Elected officials working to change status of poor quality or no access to broadband internet
BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Some residents and businesses in Arkansas have poor broadband internet access or they don’t have it at all, but city and state officials want to change that.
Glen Howie, state broadband director, says it’s critical for the public to use the state’s broadband map and enter their address.
If there is a gray dot, that means there is poor quality or no high-speed internet access.
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The State Broadband Director said the public can suggest a correction to the broadband team.
“We’ll take those suggestions to pass them through to an eligible challenger who can hit the button on their behalf,” Howie said.
If there is a red or blue dot then it’s a good sign that an upgrade is coming soon to that area.
“It’s actually really good news because that would mean that the state broadband office is going to go in and award a grant later this year to an ISP to go and build out or upgrade broadband infrastructure for those locations,” Howie said.
He says the broadband map allows Arkansas to have their voices heard and it will be used to award infrastructure grants later this year.
“That’s the first time this has ever happened in Arkansas. So it’s a really big deal,” Howie said.
He says the U.S. The Department of Commerce is giving Arkansas $1 billion to try and fix the broadband issues in the state.
“We think that’s about 115,000 or so homes and businesses across the state. So we don’t have that money yet,” Howie said.
But, they have to do a bit more before they can receive the grant money.
He says between now and April 18th, the public can challenge the state’s broadband map.
“Our team will then kind of post those together and send them to an eligible challenger who can challenge on their behalf,” Howie said.
March 20, 2024: Challenge portal opens; challenges accepted for 30 days
April 19, 2024: Challenge rebuttals accepted for 30 days
May 19, 2024: Challenge adjudication begins
June 17, 2024: Challenge process concludes
Challengers include local elected officials, non-profit organizations, and internet service providers.
Garfield mayor Gary Blackburn encourages Garfield residents to come to him at city hall and he will initiate that challenge for them.
“At 14655 S Wimpy Jones Rd or call me at 479-330-0009,” Blackburn said.
Blackburn was able to use the city hall’s address to see if it had broadband access or not.
He says even though they have wireless internet, they show up unserved for broadband access.
Blackburn says once you put in your location, you can print out your results.
Angela Stocksdale, who lives in Sulphur Spring, says her city has been having issues with internet access.
She has to find specific areas in town for internet access, drive to Gravette, or use a two-way radio to communicate.
“Our service is not good. People have to go up on a hill to get to even one tower just to get a call. So it’s a problem,” Stocksdale said.
She says having no internet raises concerns about the well-being of elders and children in the area.
“I happened to have an elderly woman that lives close to me. And when we had no internet, it’s way out beyond the city limits and to not be able to have a way to call out for help is really scary,” Stocksdale said.
She says she hopes the city will get broadband internet access.
“It is something that needs to be done like years ago,” Stocksdale said.
She says Sulphur Springs wants to grow and having high-speed internet will bring in more businesses.
“We have to go elsewhere for our business because of that very thing. I mean, this is you know, this is our technology, you know, that we need to bring into all the areas,” Stocksdale said.
There is a “State of Arkansas Broadband County Roadshow” coming to the Benton County Quorum Courtroom for a public meeting to discuss the future of broadband in the community on Thursday at 11 a.m.
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