by Ken Fellman, Of Counsel, Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, PA
As an affiliate of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, JAG annually provides a session at the League’s annual conference on communications related issues. JAG has had a history with the League of identifying and educating on relevant communications topics to New Jersey’s local governments. In past years JAG sessions have addressed cable regulation, social media and wireless facilities deployment. This year, on November 17th we gathered in Atlantic City to discuss one of the most pressing issues to New Jersey municipalities – new funding for broadband networks.
At the start of the session, we had a video welcome and an introduction of the importance of broadband deployment to all New Jersey communities from Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Joining me on our panel was Christopher Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self Reliance and Robert Boyle, CEO of Planet Networks. Robert spoke about the work his company is doing to connect New Jersey communities to 21st century broadband, while Chris and I addressed the new programs coming from Washington, D.C. to promote broadband deployment and usage in hard to serve areas, and the once in a generation opportunity this provides New Jersey communities to take control of their broadband futures.
There are multiple federal programs underway and in the planning stages that will aid with both broadband network deployment and broadband adoption. Chris and I focused on two major pieces of legislation, the American Rescue Plan Act, passed on March 11, 2021, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed by President Biden two days before our session. Both will provide funding that New Jersey local governments can use to deploy new broadband networks and can have the effect of promoting better broadband availability and adoption throughout the entire state.
The funding from both bills require interaction between local government and the State. The American Rescue Plan Act funds require applications through the Division of Local Government Services. The Infrastructure Act will provide funding through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Each state will, at a minimum, receive $100 million. Beyond that, additional state monies will depend upon the conditions within each state demonstrating the extent of unserved and underserved areas, and whether the state applies for digital equity grant funds that will be made available under the new law.
NTIA will be reviewing new broadband coverage maps from the FCC which will be available sometime in 2022. It is currently participating in listening sessions to get input as to how it should structure its grant programs to states. Once a state receives funding, it too must develop a process to funnel these funds to entities that will build the networks, including local governments. In fact, the law requires states to collaborate with local governments in developing their rules. How New Jersey does this is yet to be seen, and JAG has a role here in helping its local government members work with the state to ensure a fair process.
We received a wide range of questions from communities of all sizes at the session. Some were concerned with how they might work with companies like Planet Networks to bring broadband into underserved areas. Others expressed great interest in exploring the possible expansion of local broadband networks that might be possible with this new federal money, and how that might position their communities to develop partnerships with the private sector to bring more broadband availability and affordability to New Jersey. Clearly, this is an issue facing a wide variety of New Jersey jurisdictions. We had questions and interest about the new broadband funding from very small communities in Somerset and Cumberland Counties, suburban communities in Bergen County, larger communities in Ocean County, and even larger cities like Newark and Atlantic City. Our takeaway was that broadband deployment and adoption, and how these new federal programs might help improve it, is going to be a critically important issue in New Jersey over the next few years.
It is not clear which department of State government will take the lead on implementing the funding from the Infrastructure Bill. JAG members should note that on July 7, 2021, Governor Murphy signed legislation establishing a Broadband Access Study Commission. The Commission’s role, in part, is to evaluate (i) impediments of access to broadband service in New Jersey and (ii) the feasibility of establishing community broadband networks in the State. We don’t know yet whether this Commission may have a role in recommending how the new federal funding should be spent, but it may. JAG members will want to follow the Commission’s progress and advocate for local interests, where appropriate.
Finally, JAG members should be speaking to others in your jurisdictions about what is being done to get ready for potential funding from the Infrastructure Act. Do you have unserved or underserved areas that can benefit from better broadband connectivity? Do you have segments of your community that need help with the cost of broadband? Note also that the Infrastructure Act includes money for broadband planning. If you haven’t already begun, now is the time to be starting that work.
If you would like additional info about broadband deployment contact Ken at kenfellman@helmerlegal.com. This session is now available on YouTube: Broadband Panel at NJLOM
News & Events
Posted: December 15, 2021 by Doug Seidel
NJLM Broadband Session Report
by Ken Fellman, Of Counsel, Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, PA
As an affiliate of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, JAG annually provides a session at the League’s annual conference on communications related issues. JAG has had a history with the League of identifying and educating on relevant communications topics to New Jersey’s local governments. In past years JAG sessions have addressed cable regulation, social media and wireless facilities deployment. This year, on November 17th we gathered in Atlantic City to discuss one of the most pressing issues to New Jersey municipalities – new funding for broadband networks.
At the start of the session, we had a video welcome and an introduction of the importance of broadband deployment to all New Jersey communities from Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Joining me on our panel was Christopher Mitchell from the Institute for Local Self Reliance and Robert Boyle, CEO of Planet Networks. Robert spoke about the work his company is doing to connect New Jersey communities to 21st century broadband, while Chris and I addressed the new programs coming from Washington, D.C. to promote broadband deployment and usage in hard to serve areas, and the once in a generation opportunity this provides New Jersey communities to take control of their broadband futures.
There are multiple federal programs underway and in the planning stages that will aid with both broadband network deployment and broadband adoption. Chris and I focused on two major pieces of legislation, the American Rescue Plan Act, passed on March 11, 2021, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed by President Biden two days before our session. Both will provide funding that New Jersey local governments can use to deploy new broadband networks and can have the effect of promoting better broadband availability and adoption throughout the entire state.
The funding from both bills require interaction between local government and the State. The American Rescue Plan Act funds require applications through the Division of Local Government Services. The Infrastructure Act will provide funding through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Each state will, at a minimum, receive $100 million. Beyond that, additional state monies will depend upon the conditions within each state demonstrating the extent of unserved and underserved areas, and whether the state applies for digital equity grant funds that will be made available under the new law.
NTIA will be reviewing new broadband coverage maps from the FCC which will be available sometime in 2022. It is currently participating in listening sessions to get input as to how it should structure its grant programs to states. Once a state receives funding, it too must develop a process to funnel these funds to entities that will build the networks, including local governments. In fact, the law requires states to collaborate with local governments in developing their rules. How New Jersey does this is yet to be seen, and JAG has a role here in helping its local government members work with the state to ensure a fair process.
We received a wide range of questions from communities of all sizes at the session. Some were concerned with how they might work with companies like Planet Networks to bring broadband into underserved areas. Others expressed great interest in exploring the possible expansion of local broadband networks that might be possible with this new federal money, and how that might position their communities to develop partnerships with the private sector to bring more broadband availability and affordability to New Jersey. Clearly, this is an issue facing a wide variety of New Jersey jurisdictions. We had questions and interest about the new broadband funding from very small communities in Somerset and Cumberland Counties, suburban communities in Bergen County, larger communities in Ocean County, and even larger cities like Newark and Atlantic City. Our takeaway was that broadband deployment and adoption, and how these new federal programs might help improve it, is going to be a critically important issue in New Jersey over the next few years.
It is not clear which department of State government will take the lead on implementing the funding from the Infrastructure Bill. JAG members should note that on July 7, 2021, Governor Murphy signed legislation establishing a Broadband Access Study Commission. The Commission’s role, in part, is to evaluate (i) impediments of access to broadband service in New Jersey and (ii) the feasibility of establishing community broadband networks in the State. We don’t know yet whether this Commission may have a role in recommending how the new federal funding should be spent, but it may. JAG members will want to follow the Commission’s progress and advocate for local interests, where appropriate.
Finally, JAG members should be speaking to others in your jurisdictions about what is being done to get ready for potential funding from the Infrastructure Act. Do you have unserved or underserved areas that can benefit from better broadband connectivity? Do you have segments of your community that need help with the cost of broadband? Note also that the Infrastructure Act includes money for broadband planning. If you haven’t already begun, now is the time to be starting that work.
If you would like additional info about broadband deployment contact Ken at kenfellman@helmerlegal.com. This session is now available on YouTube: Broadband Panel at NJLOM
Posted: December 15, 2021 by Doug Seidel
Social Media Stats – December 2021
by Doug Seidel, Social Media Manager, External Relations Committee
As we get into the holiday season social media traffic seems to go down. Part of this is most likely due to people using their online time to shop instead of socializing. I tend to see a lot of people take a break from social media during the end of the year too. Always a good thing to keep in mind when planning out your social media strategy — don’t count on the social media boost around the holidays.
In other JAG news, a quick reminder to check out the website. There are two new videos on the website for all to see (they are also featured on our YouTube page) concerning broadband and over the top delivery for your content. These videos are not just in our members only section because they can help you sell the need for better broadband and over the top delivery to your town. Share these videos with anyone that could benefit from them.
Jersey Access Group
facebook.com/pegtv linkedin.com/company/jersey-access-group instagram.com/jersey_access_group
EASTERN VIDEO EXPO
facebook.com/Easternvideoexpo instagram.com/easternvideox/
Do not forget to check out our YouTube channel. Have something you want on our YouTube channel? Send a link to dseidel@piscatawaynj.org for review.
New Content on YouTube: Broadband Panel at NJLOM – JAG Holiday Extravaganza – Woodbridge
Over the Top Panel at NJLOM – JAG
NEW CONTENT ON WEBSITE- We have now posted 24 programs from the Eastern Video Expo events to the members only section of our website. To view the video content links below, you need a members only password.
Emaillbesink@gmail.com for the password.
JAG has recorded our two sessions at the NJ League of Municipalities and added them to the Members Only session of our website.
Broadband Deployment in the National Infrastructure Bill. A JAG Joint Session with the NJ League.
And
Post Pandemic Tools That Can Help You Reach Your Citizens
Share the value of Jag’s newsletter with your elected officials, cable committee, station volunteers, associates, and friends. Send this invitation: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/B7EMU1R/JAGnewsletter
Posted: December 8, 2021 by Doug Seidel
Broadband Panel
Mayors and Administrators are always looking for funds to help stretch their limited budgets. Although NJ sits between to communications hubs NYC & Philly there are many areas in the state, both rural (northeastern forests and southern farmland) and urban who lack access to broadband that hurt business and communities. This panel will explore the challenges facing municipalities that are trying to improve broadband access, and what funding might be available to facilitate those improvements.
Posted: November 26, 2021 by Doug Seidel
OTT Panel
JAG president Bob Duthaler and Piscataway Community TV Station Manager George Fairfield discuss ways municipalities can continue to reach their citizens after the pandemic. Now that local governments have given the public access to their council meetings and other municipal events in their homes, can they go back to business as usual? Today, reaching your community through a traditional cable channel is not the only game in town. Our panelists will explore all the new ways to engage citizens with over the top (OTT) devices and applications: like: Roku, AppleTV, web applications and mobile devices.
Posted: November 12, 2021 by Doug Seidel
Closed Captioning: Lots of Options
by Daniell Krawczyk, Owner, Municipal Captioning
Buy a new car in 2022 and the engine is going to be reliable enough no matter what you buy, but in the early days of automobiles the reliability and quality of the prebuilt engines which “coach manufacturers” built their autos upon varied greatly, and you needed to be aware of which vehicles had a top-tier engine and which had a bottom-tier engine.
Similarly, today server manufacturers are adding captioning inside their products and to lower their own costs they tend to build on the lowest-tier engines (IBM Watson, AWS, Microsoft), but the accuracy results from systems built using the more expensive mid-tier (VoiceInteraction) and top-tier engines (Speechmatics) are substantially better. Especially when it comes to a mix of regional and global accents, audio with crosstalk and background noise, and non-perfectly mic’d speakers.
Learn how to compare 3rd party and playback server captioning options, so you know ahead of time what you are sacrificing for quality if you select a system built on a bottom-tier engine over a product built on a mid or top-tier engine. Municipal Captioning sells products with ALL levels of captioning quality — from the low-budget solutions which trade quality for cost to the highest-quality solutions — and can give you quotes for all options so you can make an informed decision for your community.
Posted: November 12, 2021 by Doug Seidel
Spotlight: Fanwood Dealing with the Pandemic
by Eddy Cologna, Fanwood Television
I have been working with the Borough of Fanwood for several years. Towards the end of 2019 when China was in lockdown and we in America weren’t even dreaming of such a thing, the Borough was upgrading their sound system in the Council Chambers and looking into a multiple camera remote system. The purchase has been moving slowly due to the pandemic.
Fast forward a few months to February 2020, the Mayor of Fanwood, Colleen Mahr, and some health officials had a 4 camera shoot about the dangers of Covid, and what could happen. All this was shot in person, with some social distancing but no masks because the information was confusing, even for health officials. Not long after that, the lockdown occurs. Masks were required, social distancing enforced and only essential personnel were allowed to physically come to work in borough hall.
Fanwood regularly programed the TV station and was constantly updating the community bulletin board with updated information such as how many residents had Covid, how many fatalities, proper hand washing procedures, and other safety protocols to follow at home. They needed to physically go to the TV Station to post and schedule content. I shot the video coverage of the Mayor’s periodic updates. I did all my work in the field and in person and during that time I didn’t get Covid. I recorded the Mayor by herself in the Council Chambers utilizing masks and social distancing. It was new to us and we were all extra cautious when it came to the use of sanitizers, wiping down of equipment, hand washing, etc.
The Borough of Fanwood hired a consulting firm who set up and ran their virtual council meetings allowing the public to participate remotely. I would take the feed of the virtual meetings and simulcast it to Facebook Live, using a Live-U unit I purchased from Varto Technologies, and a cellular hotspot together with wired ethernet connection for backup, just in case there was a problem with the wireless connection. Months later, to reduce costs, the clerk’s office took on the duty of managing the meetings but to this day, I still take the zoom feed on my end and simulcast it.
A quick note, now the administrator initiates the zoom meeting and I rebroadcast it to Facebook. However, if there is a problem with Facebook in any way, it could disrupt the flow of the meeting. So we keep the computer originating the Zoom separate from the computer feeding Facebook Live. In this way, if there is a technical issue with the feed during the meeting there is another person with a second computer who can troubleshoot any potential problem that might occur without disrupting the meeting. This is a much safer way to manage the Facebook live feed. . Since Facebook has proven to be unreliable, the Borough has announced that the Facebook simulcast is only offered as a courtesy, but participation by the public must take place via zoom. However people continue to post questions to Facebook and they are read to the Borough Council.
While there are multiple solutions to having a virtual meeting like GoTo Meeting, Google and Microsoft Teams, we have chosen to use the combination of Zoom and Facebook Live. It has proven to be cost effective and overall, pretty reliable. Prior to the pandemic, work sessions were not broadcast on TV nor Facebook. Now all Council meeting are covered and broadcast. This is one positive effect of the pandemic.
As of this writing in November 2021, Fanwood still doesn’t have in person meetings, but are now looking into resuming them in January 2022 using a hybrid solution that will combine virtual and in-person participation.
In conclusion, the PEG stations became an invaluable asset during the pandemic, providing important hyper localized content during uncertain times. It’s a good reminder that, although the number of cable subscriptions is decreasing and over the air broadcast stations are losing viewers to steaming services, it is still essential that municipalities use their cable channels and social media to reach their citizens, particularly seniors who still used to traditional viewing methods to get information on matters of local interest.
Posted: November 4, 2021 by Doug Seidel
JAG at NJLOM
JAG will be at the League of Municipalities
November 17 & 18
Sign up for the conference
Broadband: November 17, 1:30pm in room 404
Mayors and Administrators are always looking for funds to help stretch their limited budgets. Although NJ sits between to communications hubs NYC & Philly there are many areas in the state, both rural (northeastern forests and southern farmland) and urban who lack access to broadband that hurt business and communities. This panel will explore the challenges facing municipalities that are trying to improve broadband access, and what funding might be available to facilitate those improvements.
Over the Top Panel: November 18th, 10:45am in room 409
JAG members will discuss ways municipalities can continue to reach their citizens after the pandemic. Now that local governments have given the public access to their council meetings and other municipal events in their homes, can they go back to business as usual? Today, reaching your community through a traditional cable channel is not the only game in town. Our panelists will explore all the new ways to engage citizens with over the top (OTT) devices and applications: like: Roku, AppleTV, web applications and mobile devices.
Posted: November 1, 2021 by Doug Seidel
Social Media Stats: November 2021
by Doug Seidel, Social Media Manager, External Relations Committee
If you didn’t hear the big announcement, Eastern Video Expo will be back May of next year! And even bigger news, our trade show will be in person! This means there will be announcements from now until May with new vendors joining the expo. Do you know the best place to find out who will be there in person with new products to show off? That’s right, on our social media! Be sure to follow the links below to find out who will be there and all other important information on the upcoming expo.
Also after the success of our virtual conference our workshops will all be virtual this next conference. Now is the time to chime in and let us know if there is something you want to see next year. All that attended last’s years conference can still watch the recorded sessions on www.easternvideoexpo.com but these videos will go away to make room for the 2022 expo, so be sure to login and watch before they are gone.
Jersey Access Group
facebook.com/pegtv linkedin.com/company/jersey-access-group instagram.com/jersey_access_group
EASTERN VIDEO EXPO
facebook.com/Easternvideoexpo instagram.com/easternvideox/
Do not forget to check out our YouTube channel Have something you want on our YouTube channel? Send a link to dseidel@piscatawaynj.org for review.
New Content: Light Up Montclair Diwali Celebration– Montclair 34 Aging Insights 121 – NJAAW