Citizen participation in broadband tests requested

However, coverage maps by the FCC tell a different story, showing the majority of Dent County as having adequate broadband access.

Broadband connection can come in many forms, including through a digital subscriber line, cable modem, fiber, wireless or satellite service.

According to Burbridge, that data is largely incorrect, due to the way the data is tracked. If a single household in a given census tract is counted as having broadband access, then the entire tract is marked as having access. Census tracts are divided by population (anywhere from 1,200 people to 8,000 per tract). Meaning that Dent County only has a handful of tracts that account for hundreds of households each. It’s clear that in a rural area, particularly one with the kind of rugged terrain that Dent County has, that one house on the top of a hill having reliable broadband access does not indicate what kind of access is available for the neighbors in a nearby valley or the next hill over.

“If there’s even one house in a census tract that has good access, the map shows that the whole tract is covered,” said Burbridge.

According to Burbridge, there is a solution to this problem. Burbridge wants to encourage citizens to participate in testing broadband speed.

There are three speed tests that Burbridge hopes citizens will participate in.

The data collected by these tests can be presented by the county to service providers (who typically rely on FCC coverage maps to find customers) as evidence that there are new customers to be had in those areas.

“It’s important for us to get this data,” said Burbridge. “This is a step toward improving broadband in the county.”

FCC Mobile Speed Test – This test is the most involved. In order to participate in the test, you would need to download the app to your phone or tablet and then run the test, you can find it on the app store.

Missouri Broadband Resource Rail – This one is a bit simpler, largely because it doesn’t require an app. With this one, you just go to the website, mobroadband.org, and click Go to Speedtest. It will take you to the speedtest page and walk you through step-by-step instructions.

For most accurate results, make sure that no one is in the house streaming videos or playing online video games when you administer the test. You may also see the map at the bottom of the page indicating mapped speed tests across the state.

Delta Broadband Mapping Project - This test is similar to the previous test in the way it operates, but provides more context about how the data will be used and what the project is about. The test can be found at dra.gov. After taking the test you can click “View Results” in the left navigation list to see results.

There are numerous challenges ahead of Dent County when it comes to broadband expansion. Everything from terrain to a low number of users stands as an obstacle to getting broadband providers to make the commitment to make installations.

“It seems like somebody has just got to take on the expense of it, that’s the bottom line,” said District Two Commissioner Gary Larson. “I mean you can talk about it all day long, but until somebody steps up to the plate to finance the program, it’s not going to happen.”

The Dent County Commission addressed the broadband issue in Monday’s meeting, where presiding commissioner Darrell Skiles stated that the commissioners will be virtually attending an MRPC meeting about broadband expansion, specifically in Dent County Wednesday at 10 a.m.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what we can get out of this meeting with this broadband deal,” said Skiles.