FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) β The Allen County Commissioners have launched a county broadband website β they say to better serve the community.
The website will host a broadband speed test, broadband programs, resources to service providers, and other updates and information from the Allen County Broadband Task Force on what the county is doing to better connect residents. Additionally, the website includes a submission portal for residents and internet providers to submit questions and proposals.
The commissioners are asking county residents to participate in the broadband speed test to determine where the most unserved and underserved homes and businesses are located. By going to www.allencountybroadband.com and taking the test, the county will receive real-time data to help identify the gaps in high-speed internet service in the community. The test results will also help officials identify broadband funding opportunities and give broadband providers more information about where to provide service. The speed test may be performed on any device that has an internet connection and takes very little time to complete.
Commissioners released the following:
Currently, the county has submitted a proposal to both the state and federal government to leverage broadband dollars. The submission of data is instrumental to these applications being submitted to accurately support the need for broadband coverage. This data will be significant in future applications being pursued and as the county considers using local dollars from the American Rescue Package to extend service.
We have received many concerns from residents on what the County can do to address the lack of broadband coverage in our community and we believe the broadband website is a big step in the right direction to tackle this,β the commissioners said. βIt is important we collect data to know where the lack of coverage is to be in the best position to start filling this void.