DeSoto County launches new app to streamline access to information, road closures

DeSoto County has launched a new app designed to streamline access to information found on the county's website.

"Our new app is a game-changer for DeSoto County," DeSoto County Supervisor Mark Gardner said in a press release. "With just a few taps, residents can now access government services easier than ever before."

The app, called DeSoto County Connect, is available for free on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. It allows access to information on the county website as well as providing emergency alerts, road closures and event notifications. Part of the intent of the app, officials said in the release, is to help "bridge the digital divide."

“There are still large sections of the county that don’t have access to internet,” DeSoto County Supervisor Lee Caldwell said in the release.  “Now, if they can get a cellphone signal, they can access all the information currently on our website. But, to fully bridge the digital divide, everyone has to have access to the digital world of broadband.”

More: Inside DeSoto's Broadband Connectivity Program: What to know

There has long been a push to expand high-speed internet access in DeSoto County. According to the county, 3,250 households were without internet as of January. At the start of this year, DeSoto County announced plans to award grants to three different internet providers — AT&T, C-Spire and Uplink Internet — to help subsidize the expansion of high-speed internet. The funding for these grants is coming from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. DeSoto County was allocated about $35 million, DeSoto supervisors said, and $11.7 million of that will be used for the internet providers grants.

"The supervisors recognized the dire need for high-speed internet in our county," Caldwell said at the time. "It's as important as the road in front of your house now. It's for public safety, you need it for your alarm system. Everybody needs this, and we recognize this. So we needed to incentivize providers to come to those far reaching areas, because it's about money. The providers look at the cost benefit ratio of running the fiber. And sometimes when there's long distances in the rural areas, it wasn't cost effective."

Gina Butkovich covers DeSoto County, storytelling and general news. She can be reached at 901-232-6714.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: DeSoto County launches new app for road closures, emergency alerts