The Oklahoma Broadband Office hosted an Internet for All Workshop on Wednesday focused on the development of high-speed Internet in the state.
The office was created in May 2022 as part of Oklahoma’s mission to make broadband Internet available throughout the state. The office is hosting panels in 18 different communities to gather information for the office’s five-year action plan to fill gaps in Internet coverage, said Jim Meek, vice chairman of the Oklahoma Broadband Board.
Wednesday’s seminar in Tulsa focused on issues such as coordination with tribal nations.
We’re giving those communities a chance to tell us what those needs are, Meek said. If you get broadband, will you use that broadband? And if you use it, how will you use it?
There are potential uses for broadband beyond Netflix, such as connecting to medical services, Meek said.
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When COVID was underway, telehealth became very popular in rural areas, Meek said. But if you didn’t have access to broadband, it was of no use to you.
Oklahoma ranks 45th among states in wired or fixed-line broadband Internet access, according to BroadbandNow, an organization that researches broadband and compares Internet service providers.
Meek said he lives in Okmulgee County and has been using satellite internet during the pandemic, but the service quickly became overloaded when his entire family used the internet at the same time. He switched to broadband after joining an electric co-op and says his internet service has improved.
The pandemic has prompted the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes to identify issues within their community, such as emergency and medical services, said Charlotte Wetselline, court administrator for the Judiciary Branch of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
During the pandemic we’ve seen schools go online where they specifically weren’t in schools, Wetselline said. Because we were more rural, that created huge barriers, huge downsides, for our kids.
The Cheyenne and Arapho tribes have established a fiber-optic training facility with Oklahoma State University that trains tribal citizens and non-tribal members, Wetselline said.
The tribes intend to apply for grants related to broadband connectivity issues, but Wetselline said he did not apply for the first grant.
Tim Allen, director of communications and media relations at the Oklahoma Broadband Office, said he expects the initial funds to be awarded in late summer.
The office currently has $382 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, Allen said. More money is expected to come from different sources. Internet service providers have submitted 130 proposals on how to spend that money, totaling $4 billion.
So there’s obviously a great need and, with this particular bucket of cash, not enough to cover it all, Allen said.
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