County seeks input on internet access
Jan. 11—GUILFORD COUNTY — If your community is having internet challenges, Guilford County wants to hear from you.
An in-person meeting to identify broadband gaps and challenges will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at Washington Terrace Community Center, 101 Gordon St., High Point. Two other internet access meetings were held Monday in Liberty and Tuesday in Greensboro. A recording of the Monday meeting is available to watch virtually on Guilford County's Facebook page, @GuilfordCounty.
This broadband study is part of Guilford County's efforts to decide how to allocate more than $104 million it received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, said Worley Smith, communications manager and clerk to the board.
"This is a continuation of the six meetings the county hosted last year," Smith said. "This series of five meetings is about broadband issues."
The county is working to identify who has access to broadband internet and digital devices and who does not. This will help county officials develop a strategy to assist communities where access or service is either lacking or too expensive.
If you are unable to attend a meeting, you can complete the internet and device access survey by Friday at publicinput.com/Broadband2.
Those who prefer to leave a voicemail with comments can call (855) 925-2801 and enter project code 2782.
N.C. State University also is gathering information on places in the state without adequate internet. There are three ways to take that survey:
—Visit ncbroadband.gov/north-carolina-broadband-survey
—Text "internet" to (919) 750-0553. Standard text messaging rates will apply.
—Call (919) 750-0553 and an interactive voice response system will guide you through the survey.
For more information about ARPA funding, visit the Guilford County website at guilfordcounty nc.gov.
