City of Buffalo recently issued the following announcement.
City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, along with the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA), are announcing the completion of a comprehensive broadband study.
The study is a part of a broader push to make broadband accessibility more equitable throughout the City of Buffalo. The purpose of the study is to help the city identify strategies that can be used to help close the digital divide. The study will also help improve broadband access for marginalized groups and address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
BURA commissioned the study in February of last year. It examines internet connectivity, broadband availability and broadband use in homes and businesses throughout the city.
There are two aspects of the study, the first is the ‘Broadband Infrastructure Inventory Report.’ That report examines the existing infrastructure and outlines areas where better infrastructure is needed.
The second aspect of the study is the ‘Broadband Availability and Adoption Tool’ survey (BAAT). This aspect examines where broadband is physically available, how it is being used and identifies issues with usage.
The BAAT survey results include some of the following:
- Lack of Choice: 92 percent of those surveyed say provider choice is important
- Cost: About 50 percent of those surveyed say they are paying $75 or more for service
- Service-related Concerns: 29 percent of those surveyed added that customer service and reliability were areas of concern.
Outside of the study, the city has already made progress to improve broadband. For example, the city has begun working to improve broadband service at community centers.
The report will be available at www.buffalony.gov. ECC Technologies Inc. was commissioned to perform the comprehensive study. The City of Buffalo Department of Management Information Systems, Mission: Ignite, M&T Bank Tech, University at Buffalo, Buffalo Public Schools, and Phillips Lytle LLP assisted with the study as well.
Public outreach for the survey included the following: mail inserts, door-to-door outreach, city communications outreach and social media outreach.
Original source can be found here.
