If you live in eastern Lincoln County, you may not have access to the internet. Or, your internet speed may be so grindingly slow that you can’t watch the evening news or your favorite television program.
This is important to Lincoln and the entire State of Kansas because the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is poised to adopt a faulty map. Then the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (part of the U. S. Department of Commerce) will use that map to distribute billions - that billions with a B - of dollars across the U. S. to build more broadband infrastructure.
According to staff with the Kansas Department of Commerce, the amount that ultimately will be allotted to each state is dependent on a map produced by the Federal Communications Commission showing service locations and availability. The current map shows Kansas at approximately 5% unserved. We know the actual figure is closer to 15%.
The FCC has set a deadline of Friday January 13, 2023 - just two days away - for individuals and groups to challenge the accuracy of the map. If the erroneous map remains unchanged, Kansas will loose out on big bucks and residents will loose out on affordable high speed broadband service.
As the Australians say, if you already have high speed internet service, “Good On You.”
But if you don’t - if you don’t have access to the internet or your internet speed is as slow as a slug, go to https://www.kansascommerce.gov/officeofbroadbanddevelopment/ and click on Challenge the Map - Learn More. (see below) A green dot means that internet coverage is available. The little gray balloon on the green dot shows the location for 421 South 2nd, Lincoln, and that internet coverage is available at that address.
Or you can click on “Map Website” under Service Availability Challenge, and go through the same steps. Or, if this is all meaningless to you, you can call the Kansas Department of Commerce, Office of Broadband Development and they’ll help you figure out whether internet coverage is available for you.
The number to call is 785480-8555. Remember the deadline is this Friday!
Thanks to: Sherman Smith, editor of the Kansas Reflector Jade Piros de Carvalho, Director, Office of Broadband Development, Kansas Department of Commerce.
