The Nebraska Public Service Commission, Nebras-ka Information Technology Commission Community Council (NITC), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) and Applied Information Management (AIM) have cooperatively led the effort to address the broadband planning needs of Nebraska’s communities. UNL has led the planning component and is the fiscal agent for the planning part of the grant

Hancock, Connie

Narjes, Charlotte

Vogt, Rebecca J.

English

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Cornhusker Economics Agricultural Economics Department 
2015 
Nebraska Broadband Initiative 
Charlotte Narjes 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
Rebecca J. Vogt 
Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
Connie Hancock 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agecon_cornhusker 
 Part of the Agricultural Economics Commons, and the Economics Commons 
Narjes, Charlotte; Vogt, Rebecca J.; and Hancock, Connie, "Nebraska Broadband Initiative" (2015). 
Cornhusker Economics. 723. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agecon_cornhusker/723 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Agricultural Economics Department at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cornhusker Economics by 
an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
 May 13, 2015 
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 
Cornhusker 
Economics Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources 
Department of Agricultural Economics 
http://agecon.unl.edu/cornhuskereconomics 
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @UNLAgEcon 
Nebraska Broadband Initiative 
Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln 
cooperating with the Counties and the US Department of Agriculture. 
 
University of Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the non-discrimination policies  
of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture. 
 
Market Report Year 
Ago 
4 Wks 
Ago 5/8/15 
Livestock and Products, 
Weekly Average       
Nebraska Slaughter Steers, 
35-65% Choice, Live Weight. . . . . . . 148.37 165.50 163.00 
Nebraska Feeder Steers, 
Med. & Large Frame, 550-600 lb. . . . . 236.01 279.21 268.59 
Nebraska Feeder Steers, 
Med. & Large Frame 750-800 lb. . .. . 188.50 221.35 223.43 
Choice Boxed Beef, 
600-750 lb. Carcass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226.57 257.50 256.61 
Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price 
Carcass, Negotiated. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 111.45 60.88 78.92 
Pork Carcass Cutout, 185 lb. Carcass 
51-52% Lean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111.59 64.88 76.22 
Slaughter Lambs, wooled and shorn, 
135-165 lb. National. . . . . . . * 136.01 137.61 
National Carcass Lamb Cutout 
FOB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371.47 363.89 360.93 
Crops, 
Daily Spot Prices       
Wheat, No. 1, H.W. 
Imperial, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.59 5.09 4.55 
Corn, No. 2, Yellow 
Nebraska City, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.85 3.63 3.51 
Soybeans, No. 1, Yellow 
Nebraska City, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 14.81 9.17 9.51 
Grain Sorghum, No.2, Yellow 
Dorchester, cwt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.45 7.54 7.66 
Oats, No. 2, Heavy 
Minneapolis, Mn, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.08 3.01 274 
Feed       
Alfalfa, Large Square Bales, 
Good to Premium, RFV 160-185 
Northeast Nebraska, ton. . . . . . . . . . . 190.00 203.00 190.00 
Alfalfa, Large Rounds, Good 
Platte Valley, ton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 77.50 72.50 
Grass Hay, Large Rounds, Good 
 Nebraska, ton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 105.00 115.00 120.00 
Dried Distillers Grains, 10% Moisture 
Nebraska Average. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219.00 177.25 175.50 
Wet Distillers Grains, 65-70% Moisture 
Nebraska Average. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.50 58.50 58.00 
  ⃰No Market 
      
The Nebraska Public Service Commission, Nebras-
ka Information Technology Commission Commu-
nity Council (NITC), University of Nebraska - Lin-
coln (UNL), Nebraska 
Department of Economic 
Development (DED) and 
Applied Information 
Management (AIM) 
have cooperatively led 
the effort to address the 
broadband planning needs of Nebraska’s communi-
ties. UNL has led the planning component and is 
the fiscal agent for the planning part of the grant. 
 
The Initiative began in 2009 with a focus to in-
crease the adoption and utilization of broadband. 
Over the last five years, Cornhusker Economics has 
highlighted stages of this effort. While the funding 
for the Initiative ended in January 2015, the conver-
sation continues.  
 
Highlights 
 
Over 8,000 Nebraskans (including 600 youth) pro-
vided input into the statewide broadband plan and 
the eight regional plans. Input was gathered 
through planning teams, surveys, focus groups and 
forums that were conducted during the initial three 
years of the grant. Priority areas in the statewide 
plan include: 
 Broadband Availability and Affordability 
 Increased Digital Literacy 
 Economic Development 
 Agriculture 
Community outreach activities were essential to 
building awareness about broadband. Over 2,500 indi-
viduals and businesses participated in events such as 
the annual broadband conference, webinars, and the 
tech fairs. Best practice videos have been viewed over 
5,500 times (2,805 in 2014) and there have been over 
26,000 visits (9,257 in 2014) to the website. Technical 
assistance efforts focused on the priority areas of digi-
tal literacy, economic development and agriculture.  
 
Changing Broadband Landscape 
 
The broadband landscape has changed over the last 
five years. The deployment of fiber has increased sig-
nificantly. Visit the Nebraska Broadband map to see 
what broadband services are available in your town or 
region. The data for the map, last updated in Decem-
ber 2014, was collected from broadband service pro-
viders, anchor institutions and residents of Nebraska. 
 
The expectations and needs of broadband have also 
changed. In 2009, the FCC released its National 
Broadband Plan. At that time, the FCC set a national 
broadband availability target to guide funding. The 
target was 4 Mbps of actual download speed and 1 
Mbps of actual upload speed. This target was thought 
to be aggressive. In 2015, the FCC updated the broad-
band speed benchmark to 25Mbps/3 Mbps to reflect 
consumer demand and advances in technology. 
 
One of the Nebraska State Broadband Plan goals is to 
increase broadband availability. The following 2020 
benchmarks have been established: 
 Broadband service of 25 Mbps down will be 
available to 80% of households. 
 Broadband service of 1gbps down will be avail-
able to 25% of households. 
The National Broadband Map pulls together the 
data from across the United States to allow for 
comparisons. As of June 2014, Nebraska rank-
ings on a few speeds and the percentage of the 
population with access to that speed are: 
 12th download speed greater than 10 Mbps; 
99.8% population having availability 
 38th download speed greater than 25 Mbps; 
79.3% population having availability 
 32nd download speed greater than 100 
Mbps; 62.7% population having availa-
bility 
 10th download speed greater than 1 Gbps; 
14.5% population having availability. 
 
Reliable broadband is increasingly important to 
many businesses in Nebraska. The broadband 
business survey found that 83% percent of busi-
nesses indicated that broadband availability im-
pacts their decision to remain in their current lo-
cation. Nebraska has made significant strides in 
improving broadband availability over the last 
five years. If you are in a community or region 
that does not have adequate broadband, your 
community is at a disadvantage. 
 
Partners in the Nebraska Broadband Initiative 
have developed a set of resources to help com-
munities address broadband-related develop-
ment. Leveraging Broadband in Y our Communi-
ty: A Workbook to Help Communities Stimulate 
Broadband Develop-
ment provides an over-
view of broadband de-
velopment and lays out 
a process for develop-
ing a community 
broadband plan. The 
interactive workbook 
includes video clips of 
Nebraskans talking 
about the importance 
of broadband in their 
businesses and com-
munities. The workbook and additional re-
sources can be found at the initiative’s newly 
designed website at broadband.nebraska.gov. 
Nebraska Broadband Initiative partners will be 
available to meet with communities and answer  
questions. If you are interested in learning more about 
the workbook or in working with members of the Ne-
braska Broadband Initiative, please contact Anne Byers 
(anne.byers@nebraska.gov or 402 471-3805), Charlotte 
Narjes (cnarjes1@unl.edu or 402 472-1724) or Connie 
Hancock (chancock1@unl.edu or 308-254-4455). 
For more information on the Nebraska Broadband Initi-
ative, visit http://broadband.nebraska.gov. 
Broadband planning team members include Gene Hand 
and Cullen Robbins, Nebraska Public Service Commis-
sion; Anne Byers, Nebraska Information and Technolo-
gy Commission; Allison Hatch, State of Nebraska De-
partment of Economic Development; Charlotte Narjes 
and Becky Vogt, UNL Ag Economics; Connie Han-
cock, UNL Extension-Cheyenne County; Rod Arm-
strong, AIM. 
Charlotte Narjes, (402) 472-1724 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
cnarjes@unl.edu 
 
Becky Vogt, (402) 329-6251 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
rvogt2@unl.edu 
 
Connie Hancock, (308) 254-4455 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
chancock1@unl.edu 


Nebraska Broadband Initiative

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Cornhusker Economics Agricultural Economics Department 2015 Nebraska Broadband Initiative Charlotte Narjes University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rebecca J. Vogt Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Connie Hancock University of Nebraska-Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agecon_cornhusker  Part of the Agricultural Economics Commons, and the Economics Commons Narjes, Charlotte; Vogt, Rebecca J.; and Hancock, Connie, "Nebraska Broadband Initiative" (2015). Cornhusker Economics. 723. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/agecon_cornhusker/723 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Agricultural Economics Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cornhusker Economics by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  May 13, 2015 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Cornhusker Economics Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural Economics http://agecon.unl.edu/cornhuskereconomics Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @UNLAgEcon Nebraska Broadband Initiative Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the US Department of Agriculture.  University of Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the non-discrimination policies  of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.  Market Report Year Ago 4 Wks Ago 5/8/15 Livestock and Products, Weekly Average       Nebraska Slaughter Steers, 35-65% Choice, Live Weight. . . . . . . 148.37 165.50 163.00 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600 lb. . . . . 236.01 279.21 268.59 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame 750-800 lb. . .. . 188.50 221.35 223.43 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750 lb. Carcass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226.57 257.50 256.61 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price Carcass, Negotiated. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 111.45 60.88 78.92 Pork Carcass Cutout, 185 lb. Carcass 51-52% Lean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111.59 64.88 76.22 Slaughter Lambs, wooled and shorn, 135-165 lb. National. . . . . . . * 136.01 137.61 National Carcass Lamb Cutout FOB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371.47 363.89 360.93 Crops, Daily Spot Prices       Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.59 5.09 4.55 Corn, No. 2, Yellow Nebraska City, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.85 3.63 3.51 Soybeans, No. 1, Yellow Nebraska City, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 14.81 9.17 9.51 Grain Sorghum, No.2, Yellow Dorchester, cwt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.45 7.54 7.66 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, Mn, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.08 3.01 274 Feed       Alfalfa, Large Square Bales, Good to Premium, RFV 160-185 Northeast Nebraska, ton. . . . . . . . . . . 190.00 203.00 190.00 Alfalfa, Large Rounds, Good Platte Valley, ton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 77.50 72.50 Grass Hay, Large Rounds, Good  Nebraska, ton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 105.00 115.00 120.00 Dried Distillers Grains, 10% Moisture Nebraska Average. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219.00 177.25 175.50 Wet Distillers Grains, 65-70% Moisture Nebraska Average. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.50 58.50 58.00   ⃰No Market       The Nebraska Public Service Commission, Nebras-ka Information Technology Commission Commu-nity Council (NITC), University of Nebraska - Lin-coln (UNL), Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) and Applied Information Management (AIM) have cooperatively led the effort to address the broadband planning needs of Nebraska’s communi-ties. UNL has led the planning component and is the fiscal agent for the planning part of the grant.  The Initiative began in 2009 with a focus to in-crease the adoption and utilization of broadband. Over the last five years, Cornhusker Economics has highlighted stages of this effort. While the funding for the Initiative ended in January 2015, the conver-sation continues.   Highlights  Over 8,000 Nebraskans (including 600 youth) pro-vided input into the statewide broadband plan and the eight regional plans. Input was gathered through planning teams, surveys, focus groups and forums that were conducted during the initial three years of the grant. Priority areas in the statewide plan include:  Broadband Availability and Affordability  Increased Digital Literacy  Economic Development  Agriculture Community outreach activities were essential to building awareness about broadband. Over 2,500 indi-viduals and businesses participated in events such as the annual broadband conference, webinars, and the tech fairs. Best practice videos have been viewed over 5,500 times (2,805 in 2014) and there have been over 26,000 visits (9,257 in 2014) to the website. Technical assistance efforts focused on the priority areas of digi-tal literacy, economic development and agriculture.   Changing Broadband Landscape  The broadband landscape has changed over the last five years. The deployment of fiber has increased sig-nificantly. Visit the Nebraska Broadband map to see what broadband services are available in your town or region. The data for the map, last updated in Decem-ber 2014, was collected from broadband service pro-viders, anchor institutions and residents of Nebraska.  The expectations and needs of broadband have also changed. In 2009, the FCC released its National Broadband Plan. At that time, the FCC set a national broadband availability target to guide funding. The target was 4 Mbps of actual download speed and 1 Mbps of actual upload speed. This target was thought to be aggressive. In 2015, the FCC updated the broad-band speed benchmark to 25Mbps/3 Mbps to reflect consumer demand and advances in technology.  One of the Nebraska State Broadband Plan goals is to increase broadband availability. The following 2020 benchmarks have been established:  Broadband service of 25 Mbps down will be available to 80% of households.  Broadband service of 1gbps down will be avail-able to 25% of households. The National Broadband Map pulls together the data from across the United States to allow for comparisons. As of June 2014, Nebraska rank-ings on a few speeds and the percentage of the population with access to that speed are:  12th download speed greater than 10 Mbps; 99.8% population having availability  38th download speed greater than 25 Mbps; 79.3% population having availability  32nd download speed greater than 100 Mbps; 62.7% population having availa-bility  10th download speed greater than 1 Gbps; 14.5% population having availability.  Reliable broadband is increasingly important to many businesses in Nebraska. The broadband business survey found that 83% percent of busi-nesses indicated that broadband availability im-pacts their decision to remain in their current lo-cation. Nebraska has made significant strides in improving broadband availability over the last five years. If you are in a community or region that does not have adequate broadband, your community is at a disadvantage.  Partners in the Nebraska Broadband Initiative have developed a set of resources to help com-munities address broadband-related develop-ment. Leveraging Broadband in Y our Communi-ty: A Workbook to Help Communities Stimulate Broadband Develop-ment provides an over-view of broadband de-velopment and lays out a process for develop-ing a community broadband plan. The interactive workbook includes video clips of Nebraskans talking about the importance of broadband in their businesses and com-munities. The workbook and additional re-sources can be found at the initiative’s newly designed website at broadband.nebraska.gov. Nebraska Broadband Initiative partners will be available to meet with communities and answer  questions. If you are interested in learning more about the workbook or in working with members of the Ne-braska Broadband Initiative, please contact Anne Byers (anne.byers@nebraska.gov or 402 471-3805), Charlotte Narjes (cnarjes1@unl.edu or 402 472-1724) or Connie Hancock (chancock1@unl.edu or 308-254-4455). For more information on the Nebraska Broadband Initi-ative, visit http://broadband.nebraska.gov. Broadband planning team members include Gene Hand and Cullen Robbins, Nebraska Public Service Commis-sion; Anne Byers, Nebraska Information and Technolo-gy Commission; Allison Hatch, State of Nebraska De-partment of Economic Development; Charlotte Narjes and Becky Vogt, UNL Ag Economics; Connie Han-cock, UNL Extension-Cheyenne County; Rod Arm-strong, AIM. Charlotte Narjes, (402) 472-1724 University of Nebraska-Lincoln cnarjes@unl.edu  Becky Vogt, (402) 329-6251 University of Nebraska-Lincoln rvogt2@unl.edu  Connie Hancock, (308) 254-4455 University of Nebraska-Lincoln chancock1@unl.edu 

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1723&amp;context=agecon_cornhusker

Nebraska Broadband Initiative

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