Broadband Roadshow Visits Hope

AR Connect held a “Broadband Roadshow” meeting at the Hempstead County Public Library on Tuesday afternoon (3-19). Glen Howie, Broadband Director and Kamelle Gomez, the Digital Opportunity Manager introduced themselves and everyone attending the meeting was asked to introduce themselves. Participants included Quorum Court Members, the Economic Development Corporation Board, Hope Water and Light , staff from UAHT, and private citizens.

Glen Howie stated this was the second annual Broadband Roadshow. Hempstead County was said to be one of the shining stars with its committees and 50 counties following its lead. The goal is to eliminate the digital divide. In Hempstead County, while there are 12,400 homes or businesses, there are only around 750 that are eligible as the rest either already have coverage or are covered by a grant; however, there are 2,350 households that would find it a struggle to afford coverage and 2,250 residents who lack basic digital skills.

The question was asked about those who already have coverage, if they would be eligible for BEAD funding and the answer was no. Hope Water and Light is already well built out.

Discounts for service are voluntary as the Broadband Office doesn’t have regulatory power. For those who use grants there is a low-cost option with a 25-point affordability metric. The entire state will be served at once if the grant operates as it should.

There has been a big focus on the $1.2 billion infrastructure plan so far. The next step will be affordability and digital skills. Kamelle Gomez said by 2030, not only would the infrastructure be completed but also there would be devices at home and the skills to use them.

The Broadband Office will create opportunities for people to learn and grow. Broadband will influence everyone. Gomez talked about $8 million being given in devices. A subject matter curriculum will be created giving people the opportunity to get credit for learning the skills.

Howie noted last week a new broadband map was released. Instead of being a general county-wide map, it allows the user to zero in on individual addresses and find out if there is coverage or a grant to provide it as well as who is the grant winner.  Green dots mean a grant has been awarded while a red or blue dot mean it will be awarded later in the year. A gray dot is what should be challenged if there is either no internet or poor internet.  Anna Powell said Hope Water and Light will test to make sure they have access and she will act as a buffer to make sure the ISP isn’t overwhelmed. Walnut Hill, SWEPCO, and Hope Water and Light are the Internet Service Providers for the County.

Not everyone is able to challenge their status. Powell stated the challenge isn’t open until the 20th. Powell stated they had worked to make sure that everyday citizens could make a challenge.

The meeting then demonstrated the status of participants’ locations. One location had no dot which would need to be challenged and another had more than one potential provider but only one being available.

The bill should be uploaded at the same time. There may be a give-away for who has the worst internet.

Hempstead County’s coverage was compared with Newton County’s which has very poor coverage and few grants

The meeting adjourned.