TAKE THE SURVEY
Simply put, fixed Internet provides internet access to a single location.
HELP BRING BROADBAND TO MICHIGAN
More than 380,000 homes in rural Michigan do not have access to broadband. This digital divide is negatively impacting communities across the state. Many existing depictions of Internet coverage used by the federal government to allocate infrastructure investments are overstated and inaccurate. In response, Merit Network and the Quello Center developed a citizen-science crowdsourcing technique to collect accurate, granular and actionable data.
As a citizen in an underserved or unserved community, your participation is important! The goal of this survey is to identify areas of Michigan that do not have, or have poor broadband Internet service. Merit is not a direct residential broadband provider, but will act as a catalyst to encourage partnerships and collaborations within the Michigan Moonshot ecosystem to move community broadband connectivity forward.
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 Michigan that do not have broadband Internet or have poor broadband Internet service.
A: Email [email protected] to contact the Michigan Moonshot team.
A: Try refreshing the web page, or accessing the link from a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc). If issues continue, please email [email protected].
A: After you complete the survey online, a confirmation page will show up after you click submit.
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.”
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. This call to action is an initiative to expand broadband access to all citizens through policy and funding, data and mapping, education and resources. 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, 2020. All rights reserved. Distribution and reuse of this survey is strictly prohibited without prior written consent.