Ector County residents encouraged to take Wi-Fi/ Broadband Internet survey to bring more services to area
Editor's Note: Connected Texas, a local subsidiary of Connected Nation, is handling the collection of information for the broadband study referenced in the below story. If you live in the Midland-Odessa area, you can participate online by clicking here.
Published by CBS 7 on June 18, 2019
By Gianni Windahl
ODESSA, Tx. (KOSA) Several groups are working together in hopes of bringing better Wi-Fi and broadband internet to Ector County.
Vice President of Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance, Dustin Fawcett, said the Odessa Development Corporation approached MOTRAN and tasked the team with finding out how well technology like broadband internet, fiber optics and Wi-Fi are working in Ector County.
MOTRAN also aims to find out how that technology can be improved for community members.
Fawcett said MOTRAN sent out 11,000 surveys to households and businesses that specifically fall into District 1, District 2 and West Odessa.
“That way, we get a good comprehension of what level of service exists out there right now, what types of rates and speeds they have, and also the prices,” he said.
The transportation expert added they invite every Ector County resident to take the survey, which can be found at the following website: HTTP://CONNECTMYCOMMUNITY.ORG/RURAL-ODESSA-TX/
One community member, Saleen Bolton, said her family of four experiences Wi-Fi issues on a daily basis.
“We always have to unplug the box, plug it back in, restart it. Like, it was always all the time,” she said.
Bolton said the Wi-Fi problems impact her entire family, but she was left more frustrated while she was in school. Bolton said she spent several hours online every day doing homework to complete her dental assistant training.
“I’m doing, like, school work and I need to upload an assignment. Then it crashes and I lose everything. It was hard, I didn’t know if I’d upload something and have to redo it. So I would just go somewhere to upload it,” she said.
Bolton and her family live in a district MOTRAN said is likely underserved.
“About 7,000 went out in the purple and blue areas along I-20 in the southern area of Odessa, that’s the loop. Then out here to the west [Odessa], a couple thousand more went out,” Fawcett said.
Read the original article here
Published by CBS 7 on June 18, 2019
By Gianni Windahl
ODESSA, Tx. (KOSA) Several groups are working together in hopes of bringing better Wi-Fi and broadband internet to Ector County.
Vice President of Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance, Dustin Fawcett, said the Odessa Development Corporation approached MOTRAN and tasked the team with finding out how well technology like broadband internet, fiber optics and Wi-Fi are working in Ector County.
MOTRAN also aims to find out how that technology can be improved for community members.
Fawcett said MOTRAN sent out 11,000 surveys to households and businesses that specifically fall into District 1, District 2 and West Odessa.
“That way, we get a good comprehension of what level of service exists out there right now, what types of rates and speeds they have, and also the prices,” he said.
The transportation expert added they invite every Ector County resident to take the survey, which can be found at the following website: HTTP://CONNECTMYCOMMUNITY.ORG/RURAL-ODESSA-TX/
One community member, Saleen Bolton, said her family of four experiences Wi-Fi issues on a daily basis.
“We always have to unplug the box, plug it back in, restart it. Like, it was always all the time,” she said.
Bolton said the Wi-Fi problems impact her entire family, but she was left more frustrated while she was in school. Bolton said she spent several hours online every day doing homework to complete her dental assistant training.
“I’m doing, like, school work and I need to upload an assignment. Then it crashes and I lose everything. It was hard, I didn’t know if I’d upload something and have to redo it. So I would just go somewhere to upload it,” she said.
Bolton and her family live in a district MOTRAN said is likely underserved.
“About 7,000 went out in the purple and blue areas along I-20 in the southern area of Odessa, that’s the loop. Then out here to the west [Odessa], a couple thousand more went out,” Fawcett said.
Read the original article here