The Georgia Cyber Center at Augusta University has jumped into the effort to get the state’s rural and underserved communities connected to the internet.
During an event last week in Taliaferro County, AU and the Cyber Center explained testing that will be administered to improve ways to get high-speed broadband connectivity to rural Georgia.
MORE: Spreading Internet Access Across Georgia
The Cyber Center is setting up assorted wireless technologies in Taliaferro County to test which can operate best in assorted environmental challenges including tree density, terrain, weather and other factors. The Cyber Center will use the results to find the most cost-effective way to deliver broadband to underserved areas.
Taliaferro County School Superintendent Allen Fort said, “Taliaferro County Schools provided devices to every student and teacher in the school– either a Dell 3310 or a Surface Pro, respectively– as well as having acquired mobile hotspots for every family from the three major providers: Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Unfortunately, what we found is that cell coverage in the county is spotty, at best.”
[adrotate banner=”19″]
AU President Dr. Brooks Keel said the experiment may not get the answers they anticipate, “But my personal experience as a researcher has taught me that every experiment, even failed ones, provide valuable information that will help fine-tune our approach and pave the way towards ultimate success.”
Test results will be used to determine what works best. The answer could be a combination of fiber connections and wireless technology. The goal is to make Georgia the first state with border-to-border broadband coverage.
This is the second major effort announced in Georgia this month.
MORE: Medical College Of Georgia Addresses Rural Physician Shortage
On April 16, Governor Brian Kemp was in Washington County to announce a $54 million dollar partnership between Washington Electric Membership Cooperative and Conexon, a company out of Kansas City, Mo. that specializes in helping electric cooperatives build fiber networks. The partnership will provide broadband access to 12,000 homes in at least ten counties.
“Without a doubt, broadband access became more vital because of COVID-19,” Kemp said.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
[adrotate banner=”31″]
