By RANDY BARTLEY
Staff writer
The Clarion County Economic Development Corp. wants to know what county residents think of their broadband service situation or their lack of it.
CCEDC spokesperson Jarred Heuer May 25 outlined a plan to conduct a survey of county residents, saying CCEDC “seeks to understand the current level of high-speed Internet access and Internet access needs” in order to create a strategic plan.
“As part of this process we are gathering information from residents and businesses about their Internet that will help us develop strategies to improve service,” Heuer told the county commissioners.
“It is the CCEDC’s understanding that the need for reliable and affordable broadband in Clarion County is great,” he said. “Residents and business owners understand that all too well. It is our hope that this survey will pinpoint that need and make evident Clarion County’s case for broadband deployment funding.”
The responses to the survey will remain anonymous and will only be reported as part of a larger statistical analysis to determine where Clarion County could use federal grant funding to enhance Internet speed and availability.
The survey could lead to a $2 million grant from the federal government.
The county’s existing tower network could be utilized in the new network.
The survey may be found on the CCEDC’s website. Heuer said the survey takes about five minutes to complete.