DEO offers internet speed survey

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

“The internet is horrible,” Malone Resident JeLisa Williams said. “It lags very very horribly.”

“In rural areas, it has traditionally been a problem. We’ve been talking about this for a couple of decades,” Executive Director for Opportunity Florida Richard Williams said.

Now, those who struggle with their internet have a chance to make their voices heard.

“There’s an office of broadband here in the state of Florida, and they’ve got a survey out and that’s one of the things that we need people to do, we need them to respond to that survey 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.

“So that as they get to looking at where they want to allocate the resources, they know, okay this is an area we need to improve service in,” Richard said.

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

“There’s going to be a lot of money flowing to try to do this, and we want to make sure that money gets allocated out to our rural communities that 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.

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