On my winding route to work one morning in mid-October, I was listening to a podcast like I usually do, and suddenly my phone dinged. A text message had come through! While this might not be worthy of note to many, it was unusual for me. See, my route from Pineville to Red Bird Mission is in a "dead zone" for two-thirds of the trip. A dead zone meant no cell service at all, but when that text message came through, I was in a patch of cell service that was strong enough to have a text message come through. The reason for this random spot of service was Autumn. The leaves were falling, meaning the usually dense trees were no longer preventing cell service from reaching my phone. The arrival of cell service with the dropping of leaves is just one example of the nuances that face the mountains of Eastern Kentucky when it comes to becoming connected with the outside world- the seasons have a heavy impact.
October was a busy month with conferences, digital literacy classes, and becoming more educated on the Internet service provider (ISPs) arena. The SOAR KY Conference was an event that served as a touchstone for gaining a greater understanding of the complexities of the broadband world as well as creating invaluable connections with organizations continuing to strive for digital equity. The SOAR Conference allowed me to connect with invested parties that provided insight on how to approach grants, digital redlining, and the new Kentucky Broadband Office. Having the collaborative opportunity at the conference was vital in helping propel issues to the front of people's radars. When you are working in an area that is isolated, it becomes an issue of 'out of sight, out of mind' so these conferences are monumental in terms of gaining recognition for your cause and partners that can help you achieve said cause. Raising awareness of the needs and limitations of the Red Bird Mission has been a major prominent for me in looking for alternative ways to grow digital literacy and expand the ISP market in our area.
Red Bird Mission and the surrounding areas are gridlocked in terms of options when it comes to choosing an Internet provider. ISPs are an elusive commodity in this area despite many companies claiming to cover 99%* of the United States. The * is where they get you. When looking at the ISP mapping of the area Red Bird Mission and surrounding areas some sectors of the counties have one, while others have none. The inability to streamline service to your needs leaves customers having to settle for the limited services one company provides. One example is this is the AT&T bundling option. Bundles are intended to benefit the customer in most cases, but AT&T requires the customer to get a landline in order to get internet regardless of if a customer actually needs a landline. In a recent survey, of 101 participants in programs like Family 2 Family, Emergency Food Pantry, and Commodities, 38% of respondents utilize AT&T’s services. Now not all of those on the AT&T plans are required to have a landline, but in this select area that was the case. This is just one example of how companies limited offerings can impact households in the rural areas of Clay, Bell, and Leslie counties. Branching beyond the limited companies that predominately control the broadband in these counties like TDS, HughesNet, and Windstream is difficult due to infrastructure.
Infrastructure is the cornerstone of any service, and while there is fiber infrastructure available, it is run by the company that installed or bought it. Fiber is available in select quadrants, but no additional companies can come in and run off of the existing fiber. Additionally, large grants, like the RDOF, keep other ISPs from winning in them in order to prevent a ‘doubling-up’ of service despite the project not meeting milestones. Now the inability to meet milestones does not directly reflect on the company’s ability to complete the project – there is a shortage of fiber optic cable causing a 12-18 month wait on fiber. If one were to get a project started today, fiber might be showing up a year from now to begin the actual construction of fiber through the community. Fiber is going to take time to be fully developed in this area, so the best we can do is to have this community as prepared as possible for when fiber arrives.
One way to prepare the community for high-speed internet and improved connection is how to use the access effectively and safely. A method I have been utilizing to have people become more confident on the internet is to host digital literacy workshops and classes, which can be seen as pictured above. One class hosted this past month was on the fundamentals of computer use and maintenance. I had five students in their 60s who took the time to develop their skills and online independence. When the class began none of them had sent an email and one gentleman could only turn a computer on. Working from the ground up we covered emailing, basic computer terminology, online security, and typing. Skills many who grew up using computers on a daily basis take for granted. My students took everything with stride and are now able to correspond with family, meaningfully engage online, and be aware of any spam or phishing programs. The class helped ease the initial apprehension and aided in the students’ recognition of their own capabilities. The program will be continuing in the Spring with specialized classes covering programs like Excel and Word, applying for American Connectivity Program (ACP), and also creating one’s own website for personal businesses. Additionally, I am aiming to develop a digital navigator program that pairs an upperclassman student from Red Bird Mission Christian School with someone within the community that needs additional hands-on assistance with technology.
Overall, the month of October was a fruitful one, and with trial and error, I have been able to improve my approach in a multitude of ways. I have been able to streamline ACP outreach through flyers and informational booths at events like Fall Fests and health fairs. Achieving connections with ISPs that provide useful partnerships and meaningful relationship-building opportunities have been a highlight for me. The cherry on top for this month has been the digital literacy class completion. Seeing how excited my students are to learn more and to continue to engage with the online realm is wonderful to see. With the benchmarks met for this month, I look forward to delving into November’s reflection which will be coming out next month!
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