Trying to improve internet service

By Don Rush

In the highly connected internet world it may be hard to believe, but there are still areas in both Oxford and Addison townships whose service is poor.

“Depending on where you live depends whether or not you have good service,” Oxford Township Clerk Curtis Wright said. “Residents in our northeast quad have issues, as do residents in Addison’s northwest quad.”

At the June 14 Oxford Township Board meeting, Curtis said he was trying to get the word out to residents to take an online survey to identify broadband availability, accessibility and reliability in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

“I would be devastated if I came home and didn’t have internet to work, or pay bills,” Wright said. “By combining with Macomb and Wayne counties, maybe we can get their attention to improve the infrastructure up here.”

The counties are working with the Merit Network put out the survey. Merit is an independent non-profit research and education network, in partnership with the Quello Center at Michigan State University. The goal of this survey is to identify areas of Michigan that do not have high-speed Internet, or have poor Internet service. While Merit is not a residential broadband service provider, information gathered from this survey will help foster collaboration in Michigan to improve Internet connectivity for communities.

Once the communities know where infrastructure is needed, they will be able to look for technical experts to recommend appropriate technologies to meet residents’ needs.

“Spectrum is working on this and once the survey is complete, they plan to seek out Federal grants to improve the infrastructure,” Curtis said.

Oakland County Board of Commissions Chief of Staff Patti Dib said the survey should be up most of the summer. “The exact length of the survey is not set in stone, as we are looking to achieve a certain percentage of response. We are monitoring results which will assist in knowing if there is a need to ramp up notification efforts or mail additional paper surveys. It’s important for all Oakland County residents to participate in the survey.”

So, what is broadband?

According to the Merit.edu website, “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.”

Curtis said all residents are encouraged to complete the survey regardless of connectivity status. Even if people’s homes have internet, “it’s critical to broadband planning and improvement efforts that your household data is recorded.”

While the survey will work on a cell phone, participants are encouraged to complete it from a home or business connection.

The survey website, MichiganMoonshot.org/tri-county-broadband, features links to the survey and frequently asked questions.