Middle and Last Mile Networks: Connecting the Northland to Each Other and to the World

Bill ColemanCommunity Technology Advisors

bill@communitytechnologyadvisors.com651-491-2551

MIDDLE MILE NETWORKSConnecting the Region to the World

Middle Mile Networks – • Connecting national backbone networks to retail

broadband providers• Wholesale function• Types of Middle Mile Services

– Bandwidth• Ethernet Connections• Internet Access

– Virtual Private Networks– Dark Fiber lease– Remote Servers, Data Storage, Disaster Recovery– Cloud Computing

ARRA Funded Middle Mile Projects• Funded through Department of Commerce NTIA via

grants and local match (either public, private or combination)

• Constructed to serve public sector community institutions• Built with the capacity to serve public and private sectors• Must be “open access”

– All users will have access to all lawful internet content– Providers must post all network management policies online– Providers must provide settlement-free peering arrangements– Providers must create interconnections at both a physical and

electronic layer

ARRA Funded Middle Mile Networks• Northeast Service Coop – NE MN Middle Mile Fiber

Project– Serves public and non-profit entities in eight counties of

St. Louis, Lake, Cook, Koochiching, Carlton, Pine, Itasca, and Aitkin. Open access for private sector ISP use.

– $43 Million dollar project, 50% grant, 50% loan• Enventis - Greater Minnesota Broadband

Collaborative Project– Construction of fiber from Duluth-Superior to the Twin

Cities and Brainerd to Moorhead serving 36 rural communities in 23 counties.

ARRA Funded Middle Mile Networks • Merit Network 3MC Project

– Connecting Duluth-Superior to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Detroit and Chicago

• University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development– Internet II

Existing Middle Mile Fiber Networks• Charter

– Duluth/Superior, Twin Cities, Brainerd, Michigan UP• Enventis

– Duluth, Twin Cities, Mankato, Rochester• Paul Bunyan Telephone

– Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Duluth, International Falls, connections to Zayo

• Mediacom (no map)– Range Cities, Carlton County

• Frontier Communications (no map)– East Range Cities, Carlton County, Twin Cities

• Qwest/CenturyLink (no map)– Duluth, Range Cities, Cloquet, Twin Cities

LAST MILE NETWORKSConnecting Us to Each Other, Gateway to the World

ARRA Last Mile Projects• Projects Funded through USDA Rural Utility Service

via various combinations of loans and grants• Predominantly Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) Projects

with some Fiber to the Node (FTTN) and Wireless Projects

• Must also be open access

Funded ARRA Last Mile Projects• Cook County via Arrowhead Electric Association

– Coverage – all of Cook County where electric service is provided

– Finance - $11.3 million loan, $4.8 million grant

• Lake County– Coverage – All of Lake County, eastern St. Louis County– Finance - $56 million loan, $10 million grant

Blue is mobile wirelessPale green has no service

Regional Broadband Coverage – Minnesota 3 Mb or better

Density of Unserved Areas

Unserved Areas – Douglas County(in brown)

Prospective Paths Forward on Last Mile• Incremental improvements from existing providers

– In NE MN, CenturyLink and Frontier– In NW WI, primarily CenturyLink

• CLEC investments from expanding providers• Community broadband planning efforts

– Cloquet River Valley – St. Louis County– Trout Lake Township – Itasca County– NESC/Blandin Foundation USDA RUS Planning Grant

• City of Cloquet• Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe• City of Cook• Balkan Township

• Prospective state strategies• Prospective revisions in federal policy

– Universal Service Funds– Access Charges

• Wireless