Study all options on expanding internet access
High-speed internet is essential for home, business and agricultural needs, but estimates show there are more than 298,000 unserved and underserved locations across Oklahoma. The good news is Oklahoma was allocated more than $797 million in funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to expand broadband internet to areas across the state.
Oklahoma officials now have important decisions to make about how that funding will be used to ensure all residents have reliable and fast broadband connectivity. In our experience, we’ve learned that a mix of technologies will be needed so that thousands of people aren’t left unserved.
There are parts of Oklahoma where fiber will be the right solution, mainly in urban areas where the infrastructure and terrain make it easy and affordable to install. In many rural areas, 5G fixed wireless (FWA), using cellular technology to provide both home broadband and mobile connectivity, is best because one cell site can serve multiple locations without having to dig up long distances to avoid crop fields or hanging aerial fiber on unevenly spread poles over rocky terrain.
Importantly, these decisions aren’t an either/or between wireline or wireless, fiber or 5G FWA, urban or rural. When considering how to connect Oklahoma residents, we all must think in terms of “and” instead of “or.” We urge state officials to keep open the option to use all available, reliable solutions to get Oklahoma connected as they take advantage of its allocated BEAD funding.
Joe Cabrera is director of sales and operations for UScellular in Oklahoma.