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<br />Providin Munici al Broa�band Serv�ces .
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<br />t a recent senunar co-sponsored
<br />I�y the Minnesota Municipal
<br />Utilities Association, the League
<br />of Minnesota Cities, and Iron
<br />Raa�ge Resources, ciry ofiicials
<br />reviewed technology being used
<br />to e��t•� local needs for liigl�-
<br />speed lntcrnct connectivity and
<br />voice coinrnti�nications.
<br />While some of thc information
<br />focused on big-ciry e�carnples like
<br />Philadelphia or Seattle, smaller cities
<br />throughout Minizesota are demonstrat-
<br />ing the valtFe of municipal Izaternet
<br />services. High-speed Internet projects
<br />in cities are often a direct response to
<br />needs identified by residents, bt�sinesses,
<br />schools, and service providers. Broader
<br />availability of r�i�anici�a� networks may
<br />i-educe the cost to subscribers for Inter-
<br />net connections, data transmissions, and
<br />related voice conmiLinication.
<br />Often, the ciry is only one of several
<br />partners in a community-wide project
<br />to improve connectiviry City officials
<br />might ;�: r! ��- •�• with schools, counties,
<br />health care facilities, and rural coop-
<br />eratives to get services to residents and
<br />local business, using a combination of
<br />wireless connectivity as well as �7�ore
<br />traditional cabling.
<br />Although state law delegates to cities
<br />11 r: authoriry necessary to carry out their
<br />assigned functions, there is no explicit
<br />autho�-ization for the wide-ranging
<br />changes in the roles cities are playing as
<br />service providers. In those cities with
<br />home rule charters, the charter may
<br />pi-ovide more explicit authorization
<br />(or perhaps authority for the municipal
<br />utiliry) to provide such services.
<br />Regardless, competitors in the private
<br />sector have not been excited to see cities
<br />getting into the role of providing high-
<br />speed connectiviry and services. One
<br />approach that sail�e cities have success-
<br />fully employed is to obtain a certificate
<br />from the Minuesota Yubiic Utilities
<br />Comn�ission as a"local niche provider,"
<br />which may provide necessary documen-
<br />tation that the city has been acknowl-
<br />edged as an eligi�le service provider.
<br />Cities were encouraged during the
<br />scit�i��ar to consider their authority to
<br />provide services as well as their s�ecific
<br />needs in terms of connectiviry levels,
<br />vendors and partners, operational strtiic-
<br />tua-e, and technology In n�a��y cities,
<br />more tiiaii one technology ��u}� be
<br />appropriate to meet community needs,
<br />and a coordinated effort to za�cet tliose
<br />needs m� build important alliances
<br />between public and private interests
<br />Finally, cities were reminded that
<br />sometimes the value of connectiviry
<br />is as n�Lich to the ciry itself as to thc
<br />communityApplications forlocallaw
<br />enforcci��cnt, real-time response from
<br />public works teams, and increased oper-
<br />ational efiiciency were cited as good
<br />reasor�s for a ciry to invest in newer
<br />technology—evenwithout the demand
<br />for more widesprcad municipal services.
<br />5ozzae of the technology discussed at
<br />the seminar included:
<br />Broadband ovev Power Line (BPL).
<br />BI'L technology uses high-voltage dis-
<br />tribution infrastruct��re to deliver high-
<br />speed data and voice communication.
<br />Broadb��nd connections provide appre-
<br />ciably faster sea-vice than traditional
<br />dial-up, and can deliver m�tltiple signals
<br />at rnultiple fiec�uencies. Rochester Pub-
<br />lic Utilities praE�eci their development
<br />of BPL, currently in the testing phase.
<br />Fiber to the Home (FTTH). F T T H
<br />includes installation of fiber optic cabling
<br />to residcnts and bt�sinesses, providing
<br />reliable connectivity and substantial
<br />bandwidth to tral�snut large graphic and
<br />data f�les.Windor�-� began construction
<br />ofits FTTH systcill i��July 2004 and
<br />hopes to have it co��lpleted in early
<br />2005. The ciry is encouraged by the
<br />wide acceptance of properry owners to
<br />allow preziuscs installation.
<br />HyLrid Fiber Coarial (HFC).
<br />Relatedto FTTH,alrybrid_�t•_� coax-
<br />ial (HFC) system establishes a core of
<br />fibcr optic cabling with coaxial cabling
<br />(often already in place),rnaking the
<br />connection between individual house-
<br />holds or businesses and the core. Some
<br />cities aze finding that HFC is a stepping
<br />stone to lar�cr F T T H goals.
<br />Wiyeless laetivoy�ks. Cities are also
<br />corlsiderii�g significant efforts in wire.
<br />less eechnolo�;y Buffalo has created a
<br />wireless mesh network that pz-avzdes
<br />both dial-up and broadband Iizteri�.et
<br />connectiviry, as well as a variery of
<br />applications for city use.The concept
<br />behind a mesh network is that it auto-
<br />matically repairs a connection point
<br />that fails by using other connections
<br />in the meshed structure.This pzovzdes
<br />sotlie important back-up connectivit�;
<br />as con�pared to a point-to-point system.
<br />Wireless systems bcii�g evaluated in
<br />cities so far are focused onWi-�i tech-
<br />nology, using the unlicensed wireless
<br />spectrum. Wi-Max is the next technol-
<br />ogy tivaire expected in the next several
<br />years and will offer iicensed spectrum
<br />options, which should reduce the level
<br />of possible interference.
<br />As cities look to the future, a com-
<br />bination oftechnoiogies that can help
<br />ex�and afforda�le access to broadband
<br />services might result in local of�`�cials
<br />finding it increasingly iinpo�tant for
<br />the ciry to play a niore active role in
<br />encoui-aging and possibly even provid-
<br />ing the iZieaias by which city operatioi�s
<br />and the entire community will have
<br />direct access to the benefits of broacl-
<br />hand coz�xntunications. �
<br />F�r�a2 Gerge��z is technology services clirector
<br />�vith the Lec�gase of Marar�Gesof.a Cikies. �'��.. ��•.
<br />(651) 281-1291. L'-innil: �.,,:��� t • �.:�. �� �� ���
<br />vi�q.Anr�a �iggiras is intergovernmental
<br />relations represer�.tafive �r�itFr tlre Leagtae of
<br />LYlinr�resota Cities. Pliorae: (651) 281-1257.
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