<div dir="ltr">Congrats, Richard. Looks to be a much-needed step.<br><br>-tom<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 10:11 PM, Richard Lowenberg <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rl@1st-mile.com">rl@1st-mile.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Greetings 1st-Milers,<br>
I want to provide some news on 1st-Mile Institute efforts, growing from<br>
this online community and its exchanges, and from the past year's behind the<br>
scenes work.<br>
First of all, the 1st-Mile Institute has been awarded a $10,000<br>
'seed-funding' grant from the NM McCune Foundation, via our non-profit fiscal<br>
sponsor, Ars Publica. Thank you, McCune Foundation, and Ars Publica.<br>
Second: For the past year, I have been formulating and proposing an<br>
"Integrated Strategic Broadband Initiative" for the State of New Mexico.<br>
Following on lots of background work and meetings since early this year, with<br>
representatives of State departments and agencies, telecommunications<br>
companies, university, business and community leaders and others, this proposal<br>
recently moved forward to the Governor's Office, guided by the Governor's<br>
Science Advisor, Tom Bowles.<br>
At the end of July, staff and Advisors in the Governor's Office agreed that<br>
I should be immediately contracted to substantiate the proposed Initiative, in<br>
order to take informed necessary next steps. The contract, to be issued by the<br>
newly established NM Computing Applications Center, is with Design Nine, Inc.,<br>
Andrew Cohill's national broadband planning firm, with which I am associated as<br>
a Senior Planner. This initial contract has deliverables due at the beginning<br>
of September.<br>
Attached is a three page .pdf that was prepared for and presented to the<br>
NM IT Commission this morning. It provides a brief outline of the proposal<br>
and work plan for a "New Mexico Integrated Strategic Broadband Initiative".<br>
As you will see, there is a lot to do in a very short amount of time. It<br>
is my hope that this list may be used to help substantiate this effort, to<br>
share needed information, and to discuss the needs, opportunities and means of<br>
moving this state forward in some pragmatic and example-setting ways.<br>
Thanks for your participation on this list to date. I look forward to a<br>
productive next phase of exchanges.<br>
Richard<br>
<br>
--<br>
Richard Lowenberg<br>
1st-Mile Institute<br>
P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504<br>
505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell<br>
<a href="mailto:rl@1st-mile.com">rl@1st-mile.com</a> <a href="http://www.1st-mile.com" target="_blank">www.1st-mile.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>==========================================<br>J. T. Johnson<br>Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA<br><a href="http://www.analyticjournalism.com">www.analyticjournalism.com</a><br>
505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h)<br><a href="http://www.jtjohnson.com">http://www.jtjohnson.com</a> <a href="mailto:tom@jtjohnson.com">tom@jtjohnson.com</a><br><br>"You never change things by fighting the existing reality.<br>
To change something, build a new model that makes the<br>existing model obsolete."<br>-- Buckminster Fuller<br>==========================================<br>
</div>