Three key takeaways from Calhoun County's broadband survey

Far more Calhoun County residents lack access to the internet than previously believed, according to a recent survey conducted by the county's broadband task force.

Of the 2,240 Calhoun County households surveyed, 39% of respondents indicated they don't have access to the internet. The result reveals a considerable discrepancy compared to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) data indicating only 4% of residents lack such access.

The county-wide survey was conducted over the course of six months in partnership with Merit Network Inc., an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit that is working to bridge the digital divide in Michigan through its Michigan Moonshot Initiative.

MORE: Broadband inequities: Here's what's happening to bridge Calhoun County's digital divide

The survey represents the county's first step in truly understanding the digital divide — the gap between people and communities that have access to information technologies and those that don't.

Michael McCullough grew particularly interested in the topic during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. As the community engagement and local digital collection librarian at Willard Library in Battle Creek, he routinely saw patrons using the library's internet to apply for jobs, prepare for legal matters and complete schoolwork.

Amid pandemic-related shutdowns, McCullough saw how a lack of access to the public resource impacted patrons' ability to conduct critical tasks online, and began to wonder what alternatives there might be to address the issue.

As a result, McCullough developed the Digital Equity Coalition to start conversations about broadband access and the digital divide.

"We had some online meetings, very well attended, where we saw a strong commitment of folks across various sectors from different communities recognizing this is a problem and wanting to be involved in finding solutions," McCullough said.

To carry out that work, the county formed the broadband task force in May 2021, which McCullough chairs.

Bolstered by donations from community partners, including Albion College, Kellogg Community College, the Calhoun County Intermediate School District, Battle Creek Unlimited, the Battle Creek Community Foundation and the Calhoun County Public Health Department, McCullough raised $40,000 to conduct a study to determine where there are gaps in broadband service.

Here are three key takeaways from the survey results released Monday:

Lack of access is widespread

Broadband is high-speed internet access that allows people to download content at a minimum of 25 megabits per second and upload at a minimum of 3 Mbps.

Survey data collected by Merit Network revealed the Battle Creek area and southwestern portions of Calhoun County have the highest density of broadband access, though all portions of the county lack access to some degree.

Of the 2,240 residents surveyed, 1,287 indicated they had some service and 953 indicated they had no internet at home. Of those who self-identified as not having internet access, 73% said it was because they simply did not have access at their address, not because they didn't desire access.

Twenty-three percent of those who didn't have internet indicated even if they had access at their address, the cost would be prohibitive.

"As a country, as a community and as a society, we’re leaving a lot of people out of what is fundamentally an essential public service," McCullough said. "It’s as essential as having electricity in your home.

"It’s not just a nice to have luxury that people use just for entertainment, although that is part of what broadband access brings," he continued. "It’s also a critical tool for accessing services, for accessing benefits, for participating in the workforce, for improving yourself through education."

Even with access, many lack adequate speeds

While the FCC defines adequate internet access for households as 25 Mbps downloading and 3 Mbps uploading, Merit data found that 55% of Calhoun County households do not have access at such speeds.

Of the 46% of households that do have access at or above the FCC standard, 24% do not have children in the household, and 22% do, indicating fewer households with children have reliable internet access, an important resource as virtual learning becomes more common.

"The standards by which we measure what even broadband access is are incredibly dated," McCullough said. "I challenge anybody to operate in today’s environment with multimedia streams and multiple members of a family using the internet (and) be satisfied at a 25 mbps download speed."

Industry experts, as well as the U.S. Congress, have set their own minimum standards of 100 Mbps for downloading and 20 Mbps for uploading. FCC data indicates 68% of households in Calhoun County have access at those speeds, but Merit data suggests only 9% of households have such access.

The FCC relies on for-profit carriers to self-report where broadband access is available.

FCC coverage maps are based census tract data, which is part of the issue, according to McCullough. Even if only one home within a census block has broadband access, the entire area is considered served, he said, creating a disparity between what's being reported and the reality of the situation for residents.

"(Broadband has) really been a service that’s been dictated by the largest players, the largest internet service providers that own the network and only build the network where it is profitable for them to do so," McCullough said. "We think that that’s the model that has to change."

Overall satisfaction varies

In addition to identifying who has internet access and who does not, Merit data also studied the affordability of current options and whether residents are pleased with current service.

Overall, 37% of respondents said they were satisfied with their internet service provider options, 24% were neutral, and 40% were dissatisfied.

Of those who did not have access at their homes, 69% said they would be willing to pay between $26 to $100 for service, while 23% of respondents who did not have access said that internet prices were too high.

What's next?

The Calhoun County broadband task force will use Merit survey data moving forward as it seeks to identify the best way to ensure reliable and affordable access to internet for all county residents.

Different options will be explored through a contract with CTC Technology & Energy, an engineering and business consulting firm hired by the county to conduct a feasibility study and cost benefit analysis in the next six to 12 months.

"A lot of the grant dollars associated with broadband require a shovel-ready project and these next steps with CTC, the feasibility study and cost benefit analysis, are what will make us shovel-ready," Calhoun County Communications Manager Lucy Blair said.

As part of the process, CTC will gather more detailed data on a house-by-house basis to develop potential plans for increasing broadband access.

The installation of a fiber network throughout the county, offering internet service providers the opportunity to compete for consumers' business, is one possibility.

"Right now, we have a lot of ideas about how it could happen, we understand what other municipalities have done and how they’ve made it possible, but that doesn’t mean that that’s the best route for Calhoun, regardless of what it is," Blair said. "With CTC’s expertise, we’ll be able to really dial in on what is possible for Calhoun, what model, and then also even the truly granular details of how do we get internet to the home."

"If we are successful, we’ll see gains in educational achievement, we’ll see better access to healthcare, we’ll see increased property values," McCullough said. "(Broadband access) fuels economic development, it fuels entrepreneurship, it opens up possibilities for different kinds of careers for people. Not having broadband access is a huge drag on somebody's ability to succeed and it’s just not acceptable."

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-501-5661. Follow him on Twitter: G_SteeleBC

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Calhoun County broadband survey reveals considerable gaps in access