Centre County's government is about midway through a broadband internet speed study, including a public survey officials say will help the county tap into grants to fund improvements.
Chair of the Centre County Commissioners Michael Pipe said faster internet in more areas is a priority for the board. The survey aims to identify areas in the county that don't have sufficient broadband internet access. Pipe said the county will use the survey feedback when applying for funding.
“The more data that we have saying, we’ve got residents, businesses in Centre County that have a need for broadband and would be interested in paying a certain amount per month for it, that’ll be a huge advantage when we go out for those grants,” Pipe said.
The responses will also help the county determine the areas with the highest need for faster internet. The survey includes a speed test to measure how fast someone’s internet access is. Pipe said so far, the speed test results vary widely.
“We’ve gotten speed surveys of as high as 100 megabytes download. We have some communities that are half a megabyte download,” Pipe said.
Pipe said after the survey, the county’s next steps include applying for funding and targeting communities in need of better broadband access. The 5-minute survey is available until March 25 on the county's website.
