As part of Gov. Jay Nixon’s efforts to expand high-speed Internet access throughout Missouri, the MoBroadbandNow initiative is working with planning teams across the state to assess the current status of broadband, the challenges faced by expansion and the efforts already in place to improve availability.
One such planning team, the South Central Ozark Council of Governments (SCOCOG), is reaching out to businesses in south central Missouri through a broadband business survey to determine their usage, needs and interests. SCOCOG covers a seven-county region that includes Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. The deadline for completing the survey is April 30.
“Seeking community input is an important part of the planning process,” said MoBroadbandNow Director Damon Porter. “It’s critical to have an understanding of the local business community’s needs in order to provide the tools that can allow them to deliver faster services, and compete in a global economy.”
SCOCOG worked with the State of Missouri’s Office of Administration to develop the survey for various constituent groups in the seven-county South Central Region. One of the critical constituent groups is the business community.
The survey can be completed online at http://transform.mo.gov/broadband/survey.php or through a hard copy version provided online at www.houstonherald.com. It can be filled out and faxed to 417-256-6188 or mailed to South Central Ozark Council of Governments, P.O. Box 100, Pomona, Mo., 65789.
Broadband is typically defined as a service that enables high-speed Internet access and high-capacity data communications, as opposed to low-speed services such as dial-up connections. The results of the survey will be used to help SCOCOG and the OA gain a better of understanding of broadband availability and adoption in the south central region and how these factors lend themselves to economic opportunity for businesses.
For questions regarding the survey, contact Rebecca Pruett at rpruett@scocog.org or at 417-256-4226.