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 participate in a survey assessing internet services in low-income and rural areas of Monroe County. “Nearly one-fifth of city households and one-third of rural households do not have high-speed internet access. In 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 our residents. In addition, better access to high-speed broadband 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 their 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 for 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. Unfortunately, students from the lower end of the economic spectrum, especially in the City of Rochester, are often further disadvantaged because of the lack of high-quality internet access. This causes them to fall further behind their suburban counterparts. I look forward to completing this study and finally making high-speed internet access a reality for all Monroe County residents, regardless of zip code.
If a smartphone is your only option to connect to the internet, the county asks you to connect to WIFI, 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 accessing: Monroe County NY Broadband Internet Survey
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