Statewide internet speedtest especially important for Gordon
KCaulder@CalhounTimes.com
Gov. Brian Kemp last week announced that the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative will be conducting the Speedtest by Ookla pilot project statewide through August. The project is designed to equip school leaders with the clearest picture possible of internet connectivity for Georgia’s students and teachers for the upcoming school year.
Getting this information about internet connectivity is particularly important for counties like Gordon, Barker, Clayton and Dougherty, where Ookla will be conducting more thorough assessments in an effort to enable educational leaders to more effectively evaluate distance learning options in the long term. These counties were chosen for additional assessment because they reflect geographic diversity, different types of digital education options and various public health metrics related to COVID-19.
Some of the questions GBDI hopes to answer include:
Is your home internet too slow? Do you lose a cellphone signal when you are walking around in your home?
Can you get videos on your smartphone, but it takes a long time to download?
“We’re grateful that so many internet service providers and mobile phone carriers have stepped up to meet Georgians’ connectivity needs in this critical time as we’re coping with the continued impact of COVID-19,” said Kemp. “Still, too many households don’t have reliable internet connections, so the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative is introducing the Speedtest project to give Georgia’s educational leaders new data to drive decisions for remote learning options for students.”
Georgians are encouraged to download the free Ookla Speedtest app, available on Android or iOS-Apple, to the various devices that they use to connect to the internet and take several tests in the places where connectivity is most important to them.
In order to take the speedtest on a mobile device, download the app. Once it has installed on your device, open the app and click “GO.” For laptops and computers, visit www.speedtest.net and click “GO.”
The GBDI, led by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Georgia Technology Authority, is collaborating with a multi-agency team to assess connectivity options statewide via the Speedtest. The Georgia Department of Education, Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the Georgia Public Library System, University System of Georgia, Georgia State Properties Commission, and Georgia Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency are all part of this multi-agency team.