Internet Access - Do You Have What You Need at Home or at Work?
LANSING, MI – The pandemic forced most of us to be online, whether we liked it or not. Now, internet connectivity is a new standard for sharing information, resources, events, learning environments, etc. During the pandemic, schools were doing everything possible to support families as we moved to online learning. Students still needed to learn. Families received MiFi devices, districts allowed some families to come into school buildings or sit in the parking lot to gain access to district internet service because there wasn’t reliable or any service at home.
Today, our internet services have not adapted to the new standards. As we look to the future and building an appropriate internet infrastructure for our county, we need to hear from all Ingham County residents and businesses to better understand where the internet is reliable and affordable as well as areas that do not have reliable or affordable internet. The data collected through this short 5-minute survey will be used to develop a broadband service expansion plan across our county. The survey closes on August 31 and can be accessed via:
- Online at www.michiganmoonshot.org/ingham
- Text @moon to 1-855-613-1746
- Call 1-517-676-7206 to request a paper survey
Johannes Bauer, Professor, Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University, who is working with Ingham County to gather local data explains, “Reliable broadband connectivity has become indispensable to participate in our economy and to access education, health care and government services. Participation in this survey is critically important. It will help the County to bring reliable broadband service to all residents and businesses.”
As educators, we encourage all Ingham County residents and businesses to take this survey which will help our county develop a strong internet infrastructure plan for our area. All students and families deserve the same quality internet access for learning, regardless of where they live.
Ingham Intermediate School District provides programs and services to families who reside in Dansville, East Lansing, Haslett, Holt, Lansing, Leslie, Mason, Okemos, Stockbridge, Waverly, Webberville and Williamston. For more information, visit Ingham ISD (www.inghamisd.org).
