Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021
Informational Update from the
Calhoun County Broadband Task Force
The Calhoun County Broadband Task Force is in the information-gathering phase of the process of bringing reliable, high-speed internet access to all residents and businesses in Calhoun County. 

Some of those activities are technical and related to understanding the type of networks that are possible. Some of our information-gathering is anecdotal and meant to gain a greater understanding of what internet access is currently like in Calhoun. What are the problems that residents are facing when it comes to trying to access internet – whether it’s in rural townships where access is hard to come by or in cities where reliable access can be too expensive. 

Workgroups
In October, the Broadband Task Force held stakeholder workgroups, which were edifying and only the beginning. With each group, we learned about the specific obstacles these populations face to achieve access to the internet and conduct necessary business. We plan to engage further with each stakeholder group to continue to probe into struggles that were identified, and then find solutions.

This month, we’re sharing some takeaways from those workgroups, as well as trends that were shared with us along this process. Thank you to everyone who has participated in the workgroups or who has emailed the Broadband Task Force their concerns. It’s critical that we continue to hear what the state of access is like in Calhoun so that the solutions we assemble address the real needs of residents. 

Next Steps
We anticipate action will be taken to develop a community network in 2022—including a feasibility study and cost benefit analysis. These elements are necessary for Calhoun County to be “shovel ready,” which will increase the likelihood that we’ll receive grant dollars to assist with the infrastructure build. More information will be released about that as we take those steps in 2022. 

Feedback
Please continue to send feedback to the Broadband Task Force by emailing Communications Manager Lucy Blair at lblair@calhouncountymi.gov. Lucy Blair and Communications Coordinator Lynn Meikle are staff liaisons to the task force to ensure that forward progress is continually made.
What we learned from stakeholder workgroups:
Businesses
  • Businesses require back-up networks and internet redundancy in order to maintain operations; lack of this redundancy leads to businesses not choosing Calhoun for expansion
  • Without reliable internet, it's hard to attract workers and businesses to our area
  • In Albion, conduit is laid for fiber but it’s not connected: How can we use partnerships and pre-existing infrastructure to develop effective and efficient networks?

Education
  • At the college level, institutions need to be able to stream to provide modern instruction
  • A temporary solution many K-12 schools used during the pandemic was to offer hot spots and jetpacks, which ultimately schools found were not effective, especially in homes with more than one child
  • Currently a program with Battle Creek Community Foundation and Comcast is providing internet access in homes for $10/month, just for this year, related to the pandemic

Rural
  • Rural communities often feel missed on infrastructure projects such as this, so it's important to wire the whole county, not just urban areas
  • Modern farming is dependent on reliable service: Agricultural yields increase by 6% with reliable access
  • The technical aspects of wiring fiber to every home are substantial but can be accomplished with planning

Lower Income
  • Additional focus groups are necessary to really understand experience low-income people face related to access
  • Sometimes back-fees are prohibitive to current access
  • Families often don’t have time to find solutions and troubleshoot
Seniors
  • As more organizations move services online, seniors who are less familiar with the internet face obstacles to receiving services
  • Digital literacy classes do not work as well for educating seniors; One-on-one instruction is more effective to meet individuals at their proficiency level
  • When internet service isn't available in one's home, often people travel to public places where they can access free internet; Transportation is often an issue to get to those locations

Healthcare
  • Public areas with internet are not adequate for private, telehealth appointments
  • Improved residential internet access would benefit home healthcare workers who provide service in the home, increase access and opportunities for care for individuals with chronic diseases, and likely improve access to mental health services
  • Ubiquitous access could unlock opportunities for holistic care if telehealth appointments are more realistic

Government
  • A lack of competition among Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for institutions such as the County leads to higher costs
  • When governments move services online without providing assistance for people who don’t have internet access at home, this leads to friction when trying to conduct business
  • Since COVID-19, elected officials are required to conduct business virtually: That’s challenging for officials in rural areas
Stories and Experiences
In addition to the takeaways from stakeholder workgroups as mentioned above, Calhoun County residents have sent stories about their experiences acquiring broadband in our rural county. Without identifying personal information, trends from those stories are shared below: 

Multiple residents have had conversations with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) about extending existing networks into nearby neighborhoods. Typically this is not an option, or the ISP tells residents what the cost is for short extensions, which can range from $12,000 to $40,000 to extend the fiber or cable network.

Oftentimes satellite or hot-spot technology costs a lot to install (we’ve heard reports of hundreds of dollars just to receive necessary equipment) and costs more per month for service than market rate.

Solutions that residents are using right now are not adequate: Multiple people shared that it takes hours to download files and streaming is nearly impossible when wired access is unavailable.

Residents who work from home must have reliable internet in order to be successful in their careers. Lack of access makes working from home nearly impossible for people in unserved areas.

Residents without reliable access at home, including public school teachers and students, have to access the internet from parking lots or outside public buildings in order to accomplish simple tasks that require a connection to the internet.
For information, contact
Lucy Blair, Communications Manager
Calhoun County Government