Grand Junction Broadband Planning, Community Engagement Meetings SUBMITTED BY NEO FIBER MARCH, 2016 Grand Junction Broadband Planning
Community Engagement Meetings
Community engagement is an important part of the ongoing broadband planning efforts in Grand Junction. During the first week of February, the City of Grand Junction invited the community to participate in an open dialogue at city hall. Meetings were held according to industry segments and attendees were engaged in focused discussions regarding the current broadband environment. Discussions explored a variety of topics including current broadband infrastructure and services, business needs and challenges, and expectations for increased demand. Additionally, attendees were asked to complete one of two surveys hosted on the City website ‐ one for residential users, the other for commercial applications. Meetings were divided up according to industry and community segments. Meeting Groups
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Day One o General business/professional o Health care o Education o E‐Government Day Two o Internet Service Providers o Realtors/Contractors o Technology o Lodging o Public/Citizens Discussions were facilitated by Diane Kruse of NEO Fiber, in combination with city staff and members of City Council. Core Discussion Topics
The nine focus groups, ranging in size from eight to more than twenty, were led in discussions that focused on industry‐specific issues, as well as the following core areas: 
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Current broadband infrastructure: availability, capability, and capacity Business needs, challenges, opportunities and applications Public/Private Partnerships and other development options Funding mechanisms available for government entities Future growth and scalability Group Discussions
Business
This first meeting was open to all interested professionals. Businesses of many sizes and types were represented. Although many of the firms represented have between five and twenty employees, there was a similar number of sole proprietorships. One company present has over 80 employees in three cities, but chooses to keep its headquarters here in Grand Junction. A broad segment of business types was represented from service and retail to technology. Tech‐oriented companies included an engineering firm, several consulting firms and a video production service. Additionally, this meeting was attended by representatives from a medical group practice, a business communications & call service and numerous telecom service/construction companies. Along with a focus on the core issues of infrastructure, applications, collaboration and funding, this group engaged in a detailed discussion of cloud computing ‐ centralized storage and applications, and business services like VoIP and videoconferencing. Most of today’s firms use centralized services in some form on a daily basis. These services include applications for every type of business process from simple email and word processing to advanced communication and data storage tools. Long‐time local businessman Jeff Jacobson, whose three companies provide a variety of retail and service offerings, spoke about the inadequacy of current broadband. The company’s use of remote desktop and VoIP applications are critical for service delivery and quality management and depend on a reliable, consistent connection to the internet. Their current business‐class, 60Mb service with Charter Communications is subject to consistent latency and data loss issues. This has an enormous impact on the remote desktop applications that they rely on for service delivery and customer communication. Additionally, poor transfer speeds significantly impair even the use of simple email and word processing tools. Discussing the major latency issues his firms experience, Mr. Jacobson explains that, “It’s frustrating knowing that backbone access is just across town…and my provider is switching my (internet) traffic all the way up the west coast.” Hoptocopter Films of Grand Junction struggles with some of the more acute bandwidth issues of many local companies interviewed. They use cloud‐based services for file storage and for customer interface, and typical uploads are from 2‐4 Terabytes monthly. As a small business with a close eye on margins, affordability is a key issue for Hoptocopter. Brian Watson, Communications Director for the company, described how they make regular commutes to Montrose to utilize broadband access there. He described the hour and a half round trip drive, plus upload time as being “far quicker than uploading from the Grand Junction office,” where files often require twelve hours or more to complete transfer. Another local firm, MJ Thomas Photography, has over 80 employees, and offices in Denver and Albuquerque, but they have chosen to locate their headquarters in Grand Junction. Representatives from MJ Thomas Photography stated the challenges of doing business with an outdated broadband infrastructure deeply impact this firm’s ability to be competitive. The company provides services in five states, for over 150,000 students annually, and generate an immense quantity of data which is stored and managed locally. Photographs are maintained on local company servers where customers review the photos, select modifications, and packaging and shipping options. In order to keep pace with their competition, future plans include the migration of this storage to cloud‐
based services. The representative from MJ Thomas Photography stated that cloud‐
based storage services are not accessible, at a competitive price, with the current broadband infrastructure in Grand Junction. In addition to these data‐rich files and applications, the company depends heavily on video‐conferencing and Voice over IP phone systems to stay connected with their customers, clients and other offices. In addition, their employees utilize 35 workstations with the need for reliable connectivity as they communicate directly with schools and students throughout the region. Wes Anderson, the company’s de‐facto IT guy, says that they started with CenturyLink Ethernet over copper with 5Mb symmetrical (5Mb of bandwidth for both download and upload). “Since this was a dedicated line,” he says, “it was consistent but horribly slow.” So in order to get more upload bandwidth, they switched to Charter/Spectrum with 100Mb download and 7Mb upload. Wes illustrates that with just a single 7Mb photo for each of their 150,000 customers this year, this service is still grossly inadequate for their needs. Representatives from the company stated that potential solutions include an upgrade in service plan or they could shoulder the installation cost of a fiber optic line to their premise. An upgrade to 15Mb/15Mb service would be an additional cost of nearly $1,000.00/mo. After evaluating the expense of installing fiber to their building, they found it to be extremely cost prohibitive, with installation costs running into the tens of thousands of dollars for a single fiber cable. Speaking about the value of updating the current broadband infrastructure, company co‐founder Jim Mueller summed it up this way: “It’s common sense. If you build the technology, the high tech businesses will come. This is a great place to live, so why wouldn’t you invest in the future.” Healthcare/Medical
The healthcare industry segment was well attended by local healthcare professionals including representatives from St Mary’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center, Family Health West and the Grand Junction Fire Department & Emergency Medical Services. As the healthcare industry grapples with increases in both technological requirements and demand for their services, broadband is center stage. Discussions regarding concerns for all healthcare providers centered around availability and reliability. Along with a focus on the core issues, this group engaged in a discussion about healthcare needs, telehealth applications, distance learning/training, cloud computing, and business services like VoIP and videoconferencing. Applications common among all healthcare providers include those that focus on patient records, medical imaging, and communication – both for telehealth and remote service needs in the field. According to the discussions, one of the primary challenges in managing patient records is in having access to adequate bandwidth for image archiving and interface. These applications, referred to as PACS (Picture archiving and communication systems) are critical for all local healthcare providers. St Mary’s Hospital is currently constructing a new PACS datacenter in Denver which will be their failover backup for all PACS files. The transfer and management of this data requires significant bandwidth and reliable redundancy. Officials noted that they can always use more bandwidth, but more importantly they are concerned with the lack of reliable redundancy. To that end, they have service agreements with multiple ISPs, just to maintain minimal redundancy. Officials from The Veterans Administration discussed their underserved rural population and the difficulties of reliable and adequate broadband. Connectivity for remote telehealth locations like Montrose or Glenwood Springs, or the challenges of connecting for in‐home care in areas with limited broadband and wireless access is also a concern. The Veterans Administration continues to develop new online tools to enable veterans to manage their accounts and stay connected. Applications like My Healthy Vet allow their users to view and manage medical records online. The VA Medical Center currently operates four remote telehealth sites in Colorado and Utah, including Glenwood Springs, Craig, Montrose and Moab. This service allows veterans to engage in one‐on‐one consultations with their doctors via teleconference, a process that requires significant bandwidth. According to the representatives from the VA, the VA currently struggles with considerable latency and poor signal quality during these consultations. They discussed that poor quality images and sound can greatly increase anxiety in a situation that may already be quite stressful for sick or injured patients. Representatives from the VA Medical Center discussed their concerns about the absence of redundancy throughout their seventeen county service area, and for their main facility in Grand Junction. One official¸ referring to potential construction at Lincoln Park, noted that with their lack of redundancy, they are just “one misplaced bulldozer swipe away from being completely isolated” from the region and their patients. Education
The meeting for education was attended by representatives from School District 51 and Colorado Mesa University. Among all participants, concerns centered on availability and reliability. Along with a focus on the core issues of infrastructure, applications, collaboration and funding, this group engaged in a discussion about web‐
based/distance learning resources, flip classrooms, and business services like VoIP and videoconferencing. School District 51 has 22,000 students in forty‐nine buildings and is currently upgrading their present network, from a 100Mb LAN to a 10Gb LAN. This upgrade will enable all D51 students to access a full selection of education applications while connected at school. Executive Director of Technology Services Otis Harwood explains that, although current network architecture does not allow students to access from outside the D51 LAN, it soon will. He brought up concerns regarding students having adequate and affordable broadband access from home to access the school’s server and databases. Additionally, Manager of IT Infrastructure, Randy Dalton discussed the District’s willingness to share resources, including a potential co‐location space in their new data center. Colorado Mesa University owns their campus‐wide Gb network which is connected through a single ISP via 20, 50, 100 and 200Mb circuits, depending on location. Executive Director of Information and Communication Technology Jerome Brown described the University’s broadband needs as being met. But he did point out that although, “services are adequate, cost reduction is always a win.” E- Government
The meeting for E‐Government included representatives from the Mesa County Planning and IT Departments, Grand Junction City Council, the Police and GIS Departments, and the Water Treatment Plant. In addition to the core issues of infrastructure, applications, collaboration and funding, this group discussed the role of broadband in public safety and the lack of adequate wireless and backhaul capacity. Mesa County IT uses their website to host public services such as permitting and construction applications. The City of Grand Junction uses GIS and mapping applications which are valuable tools for the public and popular with real estate agents and delivery businesses. The City of Grand Junction water treatment facility is currently undergoing upgrades, many of which will soon enable web‐connected technology. The Mesa County Planning Department would like to further use a cost effective online bill‐
pay system. Not only does this system require bandwidth for data transfer and cloud‐
based storage, but one county employee reminds us that, “it’s underutilized because so many residents are still on low bandwidth services.” The Grand Junction Police Department discussed the use of mobile data terminals which leverage cloud‐based databases and applications for dispatch, investigation and research. One police officer noted: “Body cameras are coming but would (at this time) be a prohibitive burden on our infrastructure.” City IT managers explained that storing all of the video data locally is cost prohibitive, and the only way to manage such a system effectively is to utilize cloud‐based resources. The police officer stated, “[there are] resources which are currently inaccessible due to a lack of adequate, affordable bandwidth.” Internet Service Providers
The meeting for service providers included representatives from Forethought, Emery Telcom, Century Link, Spectrum, Charter Communications and their public relations/consulting partner EIS Solutions. Members of the local tech community joined the dialogue as well, including Launch WestCo and OBJ Group. In addition to discussing current broadband infrastructure and ongoing planning efforts, this meeting focused heavily on supply and demand and the quality of current broadband services. The providers positioned their firms as having abundant available capacity, responsive customer service and pricing models that are competitive and fair. Abel Chavez, Director of Government Affairs for Century Link, said that their facilities are underutilized and that services are priced appropriately. Officials with Charter Communications agreed that demand has not exceeded supply. Jared Anderson, Chief Operating Officer for Utah‐based, Emery Telcom, explained that strong local demand for quality broadband services is at the core of his company’s business model. Emery Telcom is currently installing fiber throughout Utah and Western Colorado and expects to begin offering services in Mesa County this year. Century Link’s Abel Chavez further explained that the problem of capacity is one of perception on the part of the public, and that “we have had conversations with economic development groups and also legislators, and when you look at the fiber availability maps there is no capacity issue. The question then becomes how do we make sure that people understand that the service is available if they’re willing to pay for it.” Josh Hudnell of Fast PXL responded that pricing is a barrier to service availability and that “if it is not at a price a lot of people can afford …it doesn’t exist.” Mountain Radio Systems’ Mike Kelley spoke to the issue at hand, not only as a broadband dependent business owner, but also as a former ISP business owner. His company operates a call center that serves over 500 businesses and their primary issue is with reliability. After years of various connectivity configurations, they now are connected by two ISPs and one wireless carrier. He explains that this is “just to make sure we have internet when we need it.” He emphasized further that, “It takes three providers at several hundred dollars per provider, just to have reliable internet.” Realtors/Contractors
The meeting for Realtors and Contractors included representatives from City Council and City Planning, Alpine Bank, DGP Engineering and several real estate brokers/investors. In addition to the core issues of infrastructure, applications, collaboration and funding, this group discussed the role of broadband in subdivision construction and real estate valuations. Coldwell Banker Broker Kelly Maves discussed her firm’s work with both residential and commercial real‐estate clients. When businesses are relocating, their number one search criteria is broadband. Kelly explains that local broadband is incompatible with the expectations of clients considering relocation. She discussed how many of her clients are working from home and need fast broadband services. She continued by describing her team’s challenge in selling technology‐rich homes where the current broadband offerings are limited to one or two overpriced, unreliable options. NEO Fiber’s Diane Kruse added that current estimates by the Fiber to Home Council show that fiber‐based broadband services increase property values by as much as 7%. Local real estate investor Matt Telinde, who is developing several downtown properties, added that in terms of economic development, it’s not possible to attract millennials with the current state of broadband in the area. Technology
The meeting for the technology industry included representatives from Grand Junction City Council and local companies Simgenics, Fast PXL, Unite Private Networks, Devin Balet Photography, Wolcott LLC, Hilltop, OBJ group, All Sound & Designs, Charter Communications and Spectrum. In addition to the core issues of infrastructure, applications, collaboration and funding, the group discussed the role of broadband in technology‐oriented business operations. The IT Manager at Hilltop explained how their broadband needs continue to grow dramatically. Their broadband services are stretched to the limit with major increases in nationwide file sharing and growing cloud‐based, medical records storage. Additionally, they still count on dedicated T1 lines for VoIP since their broadband services are not able to reliably support voice or video applications. Simgenics is a Grand Junction business that provides power plant simulation and training services. They use broadband for data transfer/storage and video conferencing with their partner offices in the U.S. and South Africa. They also stated that current service offerings are inadequate and that the best available broadband choices still create bottlenecks in workflow as they communicate between offices. Bryan Wachs’ company MySalesButler.com provides business services to organizations around the world. Mr. Wachs stated that he chooses to base his company in Western Colorado because of the high standard of living, despite the fact that local broadband significantly limits business opportunities. Mr. Wachs emphasized that he believes that broadband infrastructure is one of the most pressing economic development issues. His company recently turned down an offer for a major service contract with a Silicon Valley software developer. The offer was contingent on the relocation of the company, out of Grand Junction and into a major metropolitan area. According to Mr. Wach, this was due to Grand Junction’s inadequate and outdated communications infrastructure. Brian Watson of Hoptocopter expanded on the idea of economic development, and discussed the necessity of differentiating Grand Junction from the rest of the state. “When companies are wanting to live in Western Colorado, they are not choosing Grand Junction.” He continued with, “People are not going to choose Grand Junction because of the quality of life. The quality of life is high everywhere in Colorado.” He emphasized the need for the community to make decisions that enable Grand Junction to stay competitive and stay current with the rest of the state. Lodging
This discussion included representatives from Grand Junction City Council, Two Rivers Convention Center, Century Link, Springhill Suites, Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites and OBJ Group. In addition to the core issues of infrastructure, applications, collaboration and funding, this group discussed the critical role of broadband for business travelers and for delivering in‐room, over‐the‐top services for entertainment. These are the services that use the internet to deliver digital services (Hulu and NetFlix). Also discussed was the need for broadband in accessing back‐office applications now hosted in the cloud. It was discussed that these applications are mission‐critical functions that hotels utilize for reservations, guest communication, quality control, and countless other operational activities. Greg Burnett, General Manager of Fairfield Inn & Suites, discussed his hotel’s broadband problems, which include bandwidth, reliability and significant customer service issues. According to Burnett, their current service with Charter is a 60Mb circuit for $200.00/month. The next level service tier is for a 100Mb fiber circuit costing $1,000.00 more per month. He stated that this is not a cost effective solution for any of their properties, and also mentioned that actual usable bandwidth provided to the hotel seems to be significantly lower than the advertised bandwidth. He discussed that future upgrades in amenities and technology will continue to strain this already inadequate service. Not only does the hotel need additional bandwidth as they migrate to higher‐level, digital entertainment services, but the number of connected devices per customer continues to climb as well. Currently, for weekend stays, the standard number of devices per room is 4‐6. Co‐owner Kevin Reimer said, “It’s very frustrating because there are only two or three things that a customer will expect a free room for that night, if there’s no hot water or you don’t have internet service. It’s an absolute expectation with today’s tech savvy traveler.” Co‐owner Steve Reimer talked about future Marriott branding that is geared towards millennials, and with a complete rework of room design. This design change includes a much larger television, no desk, and hosting a full electronic ecosystem of broadband dependent devices. Speaking on the issue of economic development, he said of the proposed broadband improvements that, “If you don’t do this, you’ll be trying to keep people from moving out.” Public Forum
The final meeting was organized as an open forum for the general public. NEO Fiber provided an overview of The City’s broadband planning efforts, discussed core planning activities, and offered possible timelines for the finalizing of decisions and possible implementation. Additionally, City Officials discussed the Wireless Master Plan and invited public input and participation in the Broadband Surveys.