Regional Opportunity Initiatives Launches Internet Speed Testing Project
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) is conducting a crowd-sourced internet speed project. The goal of this project is to create an accurate region map of where internet service is available, where it is unavailable, and what broadband speed residents are currently receiving.
“We hope that every single resident in our region—whether they live or work in a city, town, or rural area –will participate in this very important project,” said President and CEO Tina Peterson
The speed test can be taken with any device that has an internet or cellular connection and takes less than one minute to complete. No personal information will be collected.
TAKE THE SPEED TEST: https://regionalopportunityinc.org/speed-test/
Displayed on geographic information system (GIS) layers, the speed test data pinpoints areas that are most in need of reliable, affordable access to broadband service.
“We have struggled for years from an inability to collect accurate and complete broadband data,” added Peterson. “This speed test project will provide us with real, actionable data. Speeds and geographic information will be used to generate mapping tools for communities that are planning broadband expansion projects or pursuing grants to support infrastructure improvements.”
ROI’s crowd-sourced broadband project is part of the Indiana Broadband Strategic Partnership (IBSP), a collaborative initiative to help bring reliable broadband to the most unserved and underserved communities across the state. The IBSP includes Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Radius Indiana, Indiana Farm Bureau, Cook Inc., Duke Energy, and the Indiana Association of Realtors.
This partnership is working collaboratively to broadly promote the Indiana Speed Test, a crowd-sourced internet speed test created by GEO Partners, LLC, a Minnesota-based company that focuses on enabling cost effective planning and deployment of broadband. GEO Partners, LLC is working with other states including Minnesota, Washington, Maine, Kentucky, and Nebraska, as well as the nationally designated Delta Regional Authority that covers parts of eight states along the Mississippi River, to gather broadband data.
The goal for the Indiana Speed Test is to gather data in all areas of Indiana. The GEO Partners software platform and the data will be available to local governments and organized broadband groups to analyze potential solutions and aid their applications state and federal grants. It is also hoped that the Indiana Speed Test data will jumpstart efforts to plan broadband infrastructure investments.
ROI also launched an Indiana Uplands Digital Inclusion Initiative in November 2020 to advance broadband and connectivity across the Indiana Uplands. Every analysis conducted by ROI in the last five years has indicated that addressing broadband and connectivity is essential to the upward trajectory of the Indiana Uplands region. While progress has been made through initiatives like Indiana’s Next Level Connections Initiative, geographies across the region suffer from limited access and quality. ROI’s Digital Inclusion Initiative is intended to help identify the information necessary for counties, communities, and the region to accelerate efforts to achieve the digital resources, sometimes referred to as digital capital, necessary for regional prosperity and economic competitiveness.
“There is no better time to build a plan for a more digitally inclusive region. During this year’s pandemic, we’ve seen demand dramatically increase for e-learning, remote work, telehealth, internet reliability, and access to devices, said ROI Vice President of Economic and Community Development Lisa Abbott. “We know that digital access and usage will continue to be crucial to the continued growth and prosperity of our region.”
Read more about ROI’s Digital Inclusion Initiative:
https://regionalopportunityinc.org/digital-inclusion-2/
About Regional Opportunity Initiatives
Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). ROI is growing potential and possibility through a focus on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies. To learn more about ROI’s programs, visit https://regionalopportunityinc.org/.