<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type"
content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<br>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
As background to the proposed online discussion, I am repeating here
part of the discussion on this issue that appeared on the advisors list
in late January.<br>
<br>
Marita<br>
<br>
-------- Original Message --------
<table class="moz-email-headers-table" border="0" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT" valign="BASELINE">Subject: </th>
<td>Re: [Advisors] TC -- moving ahead in 2015</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT" valign="BASELINE">Date: </th>
<td>Wed, 21 Jan 2015 22:28:51 -0700</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT" valign="BASELINE">From: </th>
<td>James Van Leeuwen <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:jvl@ventus.ca"><jvl@ventus.ca></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT" valign="BASELINE">To: </th>
<td>Peter Frampton <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:pframpton@lefca.org"><pframpton@lefca.org></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT" valign="BASELINE">CC: </th>
<td>Marita Moll <a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net"><mmoll@ca.inter.net></a>,
TC
Advisors <a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
href="mailto:advisors@tc.ca"><advisors@tc.ca></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
<div class="">I've spent most of the last year at the working face of
Canada's nascent community broadband 'movement'.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Interest is growing rapidly, and there is now a
sufficiently strong footprint of initiative across Canada to get the
attention of senior government and the regulator.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Regional initiatives are making the biggest waves,
especially the SWIFT network initiative in southwestern Ontario:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">That said, there is still a serious lack of advocacy for
community broadband in Canada, compared to the United States:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.bbcmag.com"
class="">www.bbcmag.com</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ftthcouncil.org" class="">www.ftthcouncil.org</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.muninetworks.org" class="">www.muninetworks.org</a> </div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ruraltelecon.org" class="">www.ruraltelecon.org</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ntca.org"
class="">www.ntca.org</a></div>
<div class="">
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ilsr.org"
class="">www.ilsr.org</a></div>
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">An American firm, Magellan Advisers, just won the bid to
conduct a broadband feasibility study for Strathcona County, a rural
local government here in Alberta in immediate proximity to Edmonton.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Several Canadian firms responded to the RFP, including a
colleague I've been partnering with on a regional broadband strategy
for the Alberta SouthWest Regional Economic Development Alliance. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">My colleague previously developed the business case,
business model and business plan for the FTTH deployment in Olds, and
now sits on the governance board of Olds Fibre Ltd. (a.k.a. O-Net, <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.o-net.ca" class="">www.o-net.ca</a>). </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">He was unquestionably the most qualified bidder for the
specified scope of work, and also had the advantage of actually living
in Strathcona County - he was highly accessible. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">We think he was overlooked because the U.S. has a much
stronger footprint in community broadband, and Magellan is the heaviest
hitter in the U.S. service sector for community broadband. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Magellan doesn't know a damned thing about Canada, but
nobody ever got fired for hiring a strong brand name.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I expect this will be costly for Strathcona County, and I
don't mean higher mobilization costs.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">If Canadian firms are to compete effectively in the
emerging community/municipal broadband market, they will need advocacy
as well. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">There is a pressing need for an agency to provide
exposure, advocacy and guidance for community broadband in Canada, for
the benefit of smaller communities first and foremost, but also for the
growing service sector that communities and regional collaborations
will require in order to establish and advance initiatives most
effectively. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I had hoped that iCANADA would evolve into this agency,
but the lure of branding and consulting dollars seems to have pulled
the initiative strongly towards the supply side of Canada's tech and
telecom industries (incumbents).</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">iCANADA now appears to be a Canadian extension of the
Intelligent Community Forum, which is based in New York City (<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.intelligentcommunity.org"
class="">www.intelligentcommunity.org</a>).</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">The ICF is naturally biased towards the interests of
larger urban centers, which are already far better served with
broadband and also with advocacy (votes), thank you very much. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">
<div class="">For smaller communities across North America, the
Intelligent Community brand is generally a marketing liability.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Efforts are now underway to frame an initiative that
would effectively advance the interests of Canadian communities large
AND small. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I'm presently on the outside looking in, but I will jump
at the opportunity to get involved as the initiative unfolds.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
</div>
<div class="">As a policy shop with a Canadian focus, TC could bring
relevant and immediate capacity to this proposed agency. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">You can see where I'm headed with this, but I'm already
getting ahead of myself.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">For now, the only opportunity may be for TC to become
involved in the framing discussion. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">If the TC Board and membership are amenable, I would like
to explore this possibility and report back.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">JvL</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>