Broadband Committee To Launch Speed Test

RISON - The Cleveland County Broadband Committee will soon be launching an effort to encourage county residents to test their internet speeds to get a true picture of the speed available in the county. The data collected through the survey be compared to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) official internet speed map. Should those speeds be slower than what is published on the FCC map, it would be grounds for challenging the speeds listed on the map and would make the county eligible for grants to bring high-speed fiber optic internet serviced to the entire county. The Cleveland County Broadband Committee is scheduled to have an online meeting with Lane Bailey, the deputy direct of the Arkansas Broadband Office, this Thursday to discuss the process for challenging the speeds published on the FCC map. In addition, the meeting will cover the state's new platform for recording internet speeds. The speed survey will play a vital role in the county's effort to secure grant money to provide fiber optic internet service to the entire county. Fiber optic cable provides among the highest internet speeds available, and has the capacity to transmit even more data at faster speeds as technology improves. Arkansas has been awarded more than $1 billion through the federal Broadband Equity, Ac(see (continued from page 1) cess, and Deployment (BEAD) program to expand access of high speed internet to underserved or non-served areas as well as train people how to use the internet and digital devices. BEAD is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This will be the second time an internet speed survey has been conducted in Cleveland County. In August-September 2022, a group of volunteers from Cleveland County working under the Accelerate Arkansas program conducted a countywide internet speed survey to see what speeds residents w...