See new posting in the Marketplace...Stuart

Many Rhode Islanders already enjoy the benefits of high-speed Internet. But we and the rest of the nation compete in a global economy where innovation and knowledge are primary drivers of economic growth. Like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. We are increasingly reliant on broadband and the Internet across all aspects of our lives and simply couldn’t live without it.

Go to broadband.ri.gov to learn more about the project, and click on the “Test Your Internet Speed Now!” button to take a simple speed test and add your Internet location information to the Rhode Island broadband map.

Introducing Broadband Rhode Island

The State of Rhode Island is participating in a national program called the Broadband Data and Development Program (BDDP) which is being spearheaded by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) of the US Department of Commerce.

The goal of BDDP is to develop a database and map supported by the NTIA and accessible to the general public of all of the broadband services available in the United States and its’ territories. All fifty states and six territories are contributing data to this effort. We are responsible for developing and managing the Rhode Island piece of the map which will also be made publically available.

How can you help?

Our team is working right now to collect the data and put together the map of available broadband (also known as high-speed Internet) in the State of Rhode Island.  But we need your help! The speed test, which is one of the methods we are using to verify the data being gathered for the map, is a very easy and an important way for Rhode Islanders to get involved in this effort.

Please go to our new website broadband.ri.gov and click on the “Test Your Internet Speed Now!” button. The more speed test information we get, the higher the confidence we can have in the mapping data. And if you can’t get high-speed Internet where you are, there is a place to report that as well.

Now is the time for Rhode Island to build on its broadband foundation and support the national agenda to increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning.

Please take the speed test at broadband.ri.gov. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.

Stuart joined Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) in July, 2004 as Business Development Manager for IT & Digital Media. He spent three of his five years at EDC focused on broadband technology and the industry through his work on the RI-WINs project. Prior to his move to RI in 2004, Stuart spent over 20 years in the high tech industry, where he held senior-level marketing and product management positions both in New England and Silicon Valley for companies such as Digital Equipment Corporation, Apple Computer and various startups.

In an endeavor that is probably no surprise to any geek or techie, President Obama and his administration have identified broadband infrastructure and use as a key factor in Economic Development to stimulate the creation and sustainability of higher paying jobs in a 21^st Century economy. No surprise because anybody reading this post knows that our lives are dependent on the Internet and access to broadband. We couldn’t live without it.  

Although other presidents have talked about it, Obama is the first President that has actually raised it to the level of public policy and is investing significant capital to fill in and expand the broadband infrastructure of the United States.  

To that end, the Federal Government has created several programs to support the mission. Last year Congress appropriated $7.2B in a combination of grants and loans that will pay for the build out of broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities across the United States, as well as publicly accessible computers in places like libraries, community centers and public housing. These programs are known as the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration out of the US Dept of Commerce) Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) and the RUS (Rural Utilities Services out of the US Dept of Agriculture) Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP).

In addition to the BTOP and BIP programs, the government invested $350MM in a program also managed by the NTIA called the Broadband Data and Development Program (BDDP). The goal of the program is to create a map of all the broadband infrastructure and assets in the United States and six (6) territories. All fifty (50) states (and six (6) territories) are participating in the BDDP and will contribute their data to a massive database and map supported by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and accessible to the general public.  

Just before the New Year, RIEDC received a grant award for $1.5MM in Federal Stimulus money to manage the development of the RI piece of the map. The grant consists of $1MM for Broadband Mapping over a two (2) year period and $500K for Broadband Planning over a five (5) year period.  

The Mapping portion of the grant ($1MM over 2 years) will mostly be contracted to a professional engineering firm that we selected through a competitive bidding process, as well as the URI GIS department (aka the URI-EDC or Environmental Data Center).  

We are fortunate in Rhode Island to have a strong broadband infrastructure but using hackneyed sports analogies, we are still in the rookie seasons with regards to the changes that broadband access and the Internet are and will bring to our lives. The grant has created an opportunity to develop a planning process to assess current usage and knowledge of broadband in our state and figure out where we need to get to with regards to broadband across all aspects of our lives including healthcare, education and homeland security. 

The Planning portion of the grant will be retained by RIEDC and used to undertake broadband planning activities for the state which include: 

• Develop and provide a baseline assessment of broadband deployment for the state and create a geographic inventory map of broadband service
• Identify and track the areas with low levels of deployment and the rate at which residential and business users adopt broadband service
• Identify barriers to the adoption of broadband service and information technology services in underserved areas
• Collaborate with broadband service providers and information technology companies to encourage deployment and use
• Facilitate information exchange regarding use and demand for broadband services between public and private sector users 
  

The mapping project team includes the RI Dept. of Information Technology (Jack Landers, CIO), RI Statewide Planning (Shane White, State GIS Coordinator) and URI Environmental Data Center (Greg Bonynge, GISP) and the planning activities which will commence in the spring will include all sectors of our economy including the private sector, public sector and education.  

I look forward to reporting here on the progress of the project as it unfolds.

Update: See the good news below - thanks, everyone, for your support!

This bill proposes to do away with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation you know today with NO PLAN to put anything in it's place. Yes, do away with economic development in the midst of the state's biggest recession in recent years.

This includes all of the business development, community creation, social networking and other programs that EDC has sponsored over the last few years to help the ITDM community crystallize including RI Nexus, Every Company Counts, and the new Green Economy efforts we are undertaking, as well as the sector specific work that I and other my business development peers do with your individual companies.

If you (like me) believe this is a bad move for RI, particularly in a down economy, which will set us back even further than we are today and sends a bad message to both businesses inside and outside the state please contact your local representatives and let them know!

This bill is scheduled to be voted in the house Wed (June 24) and in the senate after that. Make your voice heard and help save the programs and organization that has been central to the coming together of the Geeks community and ITDM sector in this state.

"Hi everyone – I received an SOS from the school based coordinator at the new Providence Career and Technical Academy who's in desperate need for a robotics coach this year.  Her students are incredibly excited to participate in this year's state-wide competition at New England Tech on Saturday, March 7.  Yikes – only 4 weeks away!!, but neither she nor they have the necessary skills to design, program and build a robot.(She’s a European history major!)  The students have attended every practice session both at school and at New England Tech.  She'd like to give her students a fighting chance and has asked for my help in finding a robotics coach that might be able to help the students, even just once or twice?  They are willing to stay any day after school, come in on Saturdays and over February vacation. In anticipation of the competition, they’ve attended every practice session both at school and at New England Tech.If you know of anyone at your company/organization who would be interested in volunteering a few hours a week for the next month or so and helping some energized inner city kids, please get in touch with me right away.  Thanks so much…. Best, J"

JoAnn Johnson, Manager
Youth and Education Programs
Tech Collective
3 Davol Square, Box 183, Providence, RI  02903
P: 401-521-7805 x 103
F: 401-521-7809
www.tech-collective.org