The world is in the midst of a technology revolution. Broadband Internet has become central to the needs of our families, the health of our economy and the vitality of our communities. But Kansas is falling behind other states, and the United States is falling behind other countries in the deployment of broadband Internet connectivity.

Kansas is a rural state with a population of 2.7 million people. That translates into about 33 people per square mile as compared to 79.6 people per square mile in the United States. In order to sustain and develop our state in the areas of health, education and economy, we need to ensure that every part of the state has outstanding broadband Internet access.

Treating high performance connectivity as another infrastructure element similar to power, water or transportation creates the proper context for discussion about broadband access. The majority of Americans access the Internet from home or work, but over 30% access it through the public library. Studying Internet accessibility issues through the context of the public library provides a window into the community's Internet access. Why libraries? In Kansas, there are 327 community libraries, making it a commonality for most of our state's residents. And virtually every public library in the state offers Internet access, becoming a major source of connectivity for at least 30% of Kansans.

However, in a study of public libraries in Kansas, only 14% had T-1 or better Internet access. And the cost for T-1 or better access for these libraries ranges from $400 to $1200 per month depending on location. Even with federal Erate funding and subsidies from Kan-ed, most libraries cannot afford the needed broadband connectivity.

If the library cannot access or afford T1 Internet, then the residents of the community are most likely in the same boat.

The goal of this summit is to encourage communities to establish strategies for broadband access and to propose actions or policies at the state level to support these community strategies.

Pictures from the summit.

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Agenda

Introductions		Christie P. Brandau, State Librarian of Kansas
Welcome		Former Governor John Carlin
Setting the Stage for Universal Broadband Access		John Windhausen, President, Telepoly Consulting [Bio] [Presentation Slides]
Broadband Connections in Kansas Communities: Successes and Challenges		Panelists: Ruby Martin, Charlene McGuire, Marianne Eichelberger, Don Moler, Denise Moore and Doug Heacock
Possibilities for Connecting Kansas		Panelists: Nancy Bolt, Representative Tom Sloan, Charmine Chambers, Linda Schatz.
Lunch
Brainstorming and Solutions		What does it take to get broadband Internet connectivity to all Kansas libraries and communities? How can we make this happen? Who can help?
Closing		John Windhausen and Christie Brandau

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Information and Resources

1. The American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy Public Library Connectivity Project: Findings and Recommendations, Submitted by Rick Weingarten, Nancy Bolt, Mark Bard and John Windhausen, July 17, 2007. (153 pages.)

See also, APPENDIX G, State Profiles, p. 87-92, Kansas data.

Summary of report:

Following are some excerpts from the ALA study report. Please refer to the report for full descriptions and context.

The report describes the bandwidth issue for libraries as:
"The issue for most libraries has moved from one of getting connected to an even more difficult one of maintaining and improving the quality of service. The problem has become not basic connectivity, but obtaining and sustaining access to the Internet services and resources the public needs as the demands of the medium and its users grow rapidly. This problem is made particularly difficult by both the rapid growth of society’s dependence on the Internet and the increasing demands on computing and communication capacity as new and ever more complex Internet applications are brought on-line.

The challenges that providing quality Internet access presents to libraries are manifold, but one of the most crucial issues to emerge in recent years has become maintaining adequate connectivity, or bandwidth. In some sense, the issue of adequate library connectivity reflects a broader national debate in the U.S. over the deployment of broadband. However, libraries have particular and immediate concerns that are at the same time both clearly related to their emerging societal role as access providers and an integral part of this broader discussion." (p. 1-2)

The study identifies several roles for broadband Internet use in libraries (p 3-5):

• General access
• Economic development
• E-Government
• Emergency response
• Health care information
• Financial information and banking
• Education (online, distance education, after-school education and home schooling)
• Job seeking
• Gaming and entertainment
• Support to entreprenuers and small businesses
• Wireless access

Common barriers to getting more bandwidth (p. 19-23):

1. economic,

2. industry reticence,

3. planning and training,

4. political, and

5. geography.

Study Findings (p. 36-43):

1. Every state is different.

2. There are viable models.

3. Collaboration and aggregation works.

4. The need for higher bandwidth is exploding.

5. The minimum threshold for broadband deployment should be 1.5 mbps for every library.

6. There is a need for more training and support.

7. There is a lack of awareness of the roles of libraries.

8. There is a need for planning.

9. There are multiple funding options.

2. San Francisco libraries have become neighborhood best-sellers, C.W. Nevius, SFGate.com, Sunday, August 12, 2007.

"They begin to line up on the sidewalk as much as an hour before the doors open. At 10 a.m. they make a mad dash through all three entrances. Security guards estimate they are 200 to 300 strong, race-walking in their eagerness to get inside.

Is it the box office for a hot concert? A store selling the latest, coolest video game player? A sports event?

No, it's San Francisco's public library."

3. Summit targets broadband access: FCC commissioner seeks high speeds for rural areas. (LJ World, Mark Fagan, August 30, 2007)

4. Speed Matters

5. Community TeleStructure Initiative: Promoting Local Responsibility to Accelerate Broadband Deployment.

6. TVC to fiber network Clay Center, (Clay Center Dispatch, September 11, 2007)

7. Public libraries are sole source of online employment and education information for millions of Americans: Internet use at public libraries flourishes but technical, financial support lags. (American Library Association, September 12, 2007)

8. Internet A Double Challenge For Libraries: Struggling With Too Few Computers & Not Enough Bandwidth. (CBS News, New York, September 12, 2007)

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Invited Speakers, Panelists and Participants

Former Governor John Carlin
Representative Tom Sloan
Representative Joe McLeland
Representative Mike Burgess
Representative Jim Morrison
Representative Nile Dillmore
Representative Harold Lane
Senator Karin Brownlee
Senator Tim Huelskamp
Senator Mike Petersen
Senator Vicki Schmidt
Senator Janis Lee
Senator Chris Steineger
Nancy Bolt, former State Librarian, Colorado
Judith Cremer, Director, Pottawatomie-Wabaunsee Regional Library
Marianne Eichelberger, Director, Newton Public Library
Charlene McGuire, Technology Consultant Supervisor, Southwest Kansas Library System
Liz Rea, Network Administrator, Northeast Kansas Library System
Gina Millsap, Director, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Cynthia Berner Harris, Director, Wichita Public Library
Rosanne Siemens, Executive Director, Kansas Library Association
Brad Williams, Executive Director, Kan-ed
Laura McClure
Randall Allen, Kansas Association of Counties
Denise Moore, Kansas Division of Information System and Communications
Patricia Clark, Kansas Department of Commerce
Don Moler, Executive Director, Kansas League of Municipalities
Janet Buchanan, Kansas Corporation Commission
Dick Veach, Pioneer Telephone
Doug Heacock, Director, KanREN
Melissa Gregory, Governor's Office
Lora Smith, AT&T
Justin McClung, Nex-Tech
Dale Goter, Director, Government Relations for Wichita
Mark Bard, Office of Information Technology Policy, American Library Association
John Windhausen, Communications Attorney and Consultant
Rick Weingarten, American Library Association
Linda Schatz, Director, Tech Strategies
Randolph Clarke, Legal Counsel, Federal Communications Commission
Koby Kumasaka, Cisco Systems
Roger Carswell, Director, Southeast Kansas Library System
Jim Minges, Director, Northeast Kansas Library System
Emily Sitz, Director, Southwest Kansas Library System
Jim Swan, Director, Central Kansas Library System
Fred Atchison Director, North Central Kansas Library System
Leslie Bell, Director, Northwest Kansas Library System
Paul Hawkins, South Central Kansas Library System

State Library Staff

Christie Brandau, State Librarian
Marc Galbraith, Deputy State Librarian
Cindi Hickey, Continuing Education Librarian
Patti Butcher, Director of Statewide Resource Sharing
Jeff Hixon, Deputy Director of Statewide Resource Sharing
Rhonda Machlan, Resource Sharing Specialist

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Sponsors

• American Library Association and the Office of Information Technology Policy
  • Kansas State Library to Host Rural Broadband Summit (American Library Association, September 12, 2007)

• State Library of Kansas

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John Windhausen

John Windhausen, Jr., has been a communications attorney and policy analyst for more than 20 years. After graduating from Yale and UCLA Law School, Windhausen began his career as a staff attorney at the Federal Communications Commission in 1984, soon after the divestiture of AT&T. In January 1987, he became counsel and then senior counsel to Senator Hollings and Senator Inouye, and the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, where he was one of the principal architects of the 1992 Cable Act, the 1993 Spectrum Auction Act, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In June 1996, he joined a pro-competition, consumer advocacy organization called the Competition Policy Institute as general counsel. In January 1999, he became the president of the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS) and led the facilities-based local telecom industry in its effort to bring competition for local telephone and broadband services to U.S. consumers. He resigned from ALTS in October 2004 to create Telepoly.

Libraries' Access to Broadband Services: Issues, Obstacles and Recommendations [MS Word Document]

U.S. Broadband Deployment and Policy, Prepared for the State Library of Kansas’ “A Whole New Mind” Broadband Conference (Presentation slides)

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Location and Accommodations

Location:

The International Grains Program (IGP) Executive Conference Center is located on Kimball Avenue in the new Grain Science and Industry complex.

1980 Kimball Ave. (North of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium)

Accommodations:

Best Western
785-537-8300, 1-800-780-7234
601 E. Poyntz Avenue

Clarion Hotel
785-539-5311, 1-800-4CHOICE
530 Richards Drive

Comfort Inn
785-770-8000, 1-800-4CHOICE
150 E. Poyntz Avenue

Econo Lodge
785-539-5391, 877-702-7753, 1-800-553-2666
1501 Tuttle Creek Boulevard

Fairfield Inn by Marriot
785-539-2400, 1-800-228-2800
300 Colorado Street

Hampton Inn
785-539-5000, 1-800-HAMPTON
501 E. Poyntz Avenue

Holiday Inn
785-539-7531, 1-800-HOLIDAY
1641 Anderson Avenue

Motel 6
785-537-1022
510 Tuttle Creek Boulevard

Regency Inn
785-537-0630
419 Holiday Drive

Super 8 Motel
785-537-8468, 1-800-800-8000
200 Tuttle Creek Boulevard

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This page last revised 10/29/08.
Copyright 2007 State Library of Kansas
Direct website concerns to Cindi Hickey, chickey@kslib.info