Update: As of this afternoon, Russ Steele has updated the blog with this statement, without elaborating: “The FCC speed test problems have been solved.”
The Sierra Economic Development Corporation (SEDCorp) received a one-year, $150,000 grant to help northern California counties to “move closer to the goal of expanding high-speed Internet access to rural areas,” and Russ Steele wound up as one of the grant project’s “consultants,” posting information and announcements on the Gold Country Broadband Consortium blog.
Here’s the latest announcement he posted on July 5 without further explanation: “The FCC is currently having problems with the speed test the GCBC has been requesting participants to conduct. All tests are suspended until the issue is resolved. —Russ Steele, SEDCorp Consultant”
Wow. It will be interesting to track this $150K project, and see if the participants can deliver. The question “Will the Gold Country Broad Consortium deliver?” already has been raised.
The public-private partnership is aimed at increasing digital access and use in Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Sierra and eastern Alpine counties. The new partnership, the Gold Country Broadband Consortium (GCBC) is one of 14 regional consortia in the State funded by the California Advanced Services Fund Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia grant program.
The Consortium was formed to leverage regional, state and national resources as an investment in improving and expanding broadband access.
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Orca Communications in Coos Bay is great asset for that rural community.
Perhaps the GCBC should take a look at Orca’s business model.
I’ve always been unclear on what the actual benefits of enhanced broadband would be – both in theory and in practice. Enabling more folks to work from home, thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuels, always seemed a dodgy claim. Especially in an area where so many long only for the types of jobs they used to have in a fast economy: construction or nothing; even turning down offers to retrain for green building and retrofitting, based on the ideology that it’s government money that would pay for the training therefore we must not accept it (hehehe…); adamantly opposed to (or just plain too afraid / unwilling to) reinventing themselves to adapt to a changing economy.
Basically, why go broadband everywhere? What are the supposed benefits other than enabling work-at-home, in an area full of folks who would rather do ANYTHING than work at home?
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) speed test has little to do with the Gold Country Broadband Consortium’s plans. Clearly there is just a hiccup in the online technology. The FCC is aggregating Internet speed data from consumers (rather than telcos) nationally, so they have a better assessment of what is really available on a more granular level. Shall we say that AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Time Warner tend to exaggerate a little in their coverage areas and available Internet speed mapping.
John is right: the FCC’s problem with their speed test site has little to do with the GCBC efforts. Certainly, it would be nice if the same speed test could be used for informing the FCC, the State and our local project, but it is in no way critical. We welcome input from consumers who get their speed test results from any source but, as John implies, results from one or more of the many independent speed test sites may avoid any implication of bias. In the meantime, we’re enjoying working with the ad hoc Nevada County Broadband Advisory Group (of which John is a part) in planning for having a booth at the Nevada County Fair to survey attendees about their broadband availability and about holding the next quarterly meeting of the GCBC in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area in September. We also look forward to the possibility of setting up a training opportunity for seniors and others to relieve their apprehensions and learn about what access to highspeed Internet service can do for them. Those who attended the GCBC meeting last month were treated to a rather startling view of the future of medical care via the Internet delivered by Eric Brown, CEO of the California Telehealth Network (CTN). For many reasons, the use of the Internet for business, health care, public services and a variety of other purposes will continue to grow at a compounding rate; those without broadband service will be left behind. That conclusion is intolerable and is the motivation behind the selfless efforts of folks like John Paul and many others in Nevada County.
Thanks Brent. Wish I could read this much information on the GCBC blog!
Editor’s note:
Russ Steele has updated the blog with this ambiguous statement:
Russ Steele, SEDCorp Consultant
The FCC speed test problems have been solved. If you have any problems please send an e-mail to russ@sedcorp.biz with the details.