In this day and age, having high speed internet is vital to growing an area and can make it or break it. A recent study done showed, that Walton County is severely lacking to provide residents with the service they need.
Whether it is students doing their homework, business owners filling online orders or residents connecting to their tele-medicine doctor, high speed internet is vital in almost everything we do. Without high speed internet, it could affect the growth in Walton County.
“When we did the infrastructure study, we found that a significantly less people in the county are have access to broadband than what is being reported by the Federal Government,” shared Charles Spann, Connected Nation, Engineering and Technical Services Director.
Three recommendations were given to the Walton County Commissioners. The strongly recommended option is to create a public-private partnership with providers who have the expertise already.
“It appears that a majority of the people in Walton County are dissatisfied with their broadband service. And, about 95 percent of those surveyed, indicated that they would like to see better service and more service options available,” explained Spann.
Now, having contracted grant writers working for the county, they can begin the process to find available grants to fund broadband projects.
“Making sure not to miss out on any opportunities that may be coming out through the US Department of Agriculture or other funding sources,” said Spann.
Before searching for grants, the Walton United Broadband Committee will use the study’s recommendations and data to come up with a specific project.
On June 6th, the Walton United Broadband Committee will have their last meeting to finalize a project proposal for the Commissioners.
That meeting will be at the Walton County Boardroom in DeFuniak Springs. It will begin at 10:00 A.M. and go until 11:30.
