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Sylvia Pagán Westphal wrote:

Boy, it’s good to be here, invading a tiny corner of cyberspace as the new life sciences columnist for Xconomy.

It is a journalist’s dream to be given free rein, and unlimited real estate, to write about the subjects she thinks matter. As a newspaper reporter (more about me here) the pressure to keep stories short was frustrating. It was hard to land an article on the front page. With The Pulse, I’m glad to be free from these constraints, but I face a different predicament: I know I’m just a click away from oblivion. The world doesn’t need another pundit. So I’ll try my best to use this soapbox wisely. And I really want this to be interactive so please write to me (at [email protected]) or post below with feedback, tips, and comments.

This is an interesting week to be launching my first column. Wall Street is again under scrutiny, thanks to the suit brought against Goldman Sachs by the Securities and Exchange Commission. At the center of the clash are complex debt structures (”collateralized debt obligations”—who comes up with those names?) that were concocted by Goldman, among other players, and sold as novel products to investors. It allegedly wasn’t completely transparent how these products were built, but that didn’t seem to matter. People trusted people. A product essentially set to fail was sold to the public, or so we’re told.

From my financially unsophisticated 10-mile view, I wonder: how could something like this happen? How could companies sell to the public a product that they knew would likely fail?

Come to think of it, that’s not too dissimilar from the question posed in 2004 to Merck & Co. as it stood accused by thousands of patients of knowing about the deadly side effects of Vioxx years before it recalled the drug. (The company never accepted liability and settled in 2007 for $4.85 billion.) Similarly, Guidant, which was later acquired by Boston Scientific, fueled public outrage in 2005 for allegedly selling cardiac defibrillators that it knew might be defective (that suit was settled as well). There are plenty more examples like these. Even the Food and Drug Administration has at times faced this kind of scrutiny–it has been admonished for approving drugs and devices despite advice to the contrary due to safety red flags. When those products turn out to have serious side effects, the outcry begins. How could they, people ask. Isn’t the FDA here to protect us?

It’s always easy to look back. The prism of hindsight splits the world into us versus them, the righteous and the crooked, but that’s an illusion. The real question is, …Next Page »

There have been plenty of plans to switch Australia to 100% clean energy floated in recent times (see Beyond Zero Emissions and Desertec Australia for some examples).

The latest entrant is from Siemens, with their “Picture the Future: Australia (Energy)” (pdf) report recommending Australian business and governments spend $60 billion on alternative energy initiatives.

The report says that to meet 2050 carbon emission targets, all road vehicles would need to be electrically powered and all electricity would come from a mix of wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and gas (along with carbon-capture coal, which is an unlikely component).

Siemens also recommends all buildings be made energy efficient and smart grids helping to match demand with supply. Large-scale energy storage is expected to enable solar power to take a dominant position and nearly all homes will have rooftop solar PV.

Siemens also proposes to link Western Australia to the eastern seaboard grid system through a DC transmission network, enabling the use of large-scale solar and geothermal power stations in central Australia (unsurprisingly, given that they are one of the leaders in this field).

Fellow arm sleepers, a new dawn is upon us. For just $100, we can alleviate the several tons of pressure that our massive craniums place upon our arms. That, or our pillows now have a hoagie compartment. [HammacherSchlemmer via NerdApproved] More »

Neos has published this video showing off the compatibility of their Bluetooth keyboard with the HTC HD2, a process which fortunately does not appear to need any drivers loaded on the HTC HD2 except the standard Bluetooth ones.

The keyboard is available online for around $80 USD and beside being marketed at the HD2 appears to also work with a variety of PDAs and smartphones, including the iPad.

It is likely the coming availability of Bluetooth keyboard support on the iPhone will result in many more accessories becoming available featuring the technology, hopefully including a small book-type case with a landscape keyboard.

Do any of our readers have day to day experience with using a Bluetooth keyboard with their HD2? Let us known below.

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, UK

Through the power of Facebook, up to a half a million drivers in the UK are expected to boycott gas next month shortly before the nation heads to the polls for a general election in which Prime Minister (PM) Gordon Brown is fighting stiff competition for the win.

Many Brits are upset with recent gas tax increases that were supported and passed by PM Brown. Protesters hope that the mass demonstration will be the nail in the coffin for his chances of winning. Gas prices have soared in Britain, reaching U.S. $1.87 a liter (about $7.06 a gallon) last week. The numbers are a significant increase from a year ago when gas was only $5.55 a gallon. Further upsetting residents, the government pockets a whopping $4.42 from each gallon sold, yet still insists that more taxes are needed. Another government-mandated tax increase is scheduled for this fall followed by one more next winter and, frankly, many people are fed up.

On May 1st, protesters will go into action by blocking entry into local gas stations. As boycott organizer Jo Slater said, “We need to take action, the only way we’ll see petrol prices fall is if we hit someone in the pocket.” Additional protests are scheduled across the nation with support from the trucking industry and farmers.

Here in the states, we constantly hear complaints of gas prices that are astronomical. Sure, $2.80 might seem like a lot to us, but it’s like a slap in the face compared to the UK’s knock-out blow. Ouch. Our thanks go to Andy for this one!

[Source: NewsoftheWorld | Image: BradleyPJohnson – C.C. 2.0]

Taxes drive gas prices to over $7 a gallon in UK, mass boycott coming soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A mysterious acquisition from Google has thrown the Internet ablaze. By acquiring a company supposedly making server chips (no clear confirmed details available), Google spurred talks of building a new server model for their data center. And while it previously commissioned all server architectures, there are a lot more clues that might point out this no… (read more)

A Georgia jury has awarded $1.5 million in compensation for pain and suffering in a medical malpractice suit over an amputated thumb, which is believed to be the first jury award to exceed a recently overturned cap on non-economic damages in the state.

The case was filed by Johnnie Jackson, 47, against a Georgia hospital and several nurses after an alleged medical mistake involving an intravenous needle in his wrist, which was inserted incorrectly and allowed medications to infiltrate the surrounding tissue. The lawsuit alleged that a nurse who checked the IV hours later found that the site was painful and swollen, and removed the needle. However, nine hours allegedly passed before Jackson’s doctor checked on Jackson and found that the drugs had leaked into the rest of his hand, which ultimately resulted in several operations to save his hand. However, they were unable to save his thumb.

Only four days after a $350,000 cap on Georgia malpractice suit damages was struck down by the state supreme court, a Coffee County jury awarded Jackson $53,026 in medical expenses and $1.5 million for pain and suffering. If the cap had still been in place at the time of the award, Jackson’s recovery would have been limited to just over $400,000.

The Georgia medical malpractice damage cap was put in place by the state legislature in 2005. However, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously struck down the cap last month as being unconstitutional when it was challenged by a plaintiff who sued a plastic surgery office for disfiguring her face.

California was the first state to enact a damage cap in 1975, specifically limiting the non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuit. As of 2005, ten states had capped recoveries specifically on medical malpractice cases and another 22 had imposed caps on all injury suits, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A Washington State woman who accused David Copperfield of luring her to his private island in the Bahamas and raping her in July 2007 has dropped her civil suit against the magician.

Lawyers for waitress Lacey Carroll announced her decision to scrap the claim in a press statement on Tuesday — just days after a federal judge ruled that Copperfield’s attorneys would be allowed to question her under oath.

The FBI and federal prosecutors spent more than two years investigating the sexual assault allegations — and even searched Copperfield’s Las Vegas warehouse — but closed the case without filing criminal charges early this year.

“Carroll’s lawsuit was nothing but a pathetic attempt to extort Mr Copperfield for money with malicious and false allegations,” said Copperfield’s attorney, Angelo Calfo. “There was no settlement. Mr Copperfield would not and did not pay Carroll a dime to drop her lawsuit.”

Carroll filed her civil lawsuit in US District Court in Seattle seeking damages from Copperfield last July, but maintained in Tuesday’s statement that: “It has never been about money.”

Thanks to John Schultz for sending me the latest on the BIP Round Two applications. Sadly the new applications are not yet in the searchable directory – but I was able to pull out the Minnesota applications. At least I hope I got all of them that relate to Minnesota in some way.

Applicant: INSIDEMYCITY LLC
Application ID: 5923
Contact: SCOTT DAVID ASCHENBRENNER
(810) 3091608
[email protected]
Project Title: insideMyCityGateway
To Rural America 2010
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Texas
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $1,524,445.00
$6,531,480.00
$6,531,480.00
Status: Application Received
Description: insideMyCity, a proposed Rural CLEC, offering regulated and unregulated services to markets that have less than 1,500 homes and currently have one provider of service such as the local phone company. The funds from this Grant will be used to enhance residential and business communications as well as provide vital connectivity to remote fire, police, ambulance and public sector organizations.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: KEPS TECHNOLOGIES, INC
Application ID: 5415
Contact: KEVIN CLARK SCHOEN
(517) 9993250
[email protected]
Project Title: BerrienCass
Rural Broadband
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$7,831,829.00
$3,356,498.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Design and construct a lastmile terrestrial broadband network infrastructure connecting to but not including construction of middle and first mile fiber optic cable. It will consist of building FiberToTheHome (and businesses), plus fixed wireless equipment and towers, to provide highspeed broadband to 26,153 unserved houses, and a total of 6,104 unserved businesses, Public Safety Entities and Critical Community Facilities in the rural areas of Berrien and Cass Counties.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: LIGHTHOUSE VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS, INC.
Application ID: 5997
Contact: DONALD KORFF
(269) 8168601
[email protected]
Project Title: Marcellus Connectivity Initiative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$504,028.00
$216,012.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Lighthouse Virtual Connections, Inc. seeks to extend the broadband network within the state of Michigan to the rural communities surrounding the village of Marcellus. Offering Internet access at highspeeds, Lighthouse wishes to provide a fiberoptic network, terminating in a dependable wireless system in order to better serve the 3,109 households, 242 businesses, and various anchor institutions included in the targeted service area.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: MASON, COUNTY TREASURER
Application ID: 7251
Contact: JOHN GERTS
(231) 8435850
[email protected]
Project Title: Mason County Municipal Fiber to the Premises Project Michigan
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$14,833,086.00
$5,077,096.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Michigan has the nation’s highest unemployment percentage. The Lake Michigan shoreline is truly an enviable place to live and work. In Mason County there is a digital divide between those with access to broadband and the underserved or unserved. This project will recitfy this inequality; allowing stay at home moms, work at home entrepreneurs and businesses to prosper in the global market.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: METRAMAX GR, LLC
Application ID: 4254
Contact: TYLER VAN HOUWELINGEN
(616) 6389057
[email protected]
Project Title: Comprehensive Community Application for Southern Michigan WiMAX
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Indiana, Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $8,793,549.00
$20,000,000.49
$20,000,000.51
Status: Application Received
Description: AzulStar, together with Clearwire, private investors and local community and public institutions are proposing the creation of a 4G wireless broadband network encompassing the rural and underserved areas within 17 counties in Southern Michigan. The network will utilize mobile WiMAX at 2.5GHz, which is a nonproprietary, 4G wireless broadband technology that outpaces all other broadband technologies in terms of both price and performance. The innovative network will use some 60MHz of licensed spectrum at 2.5GHz to deliver fixed and mobile connections of 10Mbps and beyond. The highly advanced system will have a lasting impact on the target areas by creating a platform for innovation and sustainable economic growth. Given the highly rural and sparse nature of the area being targeted, federal financial assistance is essential in order to make this vision a reality.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: MIDWEST ENERGY COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6472
Contact: DAVID ALLEN
(269) 4451081
[email protected]
Project Title: Midwest Energy Cooperative FibertotheHome
Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $600,000.00
$21,011,663.00
$9,004,998.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Midwest Energy Cooperative is a 501 (c) 12 organization. Midwest Energy proposes to build and operate a fibertothehome (FTTH) broadband communications network to bring broadband and provide value to its cooperative members. Midwest Energy has designed the network to ensure that community anchor institutions have access to very highbandwidth broadband to provide essential services to the community as described herein.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: PASTY NET INC
Application ID: 7226
Contact: CHARLES R HOPPER
(906) 3375979
[email protected]
Project Title: Fiber for the Keweenaw
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$7,894,179.00
$2,631,395.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Locally established wireless and dialup Internet provider Pasty.net, Inc. proposes to purchase equipment and construct 297 miles of fiber optic network to serve the historic Keweenaw Peninsula. 2,617 unserved and underserved households, businesses and anchor institutions will receive 100 Mbit service. This includes voice, IPTV, future smartgrid transport, and Internet access consistent with the FCC’s National Broadband Plan.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: SPEEDNET LLC
Application ID: 7642
Contact: JOHN OGREN
(248) 5210612
[email protected]
Project Title: SpeedNet Rural Intiative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Illinois, Iowa
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$8,575,892.00
$3,852,937.00
Status: Application Received
Description: SpeedNet LLC, a leading provider of wireless broadband services in Michigan, is proposing to utilize licensed 2.5 GHz band spectrum and standardsbased
WiMAX 802.16e technology to bring highspeed broadband service to 18 rural counties in Iowa and Illinois where the majority of premises currently lack High Speed Access. The proposed system initially will consist of 144 base stations and ancillary facilities, and will be capable of reaching 32,651 households and 17,891 businesses in the proposed funded service area.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: WEST MICHIGAN BROADBAND, LLC
Application ID: 7784
Contact: DON NOORDYK
(231) 4142887
[email protected]
Project Title: West Michigan Broadband
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $349,212.00
$0.00
$998,000.00
Status: Application Received
Description: West Michigan Broadband seeks to expand its coverage area through the use of USDA funding to provide high speed Internet services to underserved rural areas of West Michigan.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Minnesota
Applicant: ARROWHEAD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC
Application ID: 6656
Contact: TERESA HANNAY
(616) 2935880
[email protected]
Project Title: Arrowhead Electric Cooperative FibertotheHome
Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $600,000.00
$11,296,239.00
$4,841,245.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Arrowhead Electric Cooperative proposes to build and operate a fiber optic network to the residential and commercial members of the cooperative as well to underserved safety and anchor agencies in our service area. This project is designed as an open network allowing multiple qualified vendors to offer services on the system.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: FARMERS MUTUAL TELEPHONE COMPANY
Application ID: 5552
Contact: JOHN SCHULTZ
(651) 9677196
jschultz@urekabroadband.
com
Project Title: Farmers TelephoneLac
qui Parle County FTTP Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $33,851.00
$4,826,478.00
$4,826,478.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Farmers Mutual Telephone Company in partnership with Lac qui Parle County will provide Fiber to the Premise technology to the remaining 1561 households and 165 businesses and 12 Critical Community Facilities within the county. This network will provide highspeed data, voice and television services to areas of the County with limited access to technology choices. The entire budget for the project will be $9.686 million ($9.653 million in BIP) dollars. This deployment will make Lac qui Parle one of the leading technology counties in the state. Lac qui Parle County Economic Development Authority (EDA) will lead economic development efforts within the County in coordination with this network build to best leverage the network for education, health care, public safety and economic development.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: FEDERATED TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 7365
Contact: KEVIN BEYER
(320) 3247111
[email protected]
Project Title: Rural Morris, MN
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $107,500.00
$1,493,637.00
$1,493,637.00
Status: Application Received
Description: This project consist of building a FTTP system to deploy voice, video, and data services to the Rural Morris, MN exchange. The PFSA is primarily located in Stevens County, with a small portion in Grant County. The PFSA includes 408 residential, 20 Business and 2 anchor institutions.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: FEDERATED TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 5143
Contact: KEVIN BEYER
(320) 3247111
[email protected]
Project Title: Rural Appleton, MN
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$630,289.00
$630,289.00
Status: Application Received
Description: This project consists of building a FTTP system to deploy voice, video, and data services to the Rural Appleton, MN exchange. The PFSA is primarily located in Swift County, with small portions in Big Stone and Chippewa Counties. The PFSA includes 152 residential, 7 Business and 1 anchor institution.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: FOND DU LAC RESERVATION
Application ID: 6391
Contact: JASON ROMAN HOLLINDAY
(218) 8782625
[email protected]
Project Title: Fond du Lac Broadband Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$1,062,035.00
$354,012.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The Fond du Lac Wireless Broadband Project would create a wireless broadband/high speed Internet system on the Fond du Lac Reservation. The system would provide internet access to over 300 homes, and several community facilities. The procurement of high speed internet on the Reservation will be used as an economic tool and assist people to educate themselves, open a new marketplace for goods and services, create a more marketable workforce and open new job opportunities. The project will require the construction and installation of six towers and base station. Cost estimated for the towers and the base station is $1,416,792.00. A more detailed scope of work is located in the attachments with the “FDL Wireless Study.”
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: JAGUAR COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Application ID: 5788
Contact: DONNY TJELEMAN SMITH
(507) 2141001
[email protected]
Project Title: Southeastern Minnesota Open Fiber Initiative (SMOFI)
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$33,999,578.00
$15,275,173.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The Southeastern Minnesota Open Fiber Initiative (SMOFI) is an â€oeOpen Access†FibertothePremise (FTTP) project, which will connect virtually every home, business, community anchor institution and critical facility in the Southern Minnesota counties of Steele and Dodge, and parts of Rice, which are predominantly unserved or underserved. The project will deliver broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps to every premise served and sets aside 25% of earned revenues for future expansion to rural and remote areas. The project will pass 16,414 households, 1,580 businesses and 515 Community Anchor Institutions and Critical Facilities. The project will be a critical part of
the Mayo Clinic’s â€oeBEACON†rural telehealth initiative. SMOFI will implement specific and substantive programs to deliver service to, and support community anchor institutions abilities to deliver services to the public.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: KASSON \& MANTORVILLE TELEPHONE COMPANY
Application ID: 5389
Contact: MARY EHMKE
(507) 6342511
[email protected]
Project Title: Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company: FibertotheHome
Broadband Deployment Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$9,280,797.00
$3,977,484.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The Kasson & Mantorville Telephone Company FibertotheHome Broadband Deployment Project is a build out of existing infrastructure into underserved rural areas throughout the current serving company footprint. The project proposes to build fiber routes and improve network infrastructure to enable more robust high speed broadband connections to homes and businesses.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: LAKE, COUNTY OF
Application ID: 4538
Contact: GARY FIELDS
(651) 3433128
[email protected]
Project Title: Lake County Fiber Network
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $3,500,000.00
$9,955,359.00
$56,413,705.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The Lake County Fiber Network will provide fibertothepremise connectivity to all homes and businesses in Lake County and eastern Saint Louis County, MN. The network will deliver state of the art voice, video and data services at affordable prices.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: NEXTERA COMMUNICATIONS LLC
Application ID: 7493
Contact: GREG ARVIG
(218) 8186410
[email protected]
Project Title: Fort Ripley Broadband Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$2,141,250.00
$713,750.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Nextera Communications currently serves Brainerd, Baxter and Little Falls with voice and data services. Based on the proposed application Nextera will construct 7 tower sites with 4G wireless technology to serve the unserved areas surrounding Brainerd, Baxter and Little Falls. The 4G wireless system will be capable of delivering up to 5M in bandwidth to end users. Towers will be connected via a 200M backbone microwave radio system and the proposed MSED fiber system if the companion MSED grant is awarded. The proposed system will leverage existing infrastructure to create a cost effective broadband solution to unserved markets.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: NORTHEAST SERVICE COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6621
Contact: LYLE KEVIN MACVEY
(218) 7487623
[email protected]
Project Title: ArrowheadConnect Cook
County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $8,589,223.00
$18,037,502.00
$7,730,358.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Fiber to the Home project leveraging the NESC Northeast Middle Mile Project funded in Round 1. This project will provide fiber based broadband to 6,235 households in one of the sparsest and northern most counties in MN. The project employs a new public sector management model that will engage and have strong local incumbent and cable carrier support. The model is unique in that nothing like it has been proposed before and stands to be the future model for deploying networks in sparsely populated, large rural areas. The model provides for both a “unbundled fiber to the home” carrier service and a bundled “lit” service to support low income and those that cannot afford along with connecting critical services to the regional network. It also has strong participation with the funded NESC Middle Mile Fiber Project and other ARRA funded projects in the region.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: PAUL BUNYAN RURAL TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 5688
Contact: GARY JOHNSON
(218) 4441234
[email protected]
Project Title: Northern Minnesota Broadband Extension Initiative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$20,097,748.00
$9,029,422.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The rapid growth and ensuing spread of communities in the rural landscape poses a challenge for Internet services providers. Paul Bunyan Telephone’s Northern Minnesota Broadband Extension Initiative proposes to fill this need by extending broadband services to areas lacking in those
services.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: SJOBERG\’S INC
Application ID: 5696
Contact: RICHARD J SJOBERG
(218) 6813044
[email protected]
Project Title: Northwest Minnesota Fiber Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $207,129.00
$649,544.00
$216,516.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Sjoberg’s inc proposes to build state of the art, fiber to the premises (RF over Glass) extensions to 4 unserved/ underserved areas near Thief River Falls and Roseau, MN. Sjoberg’s will provide these areas with 40 Mb/s Broadband service, cable TV and telephone service. This will provide new jobs and simulate economic activity in the local business and farm community. It will also be used in conjunction with Emergency Services and Healthcare.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: UPSALA COOPERATIVE
TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION
Application ID: 6014
Contact: TONY GEBHARD
(320) 5732122
[email protected]
Project Title: MN TriCounty
Wireless Broadband Initiative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$22,308,234.00
$7,436,078.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Sytek Communication has a long history of being a successful and progressive telecommunications company for over 100 years. Careful analysis of the potential current unserved market shows an opportunity to fill the void of Broadband services which is either not available or substandard. The Company will be able to leverage their affiliation from their extensive industry contacts, which they have gained through industry affiliations, and other third party contacts which will all help support the rural communities. The Minnesota TriCounty Broadband Project would be an extension to the current Broadband project on which we are working. Sytek Communications would manage a wireless broadband system that would serve more than 1,600 square miles of 4G (WiMax) coverage for the counties of Todd, Morrison & Mille Lacs in central Minnesota.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: WIKSTROM TELEPHONE COMPANY, INCORPORATED
Application ID: 4806
Contact: ALAN LUNDEEN
(218) 4365214
[email protected]
Project Title: Wikstrom NW MN Broadband
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$5,179,019.00
$2,219,581.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Wikstrom Telephone’s Project will deploy 414 miles of new cables and electronics for GPON fiber to the home in 6 communities of Kittson, Marshall and Roseau County for Broadband Services over 100 megabits. Electronic enhancements will be made to existing DSL customers to increase Broadband speeds up to 48mbs, along with 74 miles of additional fiber to the node, and a 150mb microwave upgrade for service to the NW Angle. The project facilities will pass 5115 households, 1499 businesses, and 83 critical community facilities.
Public Notice Response:
Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

Applicant: WOODSTOCK TELEPHONE CO INC
Application ID: 4875
Contact: KEN KNUTH
(507) 7772201
[email protected]
Project Title: WTC 2010 Broadband Initiative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $763,200.00
$10,629,096.00
$4,555,328.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Woodstock Telephone Company will expand its fiber network into neighboring rural communities by providing FTTP for over 3600 premises in 15 communities located within 3 counties in Southwest Minnesota. This expanded fiber network will provide bandwidth of over 20Mbps for advanced voice and data services. The company will utilize experienced management professionals to lead the deployment, operation, and maintenance of this new infrastructure, contributing to project success, efficient timeframes, and reducing the overall costs of deployment and maintenance.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: QWEST CORPORATION
Application ID: 4823
Contact: MELISSA NEWMAN
(202) 4293120
[email protected]
Project Title: Qwest 14state
High Speed Access Project
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota,
Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $118,170,540.00
$348,806,468.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Qwest Corporation’s project proposes deployment of High Speed Access within its current 14state ILEC footprint. Over 500,000 living units (LUs) in AZ, CO, ID, IA, MN, MT, NE, ND, NM, OR, SD, UT, WA and WY will be served with speeds ranging up to 40 Mbps downstream. About 90% of the LUs proposed for new or upgraded broadband service are in rural areas. The system design uses a combination of technologies including Ethernet, fiber and radio backhaul to reach covered LUs and varies based on the specific location and geography. The project will provide last mile infrastructure to support increasing capacity requirements and integrate new broadband
dependent applications and technologies. And, if funded, the project’s $467 M investment will create more than 23,000 jobs for local economies in the 14 states (calculated from the Atkinson formula offered in a 2009 broadband study).
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: AIM WIRELESS SOLUTIONS, INC
Application ID: 7247
Contact: AHMAD ISSAM MALKAWI
(847) 3406250
[email protected]
Project Title: Last mile for rural areas in the state of MN
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $2,107,541.00
$4,144,081.00
$2,047,071.00
Status: Application Received
Description: To deploy a WIMAX (802.16e standard) high speed broadband network in underserved and unserved areas in the state of MN. The network will offer reasonable and affordable high speed broadband data and voice over IP.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: IOWA TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, INC.
Application ID: 7686
Contact: DAVID PORTER
(641) 7872928
[email protected]
Project Title: Connecting Rural Iowa: HighSpeed
Broadband Expansion 2
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Iowa, Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $4,078,946.00
$12,236,836.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Iowa Telecom proposes to establish new DLC/DSL nodes to expand highspeed broadband capability to 80 proposed funded service areas throughout Iowa. Each project will consist of burying fiber transport from the serving central office to the new node location or of connecting the new node to nearby existing fiber cable or to fiber cable placed in the middlemile application that Iowa Telecom also has filed in Round 2. The last mile networks that will be created through the various projects in this application will be capable of delivering broadband speeds of 3 mbps up to 15 mbps for residential and business customers between their premises and the DLC/DSL node.
Areas that Iowa Telecom will serve with this project are primarily small outlying residential communities. We anticipate that this project will pass approximately 9,939 households and a relatively small amount of businesses
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: WINNEBAGO COOPERATIVE TELECOM ASSOCIATION
Application ID: 4975
Contact: TERRY WEGENER
(641) 5926105
[email protected]
Project Title: WCTA 2010 Broadband Initiative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Iowa, Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$9,816,202.00
$9,816,202.00
Status: Application Received
Description: WCTA will expand the existing portions of its fiber network by providing FTTP for rural portions of about 21 communities in Iowa and Minnesota, and will provide bandwidth of over 5Mbps for advanced voice, video, and data services. The proposed service area is 100% rural and serves population in six counties. WCTA will utilize an experienced team of professionals to manage, deploy, operate, and maintain this new infrastructure, contributing to project success, efficient timeframes, and reducing the overall costs of deployment and maintenance.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: KEYON COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Application ID: 6040
Contact: JASON LAZAR
(310) 4036307
[email protected]
Project Title: KeyOn WiMAX Minnesota
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $19,366,993.00
$21,344,880.00
$9,182,141.00
Status: Application Received
Description: KeyOn will deliver fourth generation (4G), lastmile wireless broadband and digital phone service(VoIP) to 716,575 people in 361 of the most rural communities in Minnesota. Using KeyOn’s nationwide 3.65GHz license and the standards based WiMAX protocol, our network will offer Internet and digital phone service to 278,161 households and 37,828 businesses passed at speeds of up to 8Mbps download/1.5Mbps upload at a cost far lower than competing technologies. KeyOn’s existing footprint covers customers in 11 states and over 50,000 square miles. Our financial strength and management team experience will ensure that the communities and their surrounding areas in the targeted PFSAs will be afforded nextgeneration broadband access into the foreseeable future.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: RED RIVER RURAL TELEPHONE ASSN (INC)
Application ID: 4733
Contact: JEFFREY J. OLSON
(701) 5538309
[email protected]
Project Title: RRT FTTP Broadband Upgrade Rural MN, ND and SD Exchanges
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $1,009,826.00
$4,544,219.00
$4,544,219.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The Red River Telephone (RRT) Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) Broadband Upgrade of rural Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota exchanges will entail installing fiber to the premise to 1,272 unserved and underserved customer locations in 6 rural exchanges served by Red River Rural Telephone Association in Ransom, Richland, and Sargent counties of North Dakota, as well as Wilkin county in Minnesota and Roberts and Marshall counties in South Dakota. This extensive project will place approximately 690 route miles of fiber optic cable to the proposed areas, bringing broadband capabilities up to 100Mbps to customers who otherwise have relied on lesser quality services such as dialup, wireless or satellite broadband services, all of which offer speeds below the required service level.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: NATIONAL RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6781
Contact: CHRIS MARTIN
(703) 7877288
[email protected]
Project Title: Mille Lacs E.C. Mille
Lacs County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$1,060,035.00
$454,301.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) will bring affordable and reliable wireless broadband services to those rural portions of Mille Lacs County that lack highspeed broadband access. Using WiMAX technology, NRTC’s proposed network will pass 4,676 households, 1,020 businesses and 56 critical community facilities/public safety entities and will create/save 4 jobs in Mille Lacs County. With over 20 years of experience in bringing innovative telecommunications products and services to rural America, NRTC has the track record to deploy promptly, ensure financial sustainability of the project, and facilitate rural economic development.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: NATIONAL RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6778
Contact: CHRIS MARTIN
(703) 7877288
[email protected]
Project Title: Mille Lacs E.C. Crow
Wing County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$3,427,801.00
$1,469,059.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) will bring affordable and reliable
wireless broadband services to those rural portions of Crow Wing County that lack highspeed
broadband access. Using WiMAX technology, NRTC’s proposed network will pass 5,523
households, 339 businesses and 89 critical community facilities/public safety entities and will
create/save 14 jobs in Crow Wing County. With over 20 years of experience in bringing innovative
telecommunications products and services to rural America, NRTC has the track record to deploy
promptly, ensure financial sustainability of the project, and facilitate rural economic development.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: NATIONAL RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6777
Contact: CHRIS MARTIN
(703) 7877288
[email protected]
Project Title: Mille Lacs E.C. Aitken
County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$386,386.00
$165,595.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) will bring affordable and reliable wireless broadband services to those rural portions of Aitkin County that lack highspeed broadband access. Using WiMAX technology, NRTC’s proposed network will pass 355 households, 26 businesses and 11 critical community facilities/public safety entities and will create/ save 2 jobs in Aitken County. With over 20 years of experience in bringing innovative telecommunications products and services to rural America, NRTC has the track record to deploy promptly, ensure financial sustainability of the project, and facilitate rural economic development.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: NATIONAL RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6761
Contact: CHRIS MARTIN
(703) 7877288
[email protected]
Project Title: McLeod C.P.A. McLeod
County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$1,151,778.00
$493,619.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) will bring affordable and reliable wireless broadband services to those rural portions of McLeod County that lack highspeed broadband access. Using WiMAX technology, NRTC’s proposed network will pass 6,054 households, 1,382 businesses and 51 critical community facilities/public safety entities and will create/save 5 jobs in McLeod County. With over 20 years of experience in bringing innovative telecommunications products and services to rural America, NRTC has the track record to deploy promptly, ensure financial sustainability of the project, and facilitate rural economic development.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: NATIONAL RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6776
Contact: CHRIS MARTIN
(703) 7877288
[email protected]
Project Title: McLeod C.P.A. Sibley
County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$637,472.00
$273,202.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) will bring affordable and reliable wireless broadband services to those rural portions of Sibley County that lack highspeed broadband access. Using WiMAX technology, NRTC’s proposed network will pass 1,445 households, 164 businesses and 20 critical community facilities/public safety entities and will create/save 3 jobs in Sibley County. With over 20 years of experience in bringing innovative telecommunications products and services to rural America, NRTC has the track record to deploy promptly, ensure financial sustainability of the project, and facilitate rural economic development.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: NATIONAL RURAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE
Application ID: 6762
Contact: CHRIS MARTIN
(703) 7877288
[email protected]
Project Title: McLeod C.P.A. Renville
County
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$504,600.00
$216,258.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) will bring affordable and reliable wireless broadband services to those rural portions of Renville County that lack highspeed broadband access. Using WiMAX technology, NRTC’s proposed network will pass 1,467 households, 221 businesses and 22 critical community facilities/public safety entities and will create/save 2 jobs in Renville County. With over 20 years of experience in bringing innovative telecommunications products and services to rural America, NRTC has the track record to deploy promptly, ensure financial sustainability of the project, and facilitate rural economic development.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: ARIZONA TELEPHONE COMPANY
Application ID: 5543
Contact: TIMOTHY W ULRICH
(608) 6644114
[email protected]
Project Title: Arizona Telephone Company: Broadband project to serve rural unserved establishments
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $1,338,270.00
$4,014,808.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Arizona Telephone Company, a subsidiary of TDS Telecom, proposes a project to bring highspeed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. The network is also engineered so that it can be easily upgraded at a reasonable cost to meet future needs.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: ARVIG TELEPHONE COMPANY
Application ID: 6016
Contact: TIMOTHY W. ULRICH
(608) 6644114
[email protected]
Project Title: Arvig Telephone Company: Broadband project to serve rural unserved establishments
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $1,682,722.00
$5,048,168.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Arvig Telephone Company, a subsidiary of TDS Telecom, proposes a project to bring highspeed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. The network is also engineered so that it can be easily upgraded at a reasonable cost to meet future needs.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: BERTRAM COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
Application ID: 6628
Contact: JAMES BERTRAM
(920) 9942388
[email protected]
Project Title: Wisconsin on Wireless (WOW)
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$15,640,773.00
$36,495,136.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The Bertram Wireless project will provide the first ever 4G highspeed broadband Internet service to underserved areas in North and Eastern Wisconsin.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: DELTA COUNTY TELECOMM,
INC
Application ID: 5583
Contact: TIMOTHY W ULRICH
(608) 6644114
[email protected]
Project Title: Delta County TeleComm,
Inc.: Broadband project to serve rural unserved establishments
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $608,993.00
$1,826,979.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Delta County TeleComm,
Inc., a subsidiary of TDS Telecom, proposes a project to bring highspeed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is
comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. The network is also engineered so that it can be easily upgraded at a reasonable cost to meet future needs.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: HILBERT COMMUNICATIONS LLC
Application ID: 7723
Contact: STEVEN JAMES SCHNEIDER
(920) 2022390
[email protected]
Project Title: See a Need. Fill a Need. Rural Wisconsin.
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $24,733,314.00
$37,087,522.00
$37,087,522.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Hilbert Communications intends to provide 7.214.4 Mbps broadband service throughout unserved and underserved portions of 26 counties in rural Wisconsin utilizing AlcatelLucent UMTS HSPA+ equipment and connecting these sites with a combination of Hilbert’s existing 1,200 mile fiberoptic cable system operating at 1040
GBps as well as through fiber being built through awards made to the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration Middle Mile and The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Middle Mile awarded in Round1 of the ARRA Rural Broadband Grants under open access filing. Individual homes and businesses will be connected by utilizing a product known as the “BugSurfer”(tm)which contains two Ethernet ports with tested speeds of 3.0 to 7.2 Mbps Downlink and 3.0 to 5.4 Mbps Uplink. The BugSurfer also has a built in WiFi “Hotspot” and a VoIP port for voice.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: ISLAND TELEPHONE COMPANY
Application ID: 6020
Contact: TIMOTHY W. ULRICH
(608) 6644114
[email protected]
Project Title: Island Telephone Company: Broadband project to serve rural unserved establishments
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan, Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $667,176.00
$2,001,528.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Island Telephone Company, a subsidiary of TDS Telecom, proposes a project to bring highspeed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. The network is also engineered so that it can be easily upgraded at a reasonable cost to meet future needs.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: MARQUETTEADAMS
TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE, INC.
Application ID: 6060
Contact: JERRY LYDELL SCHNEIDER
(608) 5720106
[email protected]
Project Title: Broadband Edge Out MarquetteAdams
Telephone Cooperative
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $0.00
$13,805,175.00
$6,202,326.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Extend fiber optic service from existing Telephone Cooperative service area to unserved rural areas bordering our current territory. All customers in our current territory can get broadband serves, digital cable television and advanced voices service from us now. As a Cooperative we are committed to provide the highest grade of service at the lowest price that can insure a sustained reliable network.

Applicant: MIDSTATE
TELEPHONE CO.
Application ID: 5527
Contact: TIMOTHY W. ULRICH
(608) 6644114
[email protected]
Project Title: MidState
Telephone Company: Broadband project to serve rural unserved establishments
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Michigan, Minnesota
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $1,105,145.00
$3,315,435.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: MidState
Telephone Company, a subsidiary of TDS Telecom, proposes a project to bring highspeed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. The network is also engineered so that it can be easily upgraded at a reasonable cost to meet future needs.
Public Notice Response:

Applicant: PIERCE, COUNTY OF
Application ID: 5191
Contact: BRAD ROY
(715) 2736747
[email protected]
Project Title: Pierce County Broadband
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $1,000,000.00
$35,335,000.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: Pierce County Broadband is a project to provide mobile broadband throughout Pierce County, WI. The project will make broadband available for every resident and business. The secure network will also improve public safety, support economic development, enhance health care and advance educational opportunities.

Applicant: WEST PENOBSCOT TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, THE
Application ID: 5548
Contact: TIMOTHY W. ULRICH
(608) 6644114
[email protected]
Project Title: West Penobscot Telephone and Telegraph Co: Broadband project to serve rural unserved
establishments
Program: Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)
Proposed Project Area: Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Project Type: Last Mile
Funding Round: Winter 2010 Broadband Initiatives Program
Grant Request:
Loan Request:
Other Funding: $518,327.00
$1,554,981.00
$0.00
Status: Application Received
Description: The West Penobscot Telephone and Telegraph Company, a subsidiary of TDS Telecom, proposes a project to bring highspeed DSL broadband service to unserved establishments within its rural service territory, which is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. The network is also engineered so that it can be easily upgraded at a reasonable cost to meet future needs.

Sonia Shah (author of “Crude:The Story Of Oil“) has an article at Yale Environment 360 on pharmaceuticals polluting water systems – As Pharmaceutical Use Soars, Drugs Taint Water and Wildlife.

The standard that new drugs be safe for human consumption was first enshrined in U.S. regulations in 1938, after an antibacterial drug dissolved in a poisonous solvent killed 100 children. Now, armed with a range of evidence suggesting that wildlife and human health may be threatened by pharmaceutical residues that escape into waterways and elsewhere, a growing band of concerned ecotoxicologists and environmental chemists are calling for yet another standard for new medications: that they be designed to be safe for the environment.

The movement for “green pharmacy,” as it has been dubbed, has grown as new technology has allowed scientists to discern the presence of chemicals in the environment at minute concentrations, revealing the wide dispersal of human and veterinary drugs across the planet. In recent years, scientists have detected trace amounts of more than 150 different human and veterinary medicines in environments as far afield as the Arctic. Eighty percent of the U.S.’s streams and nearly a quarter of the nation’s groundwater sampled by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has been found to be contaminated with a variety of medications.

This contamination is poised to worsen as the global appetite for medications swells. The drug industry sold $773 billion worth of drugs worldwide in 2008, more than double the amount sold in 2000, and with an aging population and ever-cheaper manufacturing, pharmaceutical production is expected to grow 4 to 7 percent annually until at least 2013. Americans bring home more than 10 prescription drugs per capita per year, consuming an estimated 17 grams of antibiotics alone — more than three times the per capita rate of consumption in European countries such as Germany. U.S. livestock consume even more, with farmers dispensing 11,000 metric tons of antimicrobial medications every year, mainly to promote the growth of animals.

Drugging our bodies inevitably drugs our environment, too, as many medications can pass through our bodies and waste treatment facilities virtually intact. And it is difficult to predict where and how unexpectedly vulnerable creatures may accrue potentially toxic doses. Take, for example, the ongoing mass poisoning of vultures in South Asia by anti-arthritis painkillers.

The popular anti-inflammatory and arthritis drug, diclofenac, is sold worldwide under more than three dozen different brand names, and is used in both human and veterinary medicine. In India, farmers started dosing their cows and oxen with the drug in the early 1990s to relieve inflammation that could impair the animals’ ability to provide milk or pull plows. Soon, about 10 percent of India’s livestock harbored some 300 micrograms of diclofenac in their livers. When they died, their carcasses were sent to special dumps and picked clean by flocks of vultures. It was an efficient system, for unlike feral dogs and plague-infested rats, South Asia’s abundant vulture population — estimated at more than 60 million in the early 1990s — carried no human pathogens and was resistant to livestock diseases such as anthrax.

But vultures who fed on the treated carcasses accrued a dose of diclofenac of around 100 micrograms per kilogram. A person with arthritis would need 10 times that amount to feel an effect, but it was enough to devastate the vultures. Between 2000 and 2007, the South Asian vulture population declined by 40 percent every year; today, 95 percent of India’s Gyps vultures and 90 percent of Pakistan’s are dead, due primarily to the diclofenac that scientists have found lurking in their tissues. South Asian and British scientists who experimentally exposed captive vultures to diclofenac-dosed buffalo found that the birds went into renal failure — scientists still don’t know why — and died within days of exposure. As the vulture population has declined, the feral dog population has boomed, and the Indian government’s attempt to control the rabies they carry has started to flounder.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In developing countries, taller moms tend to give birth to healthier kids who are less likely to die in infancy, be underweight or have stunted growth, a new study finds. At the same time, good nutrition in adolescence and delaying marriage and childbirth appear to lead to taller adults.

“This is the first time we’re seeing an effect of the mother’s health — as captured through her attained height — being transferred well into the childhood of her offspring,” study author Dr. S. V. Subramanian of the Harvard School of Public Health told Reuters Health…

Read more here

Chrysler Group LLC posted a $143 million operating profit and showed positive cash flow in its first quarter of 2010. The company released its first financial report today ever since it left Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2009.

Chrysler, which lost $197 million on a net basis, said that the operating profit and positive cash flow are a result of cost cutting after its 2009 bankruptcy and the successful launch of establishing Ram as its own truck brand.

“The steady progression of our financial results from June through December 2009 shows that Chrysler is on track to meet the ambitious, yet achievable goals announced in November,” said CEO Sergio Marchionne. “As a result of improving trading margins, operational efficiencies and rigorous cost discipline, we continued to strengthen our cash position through 2009.”

Chrysler net revenues were up to $9.7 billion, a 3 percent increase from the $9.4 billion in revenues during the fourth quarter of 2009. The company closed the first quarter of 2010 with close to $7.4 billion in cash, up from $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter. Including government loans, Chrysler’s total available cash stands at $9.8 billion at the end of the first quarter. Chrysler said it lost $3.8 billion during the months after it came out of bankruptcy in June.

“This positive operating result in the first quarter is a concrete indication to our customers, dealers and suppliers that the 2010 targets we have set for ourselves are achievable,” Marchionne said. “We are also generating cash to finance the investments being made in our product portfolio and brand repositioning.”

– By: Omar Rana

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is softening his criticism of Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) financial regulatory reform proposal, which Democrats plan to move to the floor on Monday. At the same time, Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s (D-Ark.) derivatives reform proposal goes into markup this morning at the Senate Agriculture Committee. (Lincoln says she expects it to pass on a party-line vote.) But aren’t these supposed to be the same bill?

To clarify the process: Yes. The Dodd bill and the regulatory reform bill that passed the House both contained derivatives language weaker than in Lincoln’s proposal. Dodd’s bill is going forward first, and the Senate bills need to be merged.

When the bills are merged, the language will change, ending up somewhere between the two. The White House reportedly believes that Lincoln’s language is too strong. But Lincoln’s proposal has received strong praise from reformers, and Lincoln says Dodd has assured her that the derivatives proposal won’t be too watered-down. Still, the provision requiring banks to move out their swaps desk looks the most likely to be axed.

This is exactly how I always pictured the inside of a circuit: Batman, magic smoke, and attitude. [xkcd] More »

In recent months, climate change skeptics have ramped up their efforts in the media and Congress to misrepresent the scientific consensus on global warming….

In response, scientists must communicate their research methods and findings more broadly and more effectively. More than 2,000 economists and scientists recently called on “our nation’s leaders to swiftly establish and implement policies to bring about deep reductions in heat-trapping emissions.” That is a step in the right direction.

But scientists do not have a bully pulpit. President Obama does — and the public desperately needs him to use it.

That’s the opening from a must-read HuffPost piece, “It’s Time for President Obama to Set the Record Straight on Climate Change,” by Dr. James J. McCarthy and Timothy Wirth.  They focus on a crucial point I’ve made many times before — only Obama can move the needle on climate science messaging.

McCarthy is the Alexander Agassiz professor of biological oceanography at Harvard and immediate past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and board chair of the Union of Concerned Scientists.  Former Colorado Senator Wirth is president of the UN Foundation and has served as undersecretary of state for global affairs.

The president clearly understands the urgency to act on global warming. Shortly after the election in November 2008, he said his administration would chart a course to reducing U.S. emissions of heat-trapping gases 80 percent by 2050 — the amount that climate scientists say is necessary to avoid catastrophe. “The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear,” he stated. “Delay is no longer an option.”

Since taking office, the president has spoken frequently about the role of clean energy technologies in creating millions of new jobs and revitalizing the economy. His fiscal stimulus bill put tens of billions of dollars into strategic investments in these technologies, and his administration has taken other important steps, including a rule that will make the new car and light truck fleet 40 percent more fuel efficient by 2016. He has brought members of Congress, business leaders, and others to the White House to build support for comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

These are all important steps and represent a complete reversal from the policies of the previous administration. An increased commitment to energy efficiency, renewable energy and other clean energy technologies is essential to U.S. leadership in the clean energy economy of the 21st century. But there is one issue on which the president can, and should, say much more: the strong scientific evidence on human-induced climate change and its impacts on the United States, and the rapidly closing window for action.

Last year, on behalf of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, an expert team of scientists summarized the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future, and called the evidence of a warming climate “unequivocal,” primarily due to the use of fossil fuels – coal, oil, and gas – and the loss of forests. The report emphasized that “sizable early cuts in emissions would significantly reduce the pace and the overall amount of climate change. Earlier cuts in emissions would have a greater effect in reducing climate change than comparable reductions made later.”

As the president travels around the country, he should alert citizens to these mounting costs of inaction. As temperatures rise, so do their consequences, and so does the importance of reducing emissions. Midwestern farmers could face more frequent days of extreme heat, heavier spring rains, and wider-ranging crop-damaging pests. California faces temperature increases that will affect agriculture, worsen the risk of large wildfires, and reduce the winter snowpack that is so important to year-round water supply.

The president should bring together scientists and others with relevant expertise for a White House summit on climate science, the urgency of action, and the opportunity for timely solutions. The headliners of this event should include the president and the government’s own experts — people like White House science adviser John Holdren, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco — each of them superb scientists in their own right.

In addition, the president’s secretaries of defense and homeland security should communicate to the public that climate change has the potential to produce serious threats to national security. It could endanger global water and food supplies and flood coasts with rising seas; these impacts, in turn, could trigger mass migrations and violent conflicts. The bottom line: Climate change is likely to exacerbate the conditions that foster violent extremism, with weakened and failed states being especially vulnerable.

President Obama just brokered a new treaty limiting nuclear weapons with Russia, moving another step toward his long-term goal of ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Now it is time for him to step up his efforts on another major threat to the future of the planet. The president should deliver a major speech on climate change to the American public, using all the props and charts he can muster to bring the message home. The public interest requires it.

The scientific community has long known that emissions from burning fossil fuels are changing Earth’s climate. President Obama is uniquely qualified to cut through the fog created by misleading and manufactured controversies by telling the American public the truth. As he leads, our country will respond.

Hear!  Hear!

Related Posts:

• President Obama explains the science behind climate change and extreme weather
• Obama: “To create more of these clean energy jobs … means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.”
• Obama at MIT: “From China to India, from Japan to Germany, nations everywhere are racing to develop new ways to producing and use energy. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy. I am convinced of that. And I want America to be that nation…. There are going to be those who make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary.”
• Nature editorial: “Scientists must now emphasize the science, while acknowledging that they are in a street fight.”

Might We Suggest…

• Droid Incredible Pre-Order: April 19th!
  The gang over at Phandroid just broke that the Droid (HTC) Incredible will be available for pre-order in just a few days! Over the last week or so there have been brief glimpses of the Incredible bein…

Well now I can expand on yesterday’s teaser. Here’s the website for the conference. Note, it requires members of the interested public to register in order to attend. Meanwhile, here’s the abstract of what we’re going to be considering–which, I might add, is not being considered nearly enough:
The blogosphere represents a new kind of deliberative space that is both enlarging and constraining public discourse in unprecedented ways. The key factor about this space, the issue this workshop seeks to explore, is its lack of norms. It is an unruly space in the sense that there are no rules of entry, access, or conduct, except for extreme forms of behavior that are positively illegal. The consequences of this unruliness have been specially severe for scientific communication, which depends on common standards of truth-telling and civility for its progress. In turn, the erosion of scientific standards destabilizes the foundations of democratic deliberation. Can norms of discourse be inserted into the blogosphere that would advance science and democracy? Can blogs induce deliberation or must they encourage extremism and rage to the detriment of public reason? Is science helped or hurt by the new media? What particular distorting factors enter the picture as blogging becomes …

In an attempt to protect their rights, Constantin Film has send out requests to take down all “Hitler rant” clips featuring a short clip from their movie Der Untergang.

Among the target clips is a brilliant parody of the DMCA takedown requests.

The maker of the DMCA parody has filed a dispute, arguing that his work is covered under fair use so for now it’s still online.

A must see.

Article from: FreakBits

[JURIST] The UK Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the country’s sex offender registry requirement violates the right to privacy. The case involved an appeal filed by two convicted sex offenders who challenged the notification requirement of Section 82 of the 2003 Sexual Offences Act, which mandates indefinite notification for any individual sentenced to 30 or more months in prison for a sex offense. The trial court ruled that Section 82 of the Act was incompatible with privacy rights guaranteed by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Supreme Court considered several issues before affirming that dismissal, including how valuable the notification requirements are for achieving the goal of lower crime, and the extent of harm to that goal if the notification requirements were subject to review. The court considered empirical evidence that, over a 21-year period, 75 percent of sex offenders in the UK were not re-convicted, and that, despite the possibility that a convicted offender may be able to prove he will not re-offend, he or she has no recourse. Lord Phillips, writing for the court, concluded:
I think that it is obvious that there must be some circumstances in which an appropriate tribunal could reliably conclude that the risk of an individual carrying out a further sexual offence can be discounted to the extent that continuance of notification requirements is unjustified. As the courts below have observed, it is open to the legislature to impose an appropriately high threshold for review.As the Court suggested, the UK legislature will have to craft a review process for the notification requirement. It is not clear what will happen to individuals already on the notification register, and any change will be delayed until the upcoming general election has passed.Wednesday’s ruling is the second high-profile result regarding individual rights and sex offenders in the UK in the past week. On Monday, a Pakistani man, currently serving a jail term for a sex offense, won an appeal against deportation because he has a wife and child in the UK and has lived there legally for 20 years. That ruling resulted in significant public outrage, and the Home Office has indicated it will appeal the ruling. There are currently more than 24,000 individuals in the UK subject to the registry requirement, and, in the past, the government has had to reduce the sentence of some sex offenders because of prison overcrowding.