IT Committee members: I neglected to mention at last week’s meeting that I am on vacation the week of our July meeting. I propose we move the meeting to Thurs., July 30th at 2pm. Please let me know how this sits with you and I’ll send a final confirmation around after I get feedback. Thanks, Laura
Monday, June 29, 2009
July meeting change
Sunday, June 21, 2009
IT Meeting Reminder
PLEASE be reminded that the SLC IT Committee meets Thurs at 2pm. Details and agenda below. I look forward to seeing you. -Laura
DRAFT
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
6/25/09, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Human Services Bldg, 2nd Flr Conference Rm, Cty Route 310, Canton, NY 13617
1. Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
2. Review/accept minutes from 5/28/09 meeting (posted on the blog)
3. Presentation: None
4. Stimulus –
a. Funding/RFP Status
b. Project status
i. NYS
ii. SLC
iii. SLC Chamber
iv. Individual Providers
v. Individual Communities
vi. Other?
5. Tech Symposium
6. Old/New Business
Updates on 2009 Work Plan Items
§ 10 Minute Pres
§ Tech Provider Directory
§ Committee Profile
Casino Compact Funding
Questions & Discussion
Action Items for Next Meeting
Next Meeting: TBA
Submitted by Laura Perry
Friday, June 12, 2009
FW: Clayton website -- I want broadband
Best regards,
Dan
I thought members may be interested in Clayton’s survey project and Dan Churchill’s comments below. -Laura
From: Dan Churchill [mailto:dchurchill@dchurchill.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 10:48 AM
To: Laura Perry
Subject: Clayton website -- I want broadband
Hi Laura
The Town of Clayton yesterday launched on their website a survey link to our dBOSS (I want broadband) demand mapping facility to help determine in what areas there is inadequate broadband coverage in the Town of Clayton. There was an article in yesterday's TISun about the survey. I will be showing this to other Towns (including towns in St Lawrence County) to suggest they do the same. In your travels and as you talk to any local officials, you might mention the Clayton website survey.
Here's the link:
And their press release:
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
FW: Good news for Broadband
FYI. No program releases yet. We continue to monitor news coming out of DC/Albany. -L
From: Houmiel, Suzanne [mailto:SHoumiel@co.st-lawrence.ny.us]
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:06 AM
To: Perry, Laura; Hack, Rob
Subject: Good news for Broadband
Good morning,
I received the attached notifications of acceptance for Broadband projects and thought you’d be interested. I’ve forwarded copies to the Planning Office as well.
Thanks,
Sue
Suzanne M. Houmiel
Deputy Clerk
St. Lawrence County
Board of Legislators Office
Ph: 379-2020~Fax: 379-2463
P please consider the environment before printing this email
Monday, June 1, 2009
05_28_09 Meeting Minutes
SLC IT Committee Meeting Minutes
5/28/09
1. No comments on minutes from 4/23/09 meeting.
2. WaveHost Presentation
Joe McCoy from WavHost Corp. provided a brief presentation of their broadband solution. A diagram of their process for developing a solution was handed out to Committee members. Some key points follow:
· Three prongs to viable broadband solution; Stakeholders, the County, and the Network
· Stakeholders often have overlapping requirements (i.e., education institution requires students to be able to access from their home)
· Some unlicensed solutions are subject to noise so future viability is questionable
· Open access models are a requirement of Stimulus funding
· Cost of bandwidth in this area is extremely expensive compared to
· Bundling stakeholders together so they can be represented as one unit can make service more viable
· Some areas are so rural that there will never be a ROI
· North Country Library System in Cranberry Lake and WavHost are the recipients of a grant. Agreements are yet to be signed.
· Lease agreements are expensive (ROW, contracts, etc.). Govt. agencies can assist in this area to help offset expenses
· Meetings with DANC to discuss viability of providing infrastructure which could include towers and possibly fiber to the home; in certain situations fiber to the home may be the most feasible solution
· There are three phases of grant funding so everything doesn’t have to be done at once
· May look to County to tabulate survey results and gather information that could be useful in developing their Business Model
· Innovation is key to providing viable solution in the North Country; Business Model is critical component
· Planning for solution that would be ready to implement in 2010
· May be requesting some general consensus meetings with Towns within the next few months
· Would like to be in a position by the end of the summer to present a broadband solution for SLC; vision is that SLC would be a key stakeholder in developing the plan
3. Discussion and Questions on WavHost Presentation -
· Kevin cautioned that we take care to not over survey the population and that any surveys are broad in nature and not limited to specific provider; and suggested focus on green data center to pull in demand for broadband and make POP IP redundancy more feasible
· Joe clarified that grant money is used for initial capital investment so ongoing service can be sustained
· Joe also stated that fiber installed for solution may be owned by DANC since they already have a network and there may be ways to work around tariffs which can hamper feasibility
· Bob suggested that WavHost add Information Security into the business model. Joe stated that Information Security is an important component of their network.
4. Strategic Plan –
· Laura reported that SLC Committee adopted the IT Strategic Plan and that it was well received. Formal full board approval will likely happen at the next legislator’s meeting. Document is posted on Blog under Committee documents.
5. Next Steps for Implementing Plan -
· Next meeting focus – developing IT Symposium content; provide direction on teams moving forward with actions identified in the plan
Minutes submitted by Carrie Tuttle
5/28/09
1. No comments on minutes from 4/23/09 meeting.
2. WaveHost Presentation
Joe McCoy from WavHost Corp. provided a brief presentation of their broadband solution. A diagram of their process for developing a solution was handed out to Committee members. Some key points follow:
· Three prongs to viable broadband solution; Stakeholders, the County, and the Network
· Stakeholders often have overlapping requirements (i.e., education institution requires students to be able to access from their home)
· Some unlicensed solutions are subject to noise so future viability is questionable
· Open access models are a requirement of Stimulus funding
· Cost of bandwidth in this area is extremely expensive compared to
· Bundling stakeholders together so they can be represented as one unit can make service more viable
· Some areas are so rural that there will never be a ROI
· North Country Library System in Cranberry Lake and WavHost are the recipients of a grant. Agreements are yet to be signed.
· Lease agreements are expensive (ROW, contracts, etc.). Govt. agencies can assist in this area to help offset expenses
· Meetings with DANC to discuss viability of providing infrastructure which could include towers and possibly fiber to the home; in certain situations fiber to the home may be the most feasible solution
· There are three phases of grant funding so everything doesn’t have to be done at once
· May look to County to tabulate survey results and gather information that could be useful in developing their Business Model
· Innovation is key to providing viable solution in the North Country; Business Model is critical component
· Planning for solution that would be ready to implement in 2010
· May be requesting some general consensus meetings with Towns within the next few months
· Would like to be in a position by the end of the summer to present a broadband solution for SLC; vision is that SLC would be a key stakeholder in developing the plan
3. Discussion and Questions on WavHost Presentation -
· Kevin cautioned that we take care to not over survey the population and that any surveys are broad in nature and not limited to specific provider; and suggested focus on green data center to pull in demand for broadband and make POP IP redundancy more feasible
· Joe clarified that grant money is used for initial capital investment so ongoing service can be sustained
· Joe also stated that fiber installed for solution may be owned by DANC since they already have a network and there may be ways to work around tariffs which can hamper feasibility
· Bob suggested that WavHost add Information Security into the business model. Joe stated that Information Security is an important component of their network.
4. Strategic Plan –
· Laura reported that SLC Committee adopted the IT Strategic Plan and that it was well received. Formal full board approval will likely happen at the next legislator’s meeting. Document is posted on Blog under Committee documents.
5. Next Steps for Implementing Plan -
· Next meeting focus – developing IT Symposium content; provide direction on teams moving forward with actions identified in the plan
Minutes submitted by Carrie Tuttle
RE: support for TDS
I add my support. Helene
From: Laura Perry [mailto:laurap@slic.com]
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 2:49 PM
To: 'Bill Hunter'; 'Carrie Tuttle P. E.'; Dave Wolf; 'Donald A. Peck (R)'; Elizabeth Graham; greg@stlawu.edu; 'Helene Mellon'; J. Patrick Turbett; 'Jennifer French'; 'Jon Montan'; 'Karen St. Hilaire'; 'Kevin Lynch'; 'Laurel Goolden'; Leigh B Rodriguez; 'Marc Rousch'; 'Pat McKeown'; 'Patti Fisher'; 'Perretta, Francine'; 'Phil Deleel'; PhilW@slic.com; Pray, Cheryl; Ray Fountain; 'Rick Johnson'; Rob Hack; SLC IT Blog; 'Tom Sauter'; 'Wade A. Davis'
Cc: 'Karen St. Hilaire'; Greg Paquin; Frederick S. Morrill
Subject: support for TDS
Dear IT Committee members & Other affected parties:
I spoke to a Bill Schmidt of TDS Telecom today. TDS serves Dekalb, Edwards, Herman, Pierrepont and Russell in our county. They are putting a request for funding together for stimulus funding available through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and are looking for our support in the form of a letter to include in their application. The money available through RUS is separate and distinct from the NTIA funding which we have been hearing about from other providers. RUS has a long standing history of funding the development of rural telco infrastructure. TDS is seeking funding which would allow them to expand broadband access to their existing service territory in St. Law Co, as well as their territories in 28 other states. TDS too has a long proven track record for delivering service in our county. Mr. Schmidt provided me a sample letter which I have revised and copied below.
I am suggesting the IT Committee recommend our County Administrator, Chair of the Board, and legislator whose district these communities reside to sign this letter. If there are any objections to this recommendation, please reply to me or the group ASAP. TDS is asking for a June 1 turnaround. I committed to a 6/6 – just in case we needed additional time to address questions.
-Laura
Dear :
St. Lawrence County strongly supports TDS' efforts to apply for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to strengthen and expand broadband Internet access in the communities of Dekalb, Edwards, Herman, Pierrepont and Russell in our county.
Our county is committed to achieving universal broadband access to every household. We recognize how important universal broadband is for the quality of life for our residents now and into the future. Additionally, the viability of our businesses, organizations and local governments depend on it. As more on-line products and services emerge, our households must have the opportunity to access them or they will be at an ever increasing disadvantage than those with access.
TDS is acting as a leader in expanding broadband Internet service in our county, with 30% of households overall still unserved due to our rural nature (a population of only 111,000 people). TDS has a proven track record for quality service in our communities. Their efforts, along with RUS’s Stimulus funding, will certainly help to close the gap.
TDS is authorized to include this letter in any applications that you may file with federal agencies administering broadband stimulus programs.
For further questions, we can be reached through the Board of Legislators office at 315-379-2276.
Regards,
RE: support for TDS
Laura -- I fully support this endorsement...Not only will it potentially increase broadband availability and associated services to the region, it will also help to drive continued competition -- which will only benefit the county's constituents...
Rob
From: Laura Perry [mailto:laurap@slic.com]
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 2:49 PM
To: 'Bill Hunter'; 'Carrie Tuttle P. E.'; Dave Wolf; Peck, Don; Elizabeth Graham; greg@stlawu.edu; 'Helene Mellon'; Turbett, J. Patrick; 'Jennifer French'; Montan, Jon; St. Hilaire, Karen; 'Kevin Lynch'; 'Laurel Goolden'; Rodriguez, Leigh; 'Marc Rousch'; 'Pat McKeown'; 'Patti Fisher'; Perretta, Francine; 'Phil Deleel'; PhilW@slic.com; Pray, Cheryl; Fountain, Ray; Johnson, Rick; Hack, Rob; SLC IT Blog; 'Tom Sauter'; 'Wade A. Davis'
Cc: St. Hilaire, Karen; Paquin, Greg; Morrill, Fred
Subject: support for TDS
Dear IT Committee members & Other affected parties:
I spoke to a Bill Schmidt of TDS Telecom today. TDS serves Dekalb, Edwards, Herman, Pierrepont and Russell in our county. They are putting a request for funding together for stimulus funding available through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and are looking for our support in the form of a letter to include in their application. The money available through RUS is separate and distinct from the NTIA funding which we have been hearing about from other providers. RUS has a long standing history of funding the development of rural telco infrastructure. TDS is seeking funding which would allow them to expand broadband access to their existing service territory in St. Law Co, as well as their territories in 28 other states. TDS too has a long proven track record for delivering service in our county. Mr. Schmidt provided me a sample letter which I have revised and copied below.
I am suggesting the IT Committee recommend our County Administrator, Chair of the Board, and legislator whose district these communities reside to sign this letter. If there are any objections to this recommendation, please reply to me or the group ASAP. TDS is asking for a June 1 turnaround. I committed to a 6/6 – just in case we needed additional time to address questions.
-Laura
Dear :
St. Lawrence County strongly supports TDS' efforts to apply for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to strengthen and expand broadband Internet access in the communities of Dekalb, Edwards, Herman, Pierrepont and Russell in our county.
Our county is committed to achieving universal broadband access to every household. We recognize how important universal broadband is for the quality of life for our residents now and into the future. Additionally, the viability of our businesses, organizations and local governments depend on it. As more on-line products and services emerge, our households must have the opportunity to access them or they will be at an ever increasing disadvantage than those with access.
TDS is acting as a leader in expanding broadband Internet service in our county, with 30% of households overall still unserved due to our rural nature (a population of only 111,000 people). TDS has a proven track record for quality service in our communities. Their efforts, along with RUS’s Stimulus funding, will certainly help to close the gap.
TDS is authorized to include this letter in any applications that you may file with federal agencies administering broadband stimulus programs.
For further questions, we can be reached through the Board of Legislators office at 315-379-2276.
Regards,
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