THANK YOU FOR TAKING OUR SURVEY
The Kent County survey is now closed. Results are being tallied and will be delivered to the Kent County board of Commissioners.
HELP BRING BROADBAND TO KENT COUNTY!
Now, more than ever, broadband Internet is an essential and crucial service to those who live, learn and work in Kent County. In some areas of the county, high-speed Internet is not available. In order to bridge this digital divide, Kent County needs to gain a better picture of which properties do not have the essential Internet they need. For this, we need your help!
This survey provides accurate data regarding which properties have Internet access and the affordability if access is available. Information gathered will only be used to support broadband Internet expansion efforts and will aid in seeking grant funding to increase broadband availability in Kent County.
Completing this survey should take five minutes or less. Any information submitted will not be sold, but may be used in planning to expand access opportunities with government and local partners. We understand that you may not have all the necessary information to answer each question on this survey, please answer to the best of your ability.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SURVEY?
A: The goal of this survey is to identify areas of Kent County that do not have broadband Internet or have poor broadband Internet service.
A: Call Dawn Davies:
A: Try refreshing the web page, or accessing the link from a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc).
If issues continue, please call Dawn Davies:
A: Clicking the speed test button at the bottom of this survey will submit your survey answers. The speed test will open on a different page and is the last step to submitting the survey. You may repeat the speed test as many times as you like.
A: While the survey will work on a cell phone, participants are encouraged to complete it from a home or business connection.
A: When visualizing bandwidth, or broadband speed, it may help to think of an Internet connection as a system of roads. If there is only one lane and a lot of traffic, it will take a long time for a group of cars to reach their destinations. But if more lanes are available, the same group of cars can reach their destinations much quicker. “Broadband” is Internet access, but the term refers to a high-speed Internet connection that provides a user the capability to upload and download high-quality video, data and images. Current federal standards define broadband as 25 megabits per second for download and 3 megabytes per second for upload. Technology to deliver this connection can include wireless, satellite, fiber and more.
A: If you are wintering somewhere other than your Michigan residence, you should still complete the survey. Please answer the questions for your Michigan home. Do not complete the “speed test” portion of the survey.
A: Simply put, fixed Internet provides Internet access to a single physical location. You cannot take a fixed Internet source “with you.” Examples of fixed Internet include wired Internet, satellite Internet, dish and DSL.
A: All residents are encouraged to complete the survey regardless of connectivity status. Even if your residence has Internet, it is critical to broadband planning and improvement efforts that your household data is recorded.
A: Residents who work from home should complete the appropriate survey (fixed Internet or non-fixed Internet). Answer the question “Please indicate if this is a business or residential property” with the answer “Residential.”
A: At this time, we do not know what technologies will be needed to connect Kent County residents. The results of this survey will be used to identify where additional infrastructure needs to be built. Once we know where infrastructure is needed, we will look to technical experts to determine which technologies are appropriate.
ABOUT KENT COUNTY
Residents in portions of Kent County experience ongoing challenges accessing quality broadband service. The Kent County Board of Commissioners focused attention on this concern when the pandemic highlighted the extreme reliance on broadband service for school, work, health care and other services. The renewed recognition that Kent County residents need access to Internet and technology tools to thrive economically and to experience high quality of life led the Board of Commissioners to appoint a Broadband Technical Subcommittee. The group of subject matter experts convened during 2021 to outline the challenges and barriers faced in expanding service, the decision making and prioritizing processes of service expansion, grant funding opportunities for both rural and urban installation efforts, and potential models for shared investment in broadband expansion projects.
With the information gathered by the Technical Subcommittee and the availability of new federal and state funds to invest in broadband, Kent County is identifying where broadband service is currently unavailable and developing a strategy to fill those service gaps. In 2022, Merit and Guidehouse were selected through a competitive process to provide expertise in broadband data collection and analysis, best practices and implementation strategy. To support that work, the Board of Commissioners appointed a second subcommittee to advise on broadband policy making and strategy. The Broadband Policy Subcommittee will support Kent County’s work to refine and implement the strategy to fill gaps in broadband service.
The Merit survey is the next critical step in Kent County’s initiative and the County appreciates the community’s support in making the survey effort a success.
ABOUT THE MICHIGAN MOONSHOT
The Michigan Moonshot is a collective call to action which aims to bridge the digital divide in Michigan. Stakeholders include Merit Network, the nation’s longest-running research and education network, the Quello Center at Michigan State University and M-Lab, the largest open Internet measurement platform in the world. Learn more about the Michigan Moonshot at Merit.edu/Moonshot.
For more information:
www.merit.edu/moonshot
http://quello.msu.edu/
https://www.measurementlab.net/
Copyright © Merit Network, 2022. All rights reserved. Distribution and reuse of this survey is strictly prohibited without prior written consent.