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Currently there are 14 million people of color who cannot get telehealth while the FCC & USDA spends nearly $5 billion dollars/year to get telehealth & broadband for 4 million rural households.  Where is the parity in funding? Where is the justice?  Francella Ochillo, our guest today on Gigabit Nation talk show, is the Executive Director of the broadband  advocacy group Next Century Cities. She is definitely ready to fight the good fight for fast, affordable and reliable broadband access for all.  Ms Ochillo lays out in real terms the costs facing urban America if we don’t get parity in broadband spending. People are marching in the streets saying how important it is that Black people have an even playing field. Maybe they can detour for a few days to bring this message to Federal agencies that fund the good health of rural communities while missing the mark in their funding of urban health.  

11,944,370 urban residents have no access to telehealth but Federal agencies earmark billions for broadband and telehealth grants targeted to 3,829,802 rural communities. Urban communities want grant parity with rural. No broadband, no telehealth! Yet FCC finances broadband through the $20 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund but no urban fund. They award $4.15 billion for broadband in schools that's weighted to rural. Their Rural Heath Care Program has over $1 billion, while the Senate wants to add another $2 billion. Where‘s the urban healthcar parity? Angela Seifer, Executive Director for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, joins us to discuss strategies for reaching parity in broadband and telehealth spending: identifying disparity in current broadband and telehealth  new funding coming from US House and Senate  expected benefits from funding parity 

Learn how Partners Healthcare, the City of Boston, and the state of Massachusetts created Boston Hope, a 1,000-bed field hospital with a telehealth-driven hybrid wired/wireless infrastructure – in just seven days! Listen to best practices for transforming your local healthcare capabilities with telehealth and community broadband, regardless of your city’s or county’s size. Our guest, John Campbell, serves as the Chief Information Officer for C, a division of not-for-profit Partner’s Healthcare. Campbell describes how the team: implemented a fully technology-enabled hospital, including a testing lab and pharmacy;deployed broadband, regular computers, and mobile devices; andthe massive push to get 10,000 physicians set up to do telehealth in just a few weeks; andsuccessfully herded cats. Boston Hope was created to treat patients on the road to recovery, while easing pressure on the others hospitalsproviding acute, ICU treatment for COVID-19 patients. Boston Hope likely will close when Boston has “flatten the curve.”                                              ***************************************** Gigabit Nation is sponsored this month by Ready.net. Ready.net helps community broadband networks add subscribers and increase revenue through the premium telehealth services Ready.net makes possible by connecting home to hospital.       

TECHNICAL GLITCH! Show start at 2 min, 30 sec. Free telehealth service until the pandemic is over, thanks to the power of broadband and cloud computing. Doug Tate, CEO of Alpha Technologies, realized that his data center technology for businesses is capable of linking indivuals with healthcare providers regardless of the computing device in either end. The key is a HIPAA-compliant cloud connection. He'll describe how it all works on my show today. Dr. R. Michael Greiwe is an broadband-savvy orthopedic surgeon and also CEO for telehealth firm OrthoLive. During this Coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Greiwe is making healthcare specialists, general practitioners and folks in general aware of benefit telehealth. In addition to their major projects, we will discuss: deployment challenges iPhones, Androids; deploying platforms that support provider-to-provider communication; andtools of the Telehealth trade.  Gigabit Nation is sponsored this month by Ready.net. Ready.net helps community broadband networks add subscribers and increase revenue through the premium telehealth services Ready.net makes possible by connecting home to hospital.     

The Feds threw off the handcuff that cripple telehealth. Patients now can be treated in hotels, dormitories, and other alternative facilities using telehealth. But there’s not much time for celebrating. Communities slammed hard by COVID-19 foresee treating non-COVID patients using in telehealth in alternate facilities. Is your community ready?  Rena Brewer coaches our audience with tips to prepare their communities for a telehealth world, including site selection and and training local healthcare workers. Brewer is CEO of nonprofit telehealth vendor, Global Partnership for Telehealth, and oversees the Southeast Telehealth Resource Center. Creating alternative healthcare facilities demands quality broadband to power the telehealth. Ron Deus, CEO of wireless IPS (WISP) NetX Internet, helps our audience prepare a strategy for broadband coverage in underserved urban and rural communities.  Gigabit Nation is sponsored this month by Ready.net. Ready.net helps community broadband networks add subscribers and increase revenue through the premium telehealth services Ready.net makes possible by connecting home to hospital.Thanks 

Telehealth is important for monitoring coronavirus patients' condition while minimizing healthcare workers' exposure to the disease. But today's show discusses the greater value of using telehealth to offload a sizeable share of non-COVID-19 patients from hospitals and doctors: accidentsmental health treatmentstraumas - strokes & heart attacks  post-surgery monitoringelderly care COVID-19 also exposed the faultlines that is inherent in this country's broadband infrastructure. It has made networks groan under the stress of quickly shifting business, schools, and healthcare data to homes. What's the short- and long-term impact of this shift, especially as it pertains to telehealth? Kim Almkuist, the nurse practitioner overseeing telehealth initialives for the Wilson County [NC] Department of Health, describes how telehealth is improving healthcare. She also explains potential impacts on home healthcare of the feds relaxing restrictions on telehealth. Almkuist has the Wilson Greenlight public broadband nerwork backing her up.  Chrisopher Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Network at ILSR, advises how to deal short-term with our broadband faultlines. But also, what can we do in the long-term to address broadband infrastructure? Many grass-roots activities have sprung up after the pandemic hit. Are groups such as these and the Institute of Local Self Reliance the greatest chance for resolving these shortcoming?     

Last year, the Tennessee governor and legislature freed co-ops of restrictions on delivering broadband to its members. Last month, the first co-op out of the gate announced its partnership with a local ISP to provide gigabit service to its members. Smart grid, public safety, and consumer and business services are some of the benefits middle Tennesseans will reap from the partnership. Chris Jones, President and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric Member Corporation, William Bradford, president and CEO of United Communications and Fire Lieutenant Fritz Haimberger of the Peytonsville Volunteer Fire Department lay out the details.  There are several important lessons that co-ops nationwide as well as municipalities can learn from our guests.  Craig Settles hosts Gigabit Nation. He also assists communities with the business and marketing planning of their broadband networks.                

Arkansas used to lead the US in stroke deaths. Less then 1% of stroke patients statewide received the de-clotting drug alteplase (TPA).  Renee Joiner, (BSN, RN) Director of Arkansas SAVES Stroke Telemedicine Program and Tina Benton, (BSN, RN) Oversight Director of the Center for Distance Health explain how telehealth turned around the state's stroke recovery in the state. Arkansas's state healthcare broadband network, the Center for Distance Health at the UAMS and the Arkansas Department of Human Services formed Arkansas Stroke Assistance through Virtual Emergency Support (ARSAVES). This telehealth service connects 54 of the state’s 80 hospital. Now 33% of the patients in those hospitals who qualify for the stroke program to receive TPA. The state’s healthcare fiber ring supports several additional health and telehealth programs throughout the Arkansas hospital systems, including a huge trauma care program. You can read this about this and other stories in the report, “Broadband and Telehealth: In Sickness and In Health. Craig Settles hosts Gigabit Nation. He also assists communities with the business and marketing planning of their broadband networks.  

Chattanooga soon will reach 100,000 subscribers for its public broadband network. And the telco/cable incumbents  would love nothing better than to crush the life out of the city’s network. Telehealth could keep EPB, the city public network, a step or two ahead of competitors. Dr. Laurie Davis and her medical practice (In Good Health) were part of a pilot test for a telehealth product and service and conducted by EPB. She recounts her experiences with telemedicine and how it has improve the healthcare her practice delivers. But the product also enables her doctors to do house calls for elderly patients who can't easily get from their homes to the office because of difficult travel logistics.    Chattanooga’s gig network and EPB are incredibly popular, and their commitment to telehealth reflects the their devotion to innovation on behalf of subscribers.  Dr. Davis and her staff use EPB broadband in their homes as well as in the office. In Good Health started in 2006 and built its reputation on the long-term patients relationships. They expect telehealth to bring additional value to those relationships.   Craig Settles hosts Gigabit Nation. He also assists communities with the business and marketing planning of their broadband networks.  

We could lower the nation’s collective healthcare bill if we leveraged telehealth. The FCC apparently got the message and plans to launch the Connected Care $100 million grant program. But some worry that the grant will become one more taxpayer-financed giveaway to giant telco/cableco. Former Commissioner Mignon Clyburn discusses the importance of community broadband to telehealth delivery. People who are the most vulnerable economically are affected most by FCC broadband and telehealth policy. Will decisions of the FCC majority - especially regarding Lifeline - widen the digital divide? Ms Clyburn lays out steps that broadband stakeholders can take to encourage effective FCC telehealth policy. John Windhausen, Excutive Director of the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband coalition, simplifies for listeners the FCC's public comment process for the telehealth grant. He explains: the FCC's broadband funding mechanisms; the Noticice of Inquiry process and how regular citizens can participate; and how community broadband networks can participate in the grant. Craig Settles hosts Gigabit Nation. He also assists communities with the business and marketing planning of their broadband networks.  

Just up the highway from Silicon Valley, the Bay Area’s first gigabit city is transforming a former manufacturing powerhouse into a test bed of technology and other innovations. San Leandro joins Chattanooga and Kansas City with broadband-inspired economic development, government efficiency, education and telemedicine. City Hall, the Police Department, and all City facilities are connected to a 10-gigabit port via Lit San Leandro, which has increased the facilities City Hall bandwidth by 2,500% while lowering monthly Internet access costs;the San Leandro School District connected all the schools to Lit San Leandro over a 10-gig backbone, and modernized all IT infrastructure (including WiFi) to help students have virtually unlimited bandwidth for school projects; anda public private partnership installed of a microgrid on the network in the San Leandro Tech Campus that will be the heart of an ecosystem of small businesses to help area cities meet the demand for advanced renewable energy systems. San Leandro Chief Innovation Officer Deb Acosta and San Leandro IT Director Tony Batalla explain details on current and future broadband projects.

The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition developed not one but 10 policy proposals to address broadband. Called the “Connecting Anchor Institutions: A Broadband Action Plan”, these documents provide ideas and actionable policy recommendations for government leaders at the federal, state, and local levels to address the broadband needs of anchor institutions. John Windhausen, SHLB Executive Director, explains our audience how these policy directives are part of the organization’s bigger Grow2Gig+: Anchors Advance Communities Campaign. This far-reaching drive hopes to make gigabit speeds the standard for anchor institutions a national priority.   SHLB’s policy actions, combined with grassroots efforts of community stakeholders working in the trenches, create the best broadband adoption solutions that shrink the digital divide.

Digital inclusion – bridging the divide between the technology haves and have-nots. 15% and 30% of our urban citizens are shut out of the digital economy, while that and maybe more in our rural lack Internet access. Input and participation must come from the communities themselves for digital inclusion to work. Executive Vice President Brigitte Daniel at Wilco Electronic Systems, Inc. in Philadelphia and Bruce Montgomery, CEO of Chicago-based Technology Access Television gives listeners some insights to how to execute plans that leverage broadband for personal economic development. This interview tackles several digital inclusion challenges that face community advocates and stakeholders: How do we strengthen ISP competition in urban areasIs there enough broadband infrastructure in Tier 1 and 2 citiesWhat type of assistance bridges the digital divideHow do we build a self-sustaining digital economy low income neighborhoods This is a moral imperative and an economic necessity. 

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently turned down big telecom companies’ efforts to derail the FCC “net-neutrality” rules. It took 14 years of fighting, wrangling, enduring short-term defeats and a certain amount of uncertainty, but led by a former lobbyists the FCC prevailed prevailed in the public interest. But after the sounds of popping champagne corks have faded, we have to ask “What’s next?” Was this a victory over corporate lobbies?Are there any implications for community broadband, specifically muni networks?What does the net neutrality ruling say about public activism?With the threat of incumbents becoming gatekeepers of the Internet removed, what will lobbyists do next?What will/should “We the People” do with our new found freedom? Harold Feld, Senior Vice President at Public Knowledge joins us to help sort out these and other questions. Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open Internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works.  

One of the fading myths of our time is that large metro areas don’t need a gig, and another myth is that you can’t make a business case for delivering a gig to low-income communities, even if they need it. A wireless ISP (WISP) located in Cleveland, Ohio has been providing homes and businesses there with a gig wirelessly, and is getting ready to extend services to New York City. Ron Deus, CEO of regional WISP NetX, describes his formula for success. It starts with an understanding that a lot of people don’t care what the infrastructure is that delivers their Internet access as long as it is fast, reliable and affordable. Deus also believes technology, including wireless, is rapidly evolving and providers that keep pace with the evolution will have business success. NetX has always treated Cleveland's low-income communities as a market on par with every other market: 1) build them an infrastructure that delivers and 2) give them a variety of service packages suited to their needs, the market will reward you. NetX is now ready to test its formula in the Big Apple – New York, New York.

People say, “broadband is just like electricity in the 1920s. That’s why electric co-ops were formed, and why they need to build community broadband.” But why not build a co-op specifically for broadband? In Minnesota several communities recently started a broadband co-op. Are more on the way? Chris Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Networks at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), makes the case that more rural communities need to create broadband co-ops to address the lack of sufficient highspeed Internet access. ILSR and Next Century Cities just released a report that examines Minnesota’s broadband co-op, “RS Fiber: Fertile Fields for New Rural Internet Cooperative.” Mitchell delves into why: The co-op model makes sense for communities;Hybrid wired and wireless infrastructure makes financial sense;Broadband co-ops blends the best of public and private worlds;We should expect more broadband co-op to form.

It could be time for communities to re-think the feasibility study process. They can spend up to $150,000 to complete a study, but are communities really resolving the questions they need to pursue? Some feel that a process with its roots in the 1970s needs an upgrade to keep pace with 21st-Century infrastructure. Richard Frank created custom GIS and other technologies to streamline the engineering-planning and design phase. He feels the typical feasibility study for a public network adds costs and time to address questions already answered, while failing in other areas because “communities don’t know what they don’t know.” Frank explains how to use available data to get many of the answers needed to do appropriate engineering design, better use existing technology assets, use best business practices to plan the network and address the common good. Communities need to understand better the applications and databases that can improve network planning, think more like a business and adopt sound marketing principles.

With all the hype about fiber, we sometimes forget wireless still has an important role to play. Fairlawn, Ohio supports over 22,000 people every day in addition to its 7,400 residents, so they had to have guaranteed super-fast, reliable and flexible Internet access. Their infrastructure solution made them one of the highlights of the recent Broadband Communities Summit. Ernie Staten, Dep. Director of Fairlawn’s Public Service Department, and Mitch Drake, Fujitsu Network Communications’ Executive Engagement Leader, throw back some covers and show off best practices that made their network leading edge. Fujitsu is the lead private sector partner in this public-private partnership. Fairlawn set an ambitious agenda to meet a number of goals including: promote commercial and residential growth;stimulate economic development in the City;provide a carrier-grade wireless network;draw in entrepreneurs and high tech ventures; andimprove City services and public safety communications.    

Many people think broadband benefits local governments by making PCs, apps and systems run faster. But what happens when the process of governing accelerates into gig speed? In two months, Next Century Cities expects to find out. At the Broadband Communities Summit, cities were offered a $30,000 prize as a reward for creative thinking on using broadband to tackle local challenges. Next Century Cities announced their “Next Generation Engagement Awards” for three cities (up to $30,000 each) that propose projects or partnerships that enhance government operations. Next Century Cities’ Executive Director Deb Socia and Deputy Director Todd O’Boyle joined us to explain their program and what they hope to achieve. Beside cash, winning communities will also receive hands-on technical assistance from Next Century Cities to implement their plans and peer-to-peer connections with other innovative municipalities. Communities applying will be expected to demonstrate how, in addition to the award funding, they will contribute funds or use in-kind support, partner support, or a combination to ensure the project’s success. Applications will be accepted through June 15, 2016 and winners will be announced in late summer. Apply here.

We are at the point where we have scores of public highspeed networks delivering an array of benefits for businesses and consumers. Kansas City, the original Google Fiber network, weighs in their accomplishments and challenges as they push the gig envelope. Our Gigabit Nation guest is Aaron Deacon, Managing Director of KC Digital Drive, and a panelist on one of the Broadband Communities Summit sessions entitled “What can you do with a gig?” He believes many cities have answered this question with an array of applications and uses for highspeed Internet access, which leads to maybe a better question of "What are we going to do with a gig next?" Deacon delineates the difference between gigabit speed and gigabit capacity, a difference many communities need to understand early in there broadband planning. It’s also important that planners understand how to encourage a “highspeed environment” that enables community networks to transform the delivery of healthcare, energy, city services and more.  (Photo credit: Rachel Ellner, courtesy of Broadband Communities magazine)