Earlier this year, Anacortes, Washington, shared an update on their plans for developing their Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network. Their project has been moving along and now they’re seeking an Outside Plant Coordinator as they work on construction. If you’re interested, note that the job posting closes on August 23, 2019.

Check out the complete job description here.

Some of the responsibilities of the Outside Plant Coordinator will be:

• Plan and oversee the design, permitting, construction and maintenance of the OSP portion of the Municipal Fiber Network (MFN).
• Act as the MFN’s primary interface with owners of network infrastructure that the MFN must attach to, occupy or otherwise use.
• Act as the MFN’s primary interface with entities from whom the MFN must obtain construction permits, right-of-way permits or easements.
• Identify the equipment and supplies needed by the MFN to construct, install and maintain the OSP portion off the MFN.
• Estimate MFN’s cost to extend its network to new customer sites.

In addition to other requirements, applicants should have:

Associate degree in Construction Management, Project Management, Business Management, or related field, OR any combination of training and experience which provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities.

At least three years of experience in any combination of the following:

• Aerial cable deployment, maintenance and/or repair
• Underground cable and/or conduit deployment, maintenance and/or repair
• Inside wiring deployment, maintenance and/or repair
• Right-of-way permit application preparation
• Utility pole attachment application preparation
• Telecommunications OSP infrastructure as-built documentation

PLUS at least two years of experience in any combination of construction management, project management or business management OR any combination of training and experience which provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities.

For more details on the requirements, salary, expectations, and how to apply, take a look at the...

Summer is quickly approaching, which means we’re opening up opportunities for interns looking to gain some experience while classes are not in session. This year, we hope to find a Graphic Design Intern to help us develop more resources to help spread the word about publicly owned Internet networks. We want a creative person to fill this June 2019 - August 2019 opening; check out the posting below and apply before May 22, 2019.

Graphic Design Internship (Summer 2019)  — Minneapolis, MN 

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is looking for a paid graphic design intern to work primarily with our Community Broadband Networks initiative. Our ideal candidate is enthusiastic about working to make the world a better place. You will get real life experience in educating the public on hot topics while learning how a nimble nonprofit policy organization works. You will have some tasks assigned but we want someone who can jump in with their own ideas as well.

This internship is paid $15/hour.

Application materials due: Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

Term of internship: June 2019 – August 2019 (these terms are negotiable, given school schedule and/or other commitments).

Position description: Designing in-house web and printed materials, including research reports, fact sheets, and promotional materials. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Applicants should be pursuing (or have acquired) a degree in graphic design, marketing, or a related field.
• Experience with Pages, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
• Strong creative skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Access to a computer for work use is preferred

To apply, please submit cover letter and resume to Broadband(at)MuniNetworks.org using the subject line: Graphic Design Intern Application

Interest is booming in cooperative and municipal Internet infrastructure and related issues. We're looking for someone passionate about working to develop policies related to Internet access, network neutrality, and publicly owned broadband. If that's you, let's talk. Are you our next creative Research Associate? Applications are due May 11th.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Write compelling, well-researched documents:

• Articles
• Policy Briefs/Reports,
• Fact Sheets

Manage data projects:

• Data cleaning and analysis
• Map design and GIS
• Background research for coworkers or reporters as necessary
• Collaborate on Initiative-wide projects
• Assist with outreach on large projects
• Support other projects as assigned

Perform administrative tasks:

• Take notes at staff meetings
• Organize and purchase office supplies

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Effective writing and communication skills
• Background knowledge of public policy and economics
• Able to work independently and juggle multiple tasks
• Experience with a statistics program (Examples: R, Stata) or ability to learn quickly
• Some experience with GIS (Examples: ArcGIS, QGIS) or ability to learn quickly
• Innovative with publicly available databases
• Comfortable making cold calls to public officials
• Creative: graphics, video, audio, interactive maps, etc.

BENEFITS:

Salary is commensurate with experience. Position includes employer-paid health plan, retirement match, generous vacation, a laptop for work use, and a dynamic workforce of dedicated and friendly policy wonks trying to make the world a better place.

HOW TO APPLY:

Send your materials by May 11th. It never hurts to try after that date but the ship may have sailed.

Submit all materials to broadband@muninetworks.org with the subject line “Research Associate Application”

• Resume
• Writing Sample and/or Creative Work
• Cover Letter

Please do not call.

You can also...

As an increasing number of rural cooperatives make the decision to offer high-quality connectivity in their service areas, communities where local telephone and electric cooperatives already provide Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) are seeing benefits today. Paul Bunyan Communications, offering broadband in Minnesota’s northwest region, has lured a new employer who will bring at least 150 new jobs to the area.

Nonprofit Building In The North

On March 16th, the nonprofit Delta Dental announced that it has decided to invest in a new operations and technology center in Bemidji, located about four hours and 200 miles north of the Twin Cities. The seat of Beltrami County, Bemidji’s population is around 14,300 and the community is the largest place for commerce between Duluth and Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Bemidji area is also home to three Native American Reservations and rests on the shore of Lake Bemidji. Several national and state parks and forests, along with a recreation area, attract tourists looking to escape the Twin Cities for more natural surroundings.

Paul Bunyan Communications started in Bemidji as the Paul Bunyan Telephone Cooperative when a group of local citizens organized as a cooperative after purchasing a small private telephone system and another municipal telephone system in a nearby town. After expanding over the years and taking the initiative to offer Internet access, cellular service, video, and several other services, the entity has shifted to become Paul Bunyan Communications in 2010.

The cooperative has been expanding the FTTH network ever since as The GigaZone. It’s received grants from the Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband Program to help fund the expansions. As of December 2017, GigaZone connections reached more than 29,400 premises and covered more than 5,000 square miles in Beltrami County, also entering five additional counties.

According to Greater Bemidji Economic Development Executive Director Dave Hengel, access to the fiber network in the community was a “major factor”...