Perry County Broadband Mapping Project Live + Virtual Info Session April 9, 2021
Dear Champion of Perry County,
The Community Foundation for Perry County (CFPC) has been supporting many nonprofit and public organizations that work tirelessly for our citizens and communities through the county. Thank you for your recent help with the Perry County Single Parent Support Fund. We met our goal in mid-March thanks to you. More details are coming soon. There are still several initiatives that need your support and can be matched by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) while funds are available. Click here for more information: www.CFPCOhio.org
This month (April) we are focused on data collection for better broadband across Perry County. Access to broadband in Perry County was a problem before COVID-19 - the pandemic only made these gaps more acute. Inadequate broadband prevents students from accessing distance learning tools, seniors from receiving telemedicine, businesses from allowing telecommuting for employees, and families staying connected virtually.
State and federal elected leaders have been directing millions of dollars to address broadband gaps around the state. The questions are: (1) what areas need the most help, and (2) what data to use to allocate the funding. The current map of Perry County denoting broadband access is misleading – just ask some of the families or businesses residing in the areas shaded in blue on the map.
To help build the case for broadband funding in Perry County, the Community Foundation for Perry County is partnering with GeoPartners and Perry County organizations to map broadband access, speeds, and cost in the county to better inform future investments in this important resource.
The purpose of this speed test is to provide a uniform statistical analysis of internet services areas across the county, which will assist communities in planning and requesting resources for broadband expansion or deployment. In order to be statistically valid, over 10 percent of residents in each of the cities, townships, and villages must respond to this project.
The speed test is free and anonymous (visit www.CFPCOhio.org to take the test). Responding will not sign you up for unwanted e-mail or advertisements and it doesn’t store your personal data or address. Only the location, cost, and speed test results are stored to show whether broadband service is good, bad (or ugly). The results will be used in both the short- and long-term planning for internet access across Perry County. It will also serve as a baseline for service, so any resources allocated to areas of need should show improvement when the test is run again in the future (meaning public dollars will not be used to address the problem without tracking results).
Don’t have broadband access? That information is important as well. Simply call the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio at (740) 753-1111 or e-mail info@ffao.org. Simply give them your address and tell them you don’t have service at that location. That’s it. You can also go to your local Perry County District Library location and use a computer to input your home and/or business location.
GeoPartners is hosting an virtual information session this Friday, April 9 between noon and 1p.m. to show how easy it is to test your broadband at home and work and answer any questions. The call details are below.
This mapping initiative was made possible by a grant partnership between the Community Foundation for Perry County and the Foundation for Appalachian’s I’m A Child of Appalachia® Fund.
Welcome to the Perry County crowd-sourced broadband project. Click here to begin or here www.CFPCOhio.org.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone you think may be interested!
With gratitude,
Tony Fiore
President
Glenn Fishbine with GEO Partners is inviting you to a scheduled Webex meeting.
Friday, April 9, 2021
12:00 EST/11:00 AM | (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada) | 1 hr
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