.     Computer Networks

Mapping the Future of KooteNet:

1.     Working with youth
2.     Facing the future
3.     Digital storytelling

Sources of Information:

1.     Rural Information Center
2.     National Telephone Co-op
3.     Institute of Local Self
4.     ACEnet - Web Market - Athens, OH
5.     Rural Conference in 1996 - Aspen, CO

Telecommunication's Infrastructure Needs and Economic Development

Health Care - Rick Palagi - St. John's Lutheran Hospital He uses Internet at least 10% on a regular day and 20% on a better day. Communicates with Board members through e-mail. Eight of the nine Board members have an e-mail account. The future of health care to be more efficient depends on computers. Appointments, prescriptions, health records will all eventually be on a computer. There are also ideas to connect various doctor's offices to the hospital. These ideas are to help provide better services to patients. Sending files via the Internet has been a problem for the hospital. Interruption of data being sent is due to the lack of speed. There is a need for something better to help the community grow with the rest of the world.

Government - Larry Dolezal - Lincoln County Commissioner Thank you to KooteNet. Benefits of a rural area. Barriers of a rural area - some good, some bad. User support is good, affordability is not good. The cost of bandwidth is 10 times more compared to other communities in Montana.

 

Education - Jamie Olson, Averiel Wolff, Jeff Hartley - Libby High School Students

Classes Offered:

1.     Keyboarding 1 & 2
2.     Computer Literacy
3.     Computer Technology
4.     Computer Programming
5.     Word Perfect
6.     Mac Applications
7.     IBM Applications

Classes that Use Computers:

1.     English - Portable Laptop Lab
2.     History - Reports & Research
3.     Sciences - Research, Calculations
4.     Math - Calculators & G SP
5.     Industrial Arts - Drafting (Auto CAD)
6.     Library - Books, Linking
7.     Business - Investments, Stocks
8.     Guidance - Colleges, Information

Job Skills Needed:

1.     Word Processing - Desktop Publishing
2.     Spreadsheets - Graphing Data
3.     Databases - Organizing Data
4.     Internet - Using and Understanding

Areas of Growth:

1.     Computers - Understanding, More Knowledge
2.     Multimedia - Presentations (Hyperstudio, Powerpoint)
3.     Internet - Research, Usage
4.     Communications - E-mail, Faxing
5.     Networking - How to, Understanding

Preparing for Our Future:

1.     Adaptability and Change
2.     Experience and Knowledge

Education - Wayne Lersback - Troy Public Schools                     Eve Dixon - Kalispell School District Web Pages for Schools An Electronic Field Trip to Glacier National Park was designed on the Internet free of charge by School District #5 of Kalispell. This page has live audio where those who participate can join together at a set time and ask the specialists at the Park any questions. In addition to visiting this website, there are lesson plans that are available to be used before and after the Field Trip. Students from all over the world participate in this Field Trip, In addition, School District #5 entered the International CyberFair. The topic they chose was bull trout. They are currently in the semi-finals.

Business - Bill Partain - 1st National Bank Corp. - Missoula

He would like to make 1st National Bank in Libby their center support.

Electronic delivery is needed. However there is a problem with bandwidth. Speed is slow. They need a faster way to connect. Would like a T- I connection with Libby. Cost is huge. Need help to proceed.

State and National Telecommunications Infrastructure

Bob Rowe - Montana Public Service Commission

Overview:

To provide for a pro-competitive, de-regulatory national policy framework designed to accelerate rapidly private sector deployment of advanced telecommunications and information technologies and services to all Americans by opening all telecommunications markets to competition, and for other purposes:

1.     Conference report
2.     Open markets
3.     Support introduction of advanced services
4.     Maintain universal service

Rural Implications - Elements of Community Development Approach:

1.     Shared vision
2.     Community inventory
3.     Aggregate demand
4.     Consumer-driven, not technology-driven goals
5.     Maintain flexibility
6.     Develop and use community resources
7.     State commissions may become sources of information, assistance and dispute mediation

Resources on the Web:

1.     Montana PSC – www.psc.state.mt.us
2.     FCC - www.fcc.gov/telecom.html
3.     NARUC - www.naruc.org
4.     National Regulatory Research Institute - www.nrri.ohio-state.edu
5.     National Telecommunications Infrastructure Agency - www.ntia.doc.gov
6.     Benton Foundation Communications Policy Project - www.benton.org/cpphome.html

New and upcoming technology - Digital Subscriber Line - huge amounts of information over copper line.

Citizens

A new technology that Citizens would like to go to is Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line.

U.S. West is currently offering this at:

256 kps/sec = $40.00/month
512 kps/sec = $65.00/month
768 kps/sec = $80.00/month

Bandwidth is available. Cost is the factor.

Social issues (affordability, etc.) of an universal service in the past has faded. It has become a competitive industry.

Bonnie Lorang - Montana Public Service Commission

Universal Service - The Basics:

1.     Provide affordable telephone services for all Americans
2.     Through high cost support for telephone companies and
3.     Connect schools, libraries, rural health care providers to global telecomm network

Universal Access - The Basics:

1 .    Increase safety net to provide advanced services in every Montana community
2.     Encourage community innovation
3.     Remove transport cost barriers

Federal "E-Rate" Program:

Who qualifies?

1.     K- 12 public and nonpublic schools
2.     Libraries
3.     Rural health care providers

What funding?

1.     $2.25 billion/yr. for schools and libraries
2.     $400 million/yr. for health providers

What qualifies for E-Rate Discounts?

Schools & Libraries:

1.     Telecom Services
2.     POTS
3.     Long Distance
4.     Cellular
5.     Internet Access
6.     Data Transmission
7.     Distance Learning
8.     Inside wiring, routers, hubs, file servers, wireless LANs, installation, maintenance

Indicators of Discount Rate:

1.     Economic indicator (free and reduced school lunch counts)
2.     Urban/rural distinction

Health Care Providers:

1.     Telecom services
2.     Advanced services - T- I line (1.54 mbps line), Internet access

Discount Rate:

1.     Rural telecom rate = urban telecom rate (nearest city of 50,000)
2.     Internet access (lesser of) $180/month toll charges, 30 hours access

Action Points:
What do our communities want for Lincoln County's telecommunications infrastructure - Randale Sechrest

1.    Consortia - People representing schools, libraries, health care providers, etc. to take advantage of E-Rate and other programs. Proposal for EDC to facilitate this consortia.

2.    Look at co-op (vs. commercial) structure for KooteNet to provide advanced service. Telephone company in co-op with KooteNet.