WD Offers Internet Speed ​​Survey

JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) — When you think of rural communities, rich history or hospitality might come to mind, but high-speed internet probably might not.

“The internet is horrible,” said Malone resident JeLisa Williams. “He drags very, very horribly.”

“In rural areas, this has always been a problem. We’ve been talking about it for a few decades,” Opportunity Florida executive director Richard Williams said.

Now those who have difficulty with the Internet have the opportunity to make their voices heard.

“There’s a broadband office here in the state of Florida, and they have an investigation and that’s one of the things we need people to do, we need them to respond to that investigation. so we can show where the areas are that need this improved service,” Richard said.

Dots on a map show those who have already taken the internet speed test, but we’re told more locals still need to take it.

“As they start to look at where they want to allocate resources, they know, okay, that’s an area where we need to improve service,” Richard said.

If more people in our areas don’t take the test, officials say the DEO may not meet our need for speed.

“There’s going to be a lot of money trying to do this, and we want to make sure the money is allocated to our rural communities who really need the service,” Richard said.

Some residents say they don’t need faster service just to stream their favorite shows, but also to make a living.

“It would make it a lot easier for us to be able to work from home and start a business from home,” Williams said.

With just a few clicks, you can do your part to bring better service to your area.

To take the internet speed test, visit https://floridajobs.org/community-planning-and-development/broadband/office-of-broadband.

Copyright 2022 WJHG. All rights reserved.