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Grayson LandCare
Rural Broadband Committee Meeting
Saturday, January 14, 2012, 10:00-12:00
Present: Loren Webster, Kate Irwin, Jerry Moles, Mickey Cunningham, Fayma Nye, Kathy Cole, Dan Zlotnikov
Guests: Angela Lawson, Vice President for Workforce Development and Occupational/Technical Programs, Wytheville Community College (WCC)
Needs and Goals
Angie: For students at WCC, last mile connection is lacking. Many classes are offered online, with video and interactive components, requiring a broadband connection. WCC funds a Computer Emporium at the CrossRoads Institute building and pays security to monitor the location. But if students have to drive to CrossRoads in order to take an online class, that takes away much of the point of it not being on-campus in the first place.
Loren: Highlands, a new middle school, opened on Hwy 58, serving White Top and surrounding area. White Top is both remote and low-income. Broadband and the opportunities connectivity brings would be especially important in that part of the county.
Dan: Goals: Get computers, distribute computers, get computers connected to internet, get computer centers, get trainers trained, get community trained
Kathy: Have GLC members who are highly computer-literate. We should draw on their expertise in terms of training. (Joe Snyder, Bob Honeycutt)
Mickey: We can become the contact point for all non-profits in the area for IT projects and needs
Contact with One Economy
Ralph Raymond, Manager of Community Technology at One Economy, has offered to support us in training people on e-filing their taxes. Wytheville CC was prepared to make space available for this, and Angie had attempted to coordinate this with Ralph, but he has proven elusive thus far. This is a time-sensitive issue, given that tax season is fast approaching.
Funding
Kate: Dish network drawing on federal funding. If you don't have internet right now and live in specific areas, they can provide satellite internet for $40/month.
Mickey: $802,000 allocated to Grayson County for internet infrastructure. $400,000 has been disbursed. No luck finding out who is in charge of the grant disbursement. The grant comes from the United Services Administrative Agency (USAA).
Mickey: Dept. of Defense has recruiting stations in Marion, Galax, other locations in the area. According to the DoD science board, they’re not getting candidates with the necessary level of training. The military also replaces computer equipment every two years. As a 501(c)(3) group, we can request that the equipment, rather than being destroyed, be donated to us, as part of an initiative to improve the local applicants’ education level.
If this proves possible, we would need to publish an article in the local papers to make known our need for volunteers, storage space, and electrical power to test and set up the donated equipment.
Kathy: FCC Lifeline program lets low-income households have internet access for $10/month for two years. However, area must already have service. The program also offers refurbished computers for $150.
Equipment and Infrastructure
Mickey: Tower farm may become available for link-up in the near future, due to legislation requiring providers grant competitors access and co-location opportunities on existing towers.
Fayma: Son owns a Verizon franchise in North Carolina. He has offered to give us information: has a PDF of the area, showing where Verizon has signal – coverage area, signal strength, etc. He has agreed to come and meet with the committee, share any expertise he has. He is only available on Sundays, since he runs the store the other six days of the week.
Angie: Crossroads has new building, which may be usable for storage of donated computers.
Dan: Timelines may not match up perfectly, but we can still give people computers before these are connected to the internet.
Mickey: If people have laptops, they’ll find places to connect to the internet and use them.
Kate: What about GLC’s liability for giving people computers and having them misuse it? what about malware infecting the computers? Need to get legal advice on how to best handle this.
Kathy: Hope House in Galax needs some used or donated computers, probably is 501(c) (3)
Loren: Link-up between Twin County hospital and Duke University hospital will be decided in April. Right now the parties are in the middle of the due diligence process.
Mickey: A gentleman has offered to donate land on top of Whitetop Mountain, a potential antenna site.
Training
Fayma: If the idea is to provide the laptops or computers, selected students could be given the tools and education to be providers of support themselves.
Angie: WCC has three classes open to community for free, teaching how to use a computer. 15 people each.
Kathy: Galax Rec Center offers computer training to seniors over 60.
Angie: All WCC classes are free for seniors.
Community Contacts
Karen Blevins, Director of Technology for the county. Her office is at the Grayson County high school.
Benton McPeake, the IT coordinator for Galax schools, his boss is Rebecca Cardwell
Rhonda Keene, WCC. May have some figures on how many WCC students don’t have computers at home
Richard Vaughan, Grayson County Sheriff.
Twin County Chamber of Commerce. Ask Judy Brannock (Director) to be added to the meeting roster
Kenneth Vaught, Town Administrator for Independence.
Jackie Anderson, Grayson National Bank
Mountain View Baptist Church
Terry Gregory, Independence Methodist Church
Liz Mullens, has 3 churches in western part of county
Helen Beasley, Church of the Good Shepherd (Lutheran-Episcopal)
First Baptist Church in Galax, Sam Bartlett, Chris Luper (has large Hispanic population)
Ciela del Puerta, Methodist church serving Hispanic population
Tom Whartenby, Presbyterian church downtown Galax, sponsors the Backpack Buddy Program for Galax
Jonathan Sweet, Grayson County Administrator
Keith Barker, Galax City Manager
Dave Cooper, cabinet maker. Works from the farm of Rick and Jen Cavey.
Chestnut Creek School of the Arts
Jill Watson-Ross, used to work for Morgan Griffith. Works at WCC as grant writer/Girl Friday.
Action Items
Angie & Mickey: Write letter to DoD, asking for equipment donations
Dan: Contact sheriff’s office, pastors, Rick Boucher
Jerry: Write letter to county board of supervisors, ask Danny Boyer to present it at the next meeting
Mickey: Record of how many people are using the grange computer center, to be used as supporting data for our grant applications
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