Picture this: You are standing at the front of a classroom, laser pointer in hand, ready to launch into a stimulating discussion. You click the link on your laptop to cue the thought-provoking video that is going to get students’ minds turning when…nothing happens. You wait. Wait some more. Sigh, then give up and go …
The moment the first press release dropped announcing Chisago County’s designation as a Blandin Broadband Community, the community was abuzz. “I was getting calls from businesses I had never heard of,” said Nancy Hoffman, Executive Director of Chisago County Economic Development Authority. “Every one of them had a story to share. It confirmed for me …
For Milaca students who ride the bus, “hitting the highway” now has a dual meaning. As the wheels on the bus go round-and-round on the highway pavement, tech wheels are turning too as they connect to the information highway. Five, ten, fifteen years ago, if you attempted to do homework on the bus it would …
“Broadband access — and the skills to use it — are fundamental to healthy, resilient communities… It deserves more than a one-off response.” — Dr. Kathy Annette, Star Tribune, April 20, 2015 On Monday we added our voice to the chorus of rural Minnesota voices rallying in response to the House’s decision to zero out …
“Whether in a tech-savvy metropolis or a city where the town square is still the communication hub, local news matters deeply to the lives of residents.” – Pew Research Center Volume and choice. These two common denominators are changing the way communities access and appreciate local news, says a recent report from Pew Research Center. …
After her first day on the job, Kelli Pelland knew some changes had to be made. From the dinosaur-era computers to the drag-your-feet-in-the-mud speed of the Internet connection, she realized that the Baudette Public Library didn’t have the makings of a community connecting hub…yet. “We were kind of outdated,” she says. “We needed to update …
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (January 29, 2015) – Blandin Foundation announced today that it has awarded six grants totaling $113,900 to support rural Minnesota communities as they grow high-speed Internet access and use in their communities. Long Prairie will develop a business plan to build a fiber-to-the-home network, Project FINE out of Winona County will support …
The power of community leadership took center stage in President Obama’s preview of his appearance yesterday in Cedar Falls, IA, where he talked about his plan to increase access to affordable, high-speed broadband in rural and urban communities across the country. The President featured Cedar Falls, or Iowa’s first “Gigabit City,” in the preview, comparing …
In today’s Council on Foundations blog post, Blandin Foundation’s Bernadine Joselyn makes the case for philanthropic support for increasing Internet access and use in the U.S. This is work that Blandin Foundation has been doing in rural Minnesota communities since 2003. Through the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities project and the current Blandin Broadband Communities program, …
Yesterday more than 160 economic developers, educators, providers, legislators, co-ops, and community leaders came together to tackle the tough issues related to Internet access and use. The day kicked off with an uplifting introduction by Blandin Foundation Director of Public Policy and Development Bernadine Joselyn.