NWBDC founder Don Sidlowski announced that the Coalition will host a tour of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday, September 24, 2013. Among those expected to visit Rhinelander and Three Lakes are PSC Chairman Phil Montgomery, PSC State Broadband Director Dr. Tithi Chattophadyay, and Maria Alvarez-Stroud, Director of the UW-Extension Center for Community Technology Solutions. More details on agenda and tour stops to follow.

At the request of WXPR News Director Ken Krall, the founder of the NWBDC, Don Sidlowski, coordinated the format, questions, and participants for a one-hour long forum on WXPR Rhinelander 91.7 FM on the topic of “how public-private partnerships can be utilized to further broadband expansion and adoption as a tool for economic development and job growth in Northern Wisconsin”. Sitting on the five person panel, in addition to Don, were Representative Rob Swearingen (State of Wisconsin, Assembly District 34), Mr. Rob Riordan (Cellcom/Nsight, Executive Vice-President and Director of Corporate Development), Ms. Joni Theobald (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Director of Education and Workforce), and Mr. Tim Brown (UW-Extension Oneida County Community, Natural Resource & Economic Development Agent). At the Public Service Commission Summit in Madison on April 4, Governor Walker announced (go to 01:49:55 mark of the video) that $4.3 million dollars would be set aside in the current state budget for broadband development. While making it clear that he didn’t want government either subsidizing or taking the place of the private sector, he simultaneously emphasized that there is a role for government in facilitating the expansion of the expansion and adoption of broadband and that’s why he put the grant program for broadband development in his biennial budget plan. Since that time, the Governor has specifically and repeatedly stated that public-private partnerships, or P3s as he calls them, are the means to give priority to large geographic areas, or regions that have a large number of people who are underserved or unserved, especially in rural areas. The discussion during the forum explored some P3s that are already underway and how they can be expanded in the future and in what specific ways. Ken Krall served as the moderator for the forum which was tape recorded on Thursday, August 1 at the WXPR studios located at 28 N. Stevens Street in downtown Rhinelander in the beautifully appointed and technologically state of the art White Pine Room. The program was rebroadcast on Saturday, August 3 at 4 pm and again on Sunday, August 4 at Noon. As well the news story and entire one-hour audio stream of the forum can be found at wxpr.org

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013, Don Sidlowski, founder of NWBDC, had an hour-long meeting with Wisconsin Assembly District 34 Representative Rob Swearingen at his place of business Al-Gen Restaurant in Rhinelander. Along with other rural legislators, Representative Swearingen was instrumental in getting restored to Governor Walker’s current biennial budget the $4.3M in grants for broadband expansion in unserved and underserved rural areas. Working together, Rep. Swearingen and the NWBDC will identify target communities in District 34 that could qualify for pilot projects using the grant money. Says Don, “Having Representative Swearingen committed to making broadband one of the defining issues of his time in office is huge for Northern Wisconsin. Securing ongoing funding for broadband expansion and adoption is going to be an annual fight for a limited pool of dollars and won’t happen without legislators who understand its critical importance to job growth and economic expansion in Wisconsin”.

On Monday, July 29, 2013, NWBDC founder Don Sidlowski made a presentation to the Rhinelander Rotary Club on the use of broadband expansion and adoption as a tool for economic development and job creation in Wisconsin, particularly north of Highway 29. The Club had extended an invitation to learn how the Northwoods Broadband Development Coalition had evolved into being and to be told of some of the many ongoing initiatives in which the Coalition is involved. Don spoke about the Public Service Commission’s Link Wisconsin Region 2 project, working with the University of Wisconsin Extension Center for Community Technology Solutions, with the Wisconsin Rural Partners, and about the scores of presentations he has made across the state over the past seven years including the PSC Summit in April 2013 (go to 00:03:00 mark of the video), back-to-back speaking appearances at the Governor’s Northwoods Economic Development Summit, and the UW-Extension Broadband Boot Camp in May 2013, among a great many others.

On Monday, July 22, 2013, Don Sidlowski, founder of NWBDC, had a 1.5 hour meeting with Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch in her office at 19 East in the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. Joining Don, by invitation, was Tim Brown, the UW-Extension Community Natural Resource Economic Development Agent for Oneida County, as well as Robert Schlaeger, the Lt. Governor’s policy advisor. The wide-ranging discussion centered on the use of broadband expansion and adoption as a tool for economic development and job creation in Wisconsin, particularly north of Highway 29. In particular, the NWBDC wanted to secure a commitment from the Lt. Goveror – and got one – to support the mission and to help bring the Wisconsin Playbook for Broadband Progress to life. “Having the support of the Executive Branch of Wisconsin government is critical to moving forward the broadband initiative in the state”, says Don.

Representing the University of Wisconsin-Extension Center for Community Technology Solutions (CCTS) as a adviser and facilitator, NWBDC founder Don Sidlowski lead a two-hour meeting today in Ashland. Given the title of a “Discussion of Broadband Development for Homes and Businesses in the Region” the specific topics that were covered included building community broadband subscribership, ten best practices for Northwoods communities, and a model for implementation. Those attending the meeting represented the broadband provider community, government, economic development, education, local businesses and civic groups. The Greater Ashland Community is deeply committed to broadband expansion and adoption, and has requested assistance from the CCTS to organize ideas, layout and implement education and marketing strategies, and to expand the process more deeply into the business community.

NWBDC founder Don Sidlowski helped to lead a two-hour presentation today to the Oneida County Board of Supervisors at a special meeting on the vital importance of broadband expansion and adoption and the county’s role in leading the way. Don’s co-presenter was Tim Brown, the Community Natural Resources & Economic Development (CNRED) agent for UW-Extension in Oneida County. The county board supervisors learned about the different kinds of broadband, what speeds are needed in the home and workplace to accomplish different tasks and objectives, and were introduced to ideas for resolutions the board could adopt to become a leader in enabling the spread of broadband in Oneida County. The presentation was the culmination of six months of work by the Oneida County Technology Committee, on which both Don and Tim serve. The committee was chartered by the Oneida County Board to present ways in which the County can directly participate in the build-out and adoption of broadband county-wide.

On Monday, May 20, 2013, Don Sidlowski, founder of NWBDC, met with four members of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. Currently on a broadband tour in the U.S. are Mr. Paul Weller MP, Mr. Geoff Howard MP, Mr. Andrew Katos MP, and Lilian Topic – the Executive Officer of the Rural and Regional Committee. With prior stops having been made in California and Washington (state) the team next visited the UW-Madison campus for a day-long program put on by the UW-Extension (UWEX) Center for Community Technology Solutions. Don’s segment with the members of parliament focused on a dozen discussion points dealing directly with broadband deployment and adoption in rural Victoria which, as it turns out, is not all that dissimilar in terms of remoteness and sparse population as Northern Wisconsin. Don spent two weeks in the State of Victoria some years ago, and so had a first-hand connection with the challenges facing the members of parliament in the build-out and adoption of broadband in their homeland.

Don Sidlowski, founder of NWBDC, served as a trainer at the two-day Broadband Boot Camp put on by the UW-Extension (UWEX) Center for Community Technology Solutions in Madison on May 9-10, 2013. The boot camp was aimed at the thirty UWEX Community Natural Resources & Economic Development (CNRED) and Family Practice agents invited from across a couple dozen rural Wisconsin counties. The agents were exposed to two intense days worth of high technology content on the technology of broadband, its application in the home and the workplace, and strategies for assisting the implementation in their county. Don’s training segments focused on best practices for broadband deployment in Northern Wisconsin and how to mobilize providers at the local and regional level. For more information see http://broadband.uwex.edu/blog/2013/03/5162/

Welcome to the home of the Northwoods Broadband Development Coalition, committed to transforming Northern Wisconsin into a nationally-recognized high speed internet economic zone, attracting businesses and resident workers.