By Roby Brock ([email protected]) December 12, 2021 3:26 PM 349 views
Lou McAlister, CEO of Broadband Development Group in Little Rock, was commissioned by the Arkansas legislature to help develop a statewide master plan for expanding broadband Internet.
Federal and state pandemic relief and infrastructure investment funds have provided hundreds of millions of dollars to fiber optic companies to initiate hundreds of broadband deployment projects, especially in rural areas of Arkansas.
McAlister is compiling various data from the U.S. Census and current Internet providers to create a map showing the location of broadband in certain communities. He estimates that approximately 90% of the census and current broadband provider data are accurately entered, while the remaining 10% may require field surveys in Arkansas.
Between now and early April, when McAlister will provide research reports to state legislators, there will be some county-specific meetings. McAllister said that by early 2022, about half of the state's 75 counties will have city halls to communicate their broadband needs and desires. Before he finishes, all 75 counties will hold forums as part of his efforts.
"There are two aspects to this research. One is quantitative data. You know, where do you live? What speed do you have? How much do you pay? Numerical, objective, and quantitative data. Although the other data are qualitative. How much do you have? Frustrated? How angry are you? What will happen to your children? What will happen to your business? What happens if the fiber optic cable runs through the yard or house but cannot access the Internet? Why is this?" McAllister said.
"What is the most important thing about these community meetings, we can send forms, conduct surveys, and people can provide us with quantitative data all day long. What we like to do is stand there and listen, interview and talk, and get feedback from people, and Find out things like the lady in the Dardanelles library who is looking for a job and applying for unemployment benefits because she lost internet service at home because the $30 monthly bill she thought she had was actually It’s a bill of $300 a month. She earns $20,000 a year and she can’t afford it,” he said. "You can’t get this just by looking at spreadsheets and databases and analyzing the data. You only understand this when you stand face-to-face with someone and talk to them one-on-one. So this is the main reason we work in the community ."
McAllister believes that the procedures for awarding broadband projects have been sufficient so far, especially considering where the state started. Looking ahead, he expects that his report will help make future project expenditures more efficient.
"The more we move forward, the more efficient we need to be. The stricter we need to be, the better we need to be. So I think this is the source of our report. This is the source of our work. Not our past What we have done is not good, but what we will do in the future is better," he said.
McAllister also cautioned that rural areas in Arkansas may have how much broadband penetration rates need to be realistic. He pointed out that when rural telephone services were installed, a 96% rate was considered "universal coverage." Considering that some extremely remote areas of Arkansas are difficult to connect, this standard may also be necessary for broadband.
"It will be difficult to find some people. No matter what we do, no matter how much money we have, it is difficult to find some people. So can we reach every single address in Arkansas? This is a very high threshold, a very Expensive threshold. I would say we will get the vast majority," he said.
As part of McAlister's group research, Arkansas people are encouraged to complete this free online survey.
You can watch his full interview in the video below.
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