Regional broadband survey identifies gaps in service, disparities between metro and rural areas
A study done on internet service in 11 Central Iowa counties shows that nearly half of those surveyed don’t have adequate upload and download speeds, according to a report released today by the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
The study found that if broadband access can be expanded to up to 20% of households, or about 181,000 people in the 11-county area, it would create an estimated economic impact of $1.25 billion over 20 years.
The Partnership launched the regional broadband survey in March to determine the availability of internet service and identify areas that are underserved and where service doesn’t meet customers’ needs.
The Partnership collaborated on the survey with Adair, Dallas, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Story and Warren counties, Alliant Energy, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Pella Rural Electric Cooperative, all of whom contributed financially to the study.
The importance of reliable and affordable high-speed internet service rose to the forefront in 2020 as workplaces went remote during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic and schools began teaching virtually. From remote work and learning to virtual health care services, it became clear that having reliable internet to meet increasing demand had become critical to the everyday lives of Iowans — a necessary piece of our society’s infrastructure and no longer a luxury.
The Iowa Legislature approved $100 million in 2021 to expand broadband statewide as part of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to invest $450 million over three years to expand high-speed internet across the state. In October, the state added $200 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds for broadband expansion.
About 5,000 individuals and businesses in the 11-county area responded to the survey. Of those responding, 42.6% had download speeds slower than 25 mbps, while 31.5% had upload speeds of lower than 3 mbps.
According to the Federal Communications Communication, for service to qualify as high-speed, download speeds must be at least 25 mbps, and upload speeds must be at least 3 mbps.
The report also found disparities between levels of service in cities or towns and in rural areas.
In rural areas, 64% of those responding have download speeds slower than 25 mbps, compared with 32.2% in cities and towns. Similar results were found in upload speeds, the report showed.
“I think we understand very clearly from a business and a workforce perspective that we need to have quality infrastructure across our entire region as a differentiator for economic development,” Crowe said.
He said the report also identified that more work is needed in the areas of accessibility and affordability of broadband.
Only 18% of residents have access to broadband for $60 a month or less, the report showed.
“We need to make sure there is an equal access opportunity for all people, from an educational, from a quality of life and from a healthcare perspective,” Crowe said. “I think that the internet is really a great equalizer in what it does for the low-income, what it does for the health and wellness of communities, and diverse communities. It really aligns with the ESG conversation, conversations around workforce, quality of life satisfaction.”
ESG stands for environmental, social and governance, which Crowe said every company is talking about. It encompasses diversity, equity and inclusion, climate change, and strategies for being a globally minded employer, Crowe said.
“I think [broadband] is a piece of that as well,” he said.
Crowe said the consultant the Partnership worked with on the survey, HR Green, is creating a broadband dashboard, or site selector tool, that is expected to be released in mid-January. That, he said, will serve as a tool providers can use to determine where good internet exists and where customer satisfaction is high, and to determine where to expand or upgrade service, what technology may work best and where expansion makes economic sense.
“I think almost as important for providers to see that information is for local governments to see it as well,” he said. “There are some areas where just the economic argument isn’t as compelling and so if there are some opportunities for additional federal dollars or whatever the case may be, especially in remote areas, how can those dollars be used effectively? How can they be targeted in a way that really makes sense?”
Beyond the data that was collected, Crowe said the “star” of the process was the collaboration that resulted in the survey being done.
“We had calls from all over the country about what we’re doing,” Crowe said. “The International Economic Development Council included us in their study as a best practice. There’s really not many places around the country that are thinking about it in this robust of a way.”
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