June 6th, 2022
Monroe County residents can fill out survey online or in person at county libraries
Do you need high speed internet, but struggle with the high cost or limited access to internet providers? Monroe County wants to hear from you. County Executive Adam Bello and the Monroe County Broadband Advisory Task Force, in partnership with Magellan Advisors, are asking residents to take part in a survey assessing internet services in low income and rural areas of Monroe County.
“Nearly one-fifth of city households and one-third rural households do not have access to high speed internet. In the year 2022, that is unacceptable,” said County Executive Bello. “This survey is two-fold as it will identify the barriers and locations that prevent access to affordable high speed internet and help us structure a plan to provide quality internet access to all of our residents. In return, better access to high-speed broadband also will attract new businesses to our region, drive economic growth, support education and strengthen our community.”
Physical copies of the survey will be available at Monroe County library systems. However, the advisory task force recommends that residents fill out the survey online with a laptop or computer directly plugged into your home or business network router. An internet “speed test” will be performed while filling out the survey. This information is critical to outlining the communities with the biggest need when it comes to higher speed internet.
“High-speed internet is important in bridging the digital divide,” said Monroe County Legislature President Sabrina LaMar, a member of the Monroe County Advisory Task Force on Broadband. “Students from the lower end of the economic spectrum, especially in the City of Rochester, are often further disadvantaged because of the lack of access to high- quality internet access. This causes them to fall further behind their suburban counterparts. I look forward to the completion of this study, and to finally making high-speed internet access a reality for all Monroe County residents, regardless of zip code.
If a smart phone is your only option to connect to the internet, the county asks that you connect to WIFI and not cellular data. If possible, the county asks that you take the survey at peak internet use periods between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The survey is available in English and Spanish. You can access both versions of the survey by clicking this link: Monroe County NY Broadband Internet Survey.
