Survey to help guide state broadband efforts

COLUMBIA — To guide the state’s internet expansion and training efforts, the Missouri Office of Broadband Development and the University of Missouri Extension are conducting a brief online survey on household internet access and use.

The anonymous survey, which takes about six minutes to complete, is at muext. us/MissouriInternetSurvey.

Broadband can boost a community’s economic growth and quality of life, says Alan Spell, assistant extension professor of community and regional economics at the University of Missouri. Benefits include gains in job growth, income and GDP.

However, realizing those benefits requires not just the physical availability of highspeed internet connections but also the adoption and use of those connections for applications like telemedicine and expanded opportunities related to education, employment and business, Spell says.

“As we continue making historic investments in Missouri’s broadband infrastructure, we encourage public feedback to inform our efforts,” said B.J. Tanksley, director of the Office of Broadband Development. “Hearing from citizens in urban and rural areas is an incredibly valuable part of understanding our state’s needs.”

The survey asks households about existing internet use — devices, connections and applications — and barriers to use, such as financial obstacles and training and assistance needs.

“The survey will be used to obtain community feedback to support the development of additional data-driven tools and outreach reinforcing OBD’s broadband efforts across the state,” said Alison Copeland, University of Missouri System deputy chief engagement officer and manager of the UM System Broadband Initiative, a coordinated effort to encourage the statewide build-out of reliable highspeed internet infrastructure and use of broadband-based applications to improve the lives of Missourians.