The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has just approved the first step in an effort meant to provide high-speed broadband internet to the speed-challenged parts of the county.
At the board’s Thursday, Sept. 2 meeting, the commissioners approved a move for the county to enter into an agreement with a consultant – who will form the basis of a plan intended to drastically improve internet access and performance in spots where the speeds are currently slower than molasses.
Earlier in 2021, at the board’s annual retreat, the Board of Commissioners named broadband internet enhancement as one of their priorities, and, one of the goals that’s come up repeatedly for years is improving the availability of broadband access to those parts of the county that currently only have slow speeds if any speed at all.
Just like roads, water lines and electricity, high-speed broadband access is a critical component of a strong infrastructure. That’s especially true in today’s pandemic-driven digital economy. The Guilford County commissioners have talked about this problem for years, but the pandemic – and the need of broadband for widescale virtual education really drove home that need in the last year and a half.
Now the board and county staff are taking real steps to address the problem.
At a Thursday, Sept 2 meeting of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, Assistant County manager Jason Jones spoke of the progress of the initiative so far.
Not just Guilford County, but nearly all North Carolina Counties have been making broadband speed a top priority in recent years.
“You all recognize a tremendous local, state and national focus on broadband availability and access,” Jones told the commissioners.
He said fast broadband’s effect can be dramatic on education, health care, economic development and in other respects as well.
Jones said the coming plan will be put together will study the county’s current broadband internet strengths and deficiencies, consider the size and scope of any needed project, and study what role Guilford County government could play while potentially taking advantage of federal funding now available.
County staff, along with the consulting firm and commissioners, would then draw up a focused plan of attack.
Staff has, after a “very extensive national search,” found a consulting partner to help with the plan and county officials are also working closely with the county school system and other “stakeholders” like the cities of Greensboro and High Point.
Commissioner Alan Perdue, who’s spoken about this need for years, said the issue is “near and dear” to his heart.
Perdue said he wants the plan to include better broadband for volunteer fire departments and sheriff’s substations in far-out areas.
Perdue also said the county shouldn’t rely on data from the internet providers for the study.
“I’m skeptical of their own service reports,” Perdue said, adding that he wants the initial study to find the true internet speeds that people are getting in their daily use.
Jones told Perdue that county staff was going to make sure it used objective reliable data.
Maybe we’d all be better off getting back to basics of the three R’s rather than worrying about how fast the internet connection is in BFE.
Internet service is a utility, just as water or nat gas. It should be regulated in the same manner. These massive predatory rate increases during a year is what happens when they have a monopoly.
For example, you can choose how much water or electricity you use; but you can’t choose which TV channels you want and pay for. We don’t need sports or media news for example, so why do we have to pay for it? We have an antenna, so why do we have to pay for broadcast TV? Internet/TV is one of the most obvious and ugly scams I have ever seen.
Why hasn’t our govt tried this in the past? My guess, and I could be wrong, is political favors.
High Speed Internet run and maintained by government.
Yeah, that’s what we need!
Why are High Point and Greensboro providing input? They’re not underserved and broadband in both cities is provided by multiple private companies!
You miss the point. Utilities are regulated, but owned & run by enterprises such as Duke, Pied Nat Gas, etc. They are monopolies, but held back somewhat by politics. One defense is to buy Duke Energy stock; perhaps the dividends and appreciation will cover their rate increases.
The highest speed and lowest cost internet providers in this County are Spectrum, At&T, and North State. There are no other choices with service/price even close. I don’t think North State is expanding any further, as they were purchased by another company. So we have two choices of predators, awful to obscene. In the last year, I have had four stealth rate increases from Spectrum – $4.45/mo snucked in last June.
Prices are lower in Asheboro, as they are also serviced by Cox Cable.