Strut your stuff for Blandin Foundation

2. Building capacity for next steps
Lead 4 America fellowship
● July 2021 to July 2023
● Hosted by TCU
● Focus on Digital Navigation and Purdue Digital Survey to build use of technology
Blandin/Southern MN Initiative Fund/Region Nine Economic Development Asset
mapping
● County wide forum
● July 15th, noon to 4pm at the Le Sueur County 4H building
Communication! Exploring options for website and social media

3. The path from June 2020 to April 2021
● The Blandin Planning meeting/ the work projects mapped out
● $3.7 million of CARES act funds to county and townships
○ Some work project activities covered under CARES act
● September 2020 Blandin Broadband Community applications approved with
$75,000
○ Activities continued under CARES funding until December 1, 2020
● $42,000 now spent or committed
○ $5,500 to SMIF for economic development forum
○ $30,000 to Lead 4 America 2 year fellow to support the continued work and to build
greater capacity
○ $6,445 approximately consulting fees

4. December 2020 Updates Bandin Projects
● Broadband Planning 2246 points
○ $535,000 CARES act funds for fiber
○ $ 12,000 CARES act funds for fiber in St Thomas area
○ $1,166,749 for fixed wireless, 7 locations CARES Act funds
○ These are county CARES act funds with $200,000 from townships
● Make Broadband more affordable 988 points
○ Above funds included reduced hook up costs
● Start or expand wi fi hotspot lending program at libraries 487 points
○ To do!
● Create more accurate broadband maps with speedtesting
○ Over 400 responses more to do

5. December 2020 Updates
● Each student has devices to use 397 points
○ Schools funded many more devices
○ With county CARES act funds, purchase of 100 chrome books
○ 50 desk tops from PCs for people
● Dig Once policy 387 points
○ No go
● 24 hour hotspots around the county 367 points
○ CARES act funds for one township hall, several county parks, and the county
fairgrounds
● Programs for low income families to access internet 265 points
○ GIS map of all school lunch kids families
○ Federal funds coming

6. December 2020 Updates
● Improve cellular coverage 260 points
○ STILL TO DO
● Create more safe spaces to access technology equipment 180 points
○ STILL TO DO
● Local forums for improving communications among key stakeholders 151 points and
Community wide marketing tools 130 points
○ JULY 15TH, COUNTY 4 H BUILDING NOON TO 4:30PM
○ LE SUEUR COUNTY BUSINESS MAPPING WITH SMIF, REGION NINE AND BLANDIN
● Telemedicine information
● Farmers to access training
● Equipment lending
● APP development camps
● Community tech training programs--Digital Navigation
● Direct communication with residents about broadband

7. December 2020 Updates
● Install WiFi on buses
○ Done through schools
● Increase community ed focus on tech activities for kids and community
● Create and maintain county website and calendar
○ Huge improvements to county website
○ More to come!
● Internet access to subsidized housing
○ Progress in Le Sueur, PCs for People
● Technology assistance to businesses
○ YES still huge need
● Tech Tuesday events
● Increase theater arts community involvement
● Shared set of technology tools
○ GOOGLE suite for Government in the works CARES act funds
● Youth Summits

8. December 2020 Updates TO DO
● Co-working Spaces
● Welcome events for new residents
● More digital communications boards throughout the county
● Increase county transportation options with ride sharing
● Country fair networking group
● Zoom training
● Bring knowledge speakers to the community

9. Next steps re more broadband capacity
Significant barriers to moving ahead
● Federal RDOF funds blocked Border to Border grants for this year
○ How to partner with LTD, significant issues
● Conversations with Metronet and Bevcomm re moving ahead with new
federal funds, as well as fixed wireless
● Townships engagement
● But much promise