An estimated 11% of Ottawa County people never have broadband web

GRAND HAVEN, MI – Practically 11% of surveyed Ottawa County residents explained they really do not have broadband world wide web.

And of all those surveyed that do have internet, 15% of them experienced speeds slower than Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) bare minimum broadband threshold. That is a threshold county officials say is outdated and substantially slower than a new advised field standard.

Ottawa County officers say the lately-introduced study confirms what they experienced regarded: that there are internet protection gaps throughout the county.

The survey, termed the Broadband Information Collection Study, received 3,940 responses and was meant to seize a more exact photograph of net accessibility and create greater broadband availability maps.

It’s the very first move in a multi-stage process by the county and its companions known as the Digital Inclusion Strategy to strengthen entry to superior-pace and affordable broadband internet across the complete county.

“It was important for us to start with our possess statistically validated analyze of broadband entry needs since we do not have time to hold out for the FCC or state to right their details sets,” mentioned Paul Sachs, director of Ottawa County’s Division of Strategic Affect. “To tackle our county’s broadband entry inequities now, we needed greater maps.”

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The survey, which released last summer time, was performed by Ann Arbor-primarily based world wide web research and educational organization Advantage Network, Inc. The county and its associates funded the function.

Details of the study were made offered final week, on April 22.

Of the 10.5% of respondents who reported they lack broadband accessibility, 72% of them claimed there are no internet services obtainable to their deal with. The remaining 26% claimed the rate is just far too high.

Employing the study results, Ottawa County officials estimate that 11,737 of the county’s roughly 111,785 households have no obtain to fixed, higher-velocity web.

Approximately all of people without having broadband internet, about 97%, explained they would be inclined to fork out between $25-$101 for support if it was accessible.

For the 89.5% of respondents with broadband, just beneath half, or about 40%, reported they are happy with current company options.

In accordance to the FCC, an web connection should have a bare minimum down load pace of 25 megabits for each next (Mbps) and an add velocity of 3 Mbps to qualify as broadband.

About 74% of respondents experienced internet support at or above that typical. About 15% with world-wide-web were down below it.

Only 15% of respondents had support speeds earlier mentioned 100 Mbps for down load and 20 Mbps upload. County officials say that velocity is the minimal suggested common from marketplace professionals and the U.S. Congress.

The survey highlighted good discrepancies with present FCC information, which vastly overestimated the p.c of homes with online speeds at that 100 Mbps down load/20 Mbps add regular.

“Almost everyone in the market agrees that the FCC information is inaccurate. Even the FCC admits it,” mentioned Douglas Weber, president of Urban Wireless Solutions, a single of the partners on the county’s Digital Inclusion Strategy.

The subsequent stage of the operate requires drafting ideas on how the county and those people in the private and nonprofit sectors could convey inexpensive broadband throughout the county.

“We know it’s not economically feasible to lay fiber to each dwelling and business across the county,” Weber said. “With wireless in some situations delivering speeds comparable to fiber, it may possibly be additional price tag-efficient.”

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