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Broadband  Success  Stories      Humboldt’s Humming a Technology Tune Friday, October 07, 2011 A new group of technology trailblazers is hard at work after its first meeting in Winnemucca. The members of Humboldt County’s Technology Team held their first official meeting on September 29 at Winnemucca City Hall. The members went straight to work addressing several key issues that are creating challenges for Humboldt County’s technology landscape. Broadband access and adoption is at the top of the priority list. Quality broadband is a critical need for Humboldt County to remain competitive in business and local job

creation. The Humboldt County Development Authority (HCDA) recently partnered with Connect Nevada to become a pioneer in broadband expansion efforts. HCDA representative Bill Simms and local team chair and commissioner Mike Bell worked tirelessly to get regional broadband providers in the same room to address barriers to getting and promoting faster Internet speeds to local residents. The meeting was successful in beginning the action steps toward broadband expansion. Providers in attendance spent a bulk of the meeting sharing best practices and ideas for solutions to service issues in Humboldt.  

 

 

Wired  For  Success  Summit  

Broadband  Success  Stories   Public Computer Centers Help Fight Nevada’s War on Unemployment Wednesday, September 14, 2011

In Las Vegas, an area 73% of Nevadans call home, unemployment rates are almost 14%. That reality is leading organizations like the Las Vegas Urban League to help the community by getting people back to work. As a recipient of a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant totaling $4.68 million, Las Vegas Urban league has opened 31 public computing centers at various locations throughout Las Vegas and Henderson. The Nevada Public Computer

Centers in Clark County are currently open to the public and offer free computer and Internet access.

Starting Sept. 12, a free job readiness program was also offered. This program, offered in modules, is a self-contained course that can be tailored to a specific target group, for example people interested in the retail or service industry. People who participate in these modules learn skills related to finding a job, building a resume, and interviewing with potential employers. These skills empower participants to succeed in today’s digital job market.

     

 

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Broadband  Success  Stories     Profile: Duckwater School Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Seventy miles past Ely, Nevada, there is a one-room schoolhouse called Duckwater School. Nestled between farmland and the Indian reservation, the K-8 school appears to be old-fashioned. But on any given day, Duckwater students are taking an online quiz at their desktop computer, school board members are attending a school board meeting via videoconference, and Lyn Huston, the teacher at Duckwater School, is teaching with a document camera that projects a view onto a screen.

“When I started working at Duckwater School I started learning how to draw cartoon characters to help me illustrate words for the students,” Huston stated. Today, Huston relies on technology to teach. She recalls a teaching moment when she was trying to convey to her Spanish-speaking students what the word avalanche meant. Huston turned to the Internet and brought up a video of an avalanche. It was an “ah ha” moment for the students, Huston said. “Technology allows my students to have access to the same resources that any other student at any other school has access to.”

Most students have access to music classes. Huston’s students do, too. The students at Duckwater School have the opportunity to take violin lessons from a teacher who lives in Iowa. The students take the class one to two times per week via Skype.

 

Not only are Duckwater students taking advantage of the school’s technology but the community is, too. “The community has access to dial-up or satellite Internet while the school has a T1 line,” Huston said. The T1 line allows the school to have a fast

connection speed. This speed enables high school students in the community to opt out of traveling 140 miles to the nearest high school building in the district. Students may also choose to attend high school in Eureka County School District by traveling 75 miles - 30 miles of which is over an unpaved, dirt road.

The Nye County School District does not provide bus transportation to Eureka High School at this time due to budget constraints and a low number of high school-aged

students. Instead, these students can come to Duckwater School to take high school courses online. “Many of the students who choose to take online courses graduate early and enter the military or take college courses online,” Huston said.

“Twenty years ago I dreamed of having this technology,” Huston said. Technology has changed the method by which she teaches and has enhanced the learning experience for her students.

 

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Broadband  Success  Stories     Connecting Genoa Thursday, October 27, 2011

An entire community is celebrating new high-speed Internet connection after contacting the Connect Nevada initiative for help.

Earlier this year, Connect Nevada Engineering & Technical Services (ETS) investigated a flood of requests from the Genoa Lakes community at the foot of the eastern Sierra slopes about 15 miles southwest of Carson City. Residents reported having no access to reliable broadband service.

Connect Nevada ETS crews confirmed the lack of service and went to work figuring out the most sensible solution. The community is far from any cable or DSL connections, so Connect Nevada was able to introduce residents to the fixed wireless provider Hot Spot Wireless. By the summer’s end, Hot Spot Wireless had already connected a handful of households with others signed up and waiting for service.

Thanks to new broadband connections, many of the professionals who call this community home can now support their business needs from home, which they anticipate will help generate new employment in the region.

Genoa Lakes is a perfect example of Connect Nevada’s mission. The initiative’s purpose is to identify unserved and underserved communities, create a connection between provider and customers, and facilitate a solution.