Peter Orne Wireless Government Subscribe to Newsletter Tell a Friend Print this Page 08/29/2006 Wireless Minneapolis Chooses US Internet the recommendation of the City of Minneapolis Contract Negotiation Team, the city's Chief Information Officer has asked that the city council approve US Internet, the Twin Cities ISP, as the selected provider to finance and deploy a broadband network through a long-term contract, with an initial term of 10 years. The city had entered into negotiations with US Internet and EarthLink with the goal of executing a contract with one provider to deliver Broadband IP Data Access services for the city government, residents, businesses and visitors. More than 100 companies were represented at the initial pre-proposal conference associated with this initiative. Nine companies submitted proposals for the Minneapolis project. US Internet's partners will include Siemens Communications, BelAir Networks and Aptilo Networks. US Internet won praise for its proposal which is technically advanced, addresses digital inclusion, and focuses on the delivery of government services. In addition, the plan would firmly establish the city as an anchor tenant. If authorized by the city council, US Internet would provide ubiquitous outdoor municipal, commercial, residential and roaming coverage across the city, including a location-based offering unique to Minneapolis: More than seventy neighborhood “walled gardens” (featuring links to the city's 311 Center, other government Web sites, community service resources, local content and advertising to support neighborhood businesses) as a free level of service throughout the city, and 1 MB broadband Internet access to the Internet in public locations around the city (e.g., government sites, parks and other public gathering spaces) not to exceed five per cent of Minneapolis's nearly sixty square miles. The city has also negotiated indoor coverage throughout the city for high-rise and multi-family residential units. This coverage will be provided by both wireless and wired technologies, but all subscribers will have full wireless mobility services — a first in the citywide broadband-wireless marketplace. In addition to these community-oriented services, US Internet would offer 1 MB services at a monthly subscription rate of $12.00 for city government uses, $19.95 for residents and $29.95 for businesses. These basic service prices are guaranteed for a minimum of 10 years. Premium service offerings and applications will also be available. US Internet has agreed to provide 7 x 24 customer and technical support, including multi-language support services for Spanish, Hmong and Somali languages as well as disability functionality. For at least the next decade, the city will effectively become an anchor-tenant for the US Internet broadband network. The network will support public safety personnel and other institutional department workgroups requiring ubiquitous access fixed and mobile high-speed broadband services. According to the term sheet, 4.9 GHz network will be available for public safety if the city chooses to use it. Placing a value on the city's anchor tenancy may significantly mitigate risk for US Internet, guaranteeing it $1.25 million in annual revenues, partly in the form of systems integration services. The city will also pay $2.2 million to establish equity for additional capital-expenditure financing by US Internet. The network will be totally refreshed within five years of its inception if a refresh is technically available and economically sound. Additional updates will be made on a continual basis as they are introduced by BelAir Networks and other US Internet vendors. Digital Inclusion and Portals The Wireless Minneapolis initiative puts a noteworthy emphasis on the importance of digital inclusion, including network access strategies for individuals, capacity-building for nonprofit organizations, content and applications development for local communities and training focused on digital literacy to further greater social and economic success. As a part of its due-diligence process, the city convened a Digital Inclusion Task Force to develop recommendations for the city's contract negotiations team. A review of the Task Force Report and the recommended term sheet submitted to the city council Ways and Means Committee highlights how seriously the city is about digital inclusion. A big part of the plan includes the provision of up to 90 community portals, using the walled-garden concept and language-specific community content to further the goals of the city and its Digital Inclusion Task Force. One especially interesting aspect of the term sheet is that US Internet will contribute $500,000 up front to a Digital Inclusion Fund. The company will then continue to support the Fund with a minimum of 5% of net pretax income and 100% of all local community portal revenues sold by the Digital Inclusion Fund agency or its designee. US Internet will also sponsor an annual digital-inclusion fundraising event. As directed by the city council, in May of 2006, the city's Business Information Services Department worked with the Digital Inclusion Task Force to directly engage a broad cross section of community representatives to develop the initial framework for a formal community technology agenda. The city' goal is to ensure that all segments of the city's residents benefit from creative applications and enhancements delivered by the proposed network. Wholesale Opportunity US Internet will provide a full-service wholesale offering with complete technical functionality (IP addresses, location information, etc.) to competitive providers and hotspot locations throughout the city. Wholesale ISP providers will have Layer 2 access to the network to obtain diagnostic information for technical customer support services. ISP partners will have equal access to sale of all network services and be provided with pricing that allows for fair competition within overall network capacity. ISP partners will also be allowed to brand their offered services. Public-Private Partnership At the outset, some Minneapolis advocacy groups had pushed the city to own and operate the network. City council, however, voted to support a public-private model to deploy the citywide broadband-wireless infrastructure. It appears that the Minneapolis has brought the public-private model to a new level. back Related Items: • Gotland (GEAB), Sweden • W2i, BelAir Webinar to Explore Wi-Fi Role in Minneapolis Bridge Disaster Response • Minneapolis Wi-Fi Works, Where it Exists • In Minneapolis, Consistent Progress Despite Construction Challenges • Wireless Minneapolis: Bill Beck, Deputy CIO • Digital Inclusion Forum Inaugural Meeting Comments No records were found. Post new comment: Only registered users can add comments. Please Log-in

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