Tonight’s Agenda 5:30 – Dinner 6:15 – Program begins 6:45 – Panel Discussion 7:30 – Prize Drawing
WIN AN IPAD!!! Remember to keep your ticket Drawing will be held at about 7:30 Must be present to win!
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Win an Amazon Kindle!!! Enter by having friends and family fill out the petition forms and returning them! The individual who sends in the most petitions will win a Kindle ALSO – for every 10 entries, a drawing will be held at the County Board meeting on June 7, 2011 Entries due by June 6, 2011 at 4 pm
WHAT IS FIBERBAND? Fiberband is the initiative to get Ultra-High speed broadband service to ALL of Todd County. Fiberband is a term developed locally for use only in Todd County!
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How did Fiberband get started? • Todd County is an underserved population when it comes to broadband. • Many different planning initiatives have identified access to “broadband” as a high priority (Comprehensive plan, Long Prairie Health Communities Todd County Health Communities, City of Staples planning process. Livestock Advisory Council).
Why Fiberband? • Business – The world marketplace is a fast moving and ever changing place. In order to keep up with global competitors, local businesses will need access to the services that Fiberband will provide. In addition, academic studies and actual cases indicate that the greatest predictor of future economic success is the presence of access to ultra-high-speed broadband services.
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Why Fiberband? • Health Care – Health care costs are growing at a rate much faster than inflation, and new health care innovations will require both personal and institutional access to ultra-high- speed broadband. Electronic records, home health care, medical assessment, specialty assessment are all areas where Fiberband can give the Todd County Community an advantage in controlling our health care costs.
Why Fiberband? • Keep your money in the community – Studies show that between 80 and 98 percent of fees for service paid to a national or regional provider go to either company profits OR to reinvesting in infrastructure ELSEWHERE. Why pay 98% of your money to help some other community?
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Why Fiberband? • K – 12 Education – Schools with access to ultra- high-speed, and with a student population with home access have demonstrated significant opportunities in 24/7 home based learning opportunities. In at least one school district 40% of the students do not have access to the internet at home, either because it is too expensive, or because their home is out of the service area.
Why Fiberband? • Retaining our youth – Youth growing up today will require access to the services that Fiberband will provide. With the development of social networking, online banking, and entertainment options coming over the internet, access to ultra-high speed internet access will be vital to attracting our youth back to the community.
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Why Fiberband? • Personal – Fiberband will offer access to ultra- high-speed internet service, including phone and cable television service for a reasonable price.
How much will Fiberband cost? • At this point costs of the network would be unknown. Without planning and doing the feasibility study we cannot know what requirements the system will have, and what expenses to expect. However, the goal is that the system would be self sufficient, so every effort possible would be made to ensure that the network is feasible as a business on its own, without general taxpayer support.
What are the next steps? • If community support is established, the County Board and other partners will be asked to contribute to match a grant from the Blandin Foundation, which will assess the feasibility and costs of developing a Fiberband network. The feasibility study will give the County Community options to consider for establishing a network that meets our goals.
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