The Center for Rural Development, in collaboration with the Kentucky Office of Broadband Development, is encouraging residents in its 45-county primary service area in Southern and Eastern Kentucky to take the Kentucky Broadband Speed Test.
Data collected from the speed test will be used to determine broadband access in your community and create a map that will assist Kentucky communities in their efforts to secure grants and other support to improve broadband services.
The Kentucky Broadband Speed Test is accessible from one of three websites: The Center for Rural Development website at www.centertech.com or by visiting this direct link: https://centertech.com/broadband/, the SOAR website at https://soar-ky.org/ or the Kentucky Office of Broadband Development at https://broadband.ky.gov.
The speed test is free, anonymous, and can be completed in about one minute. If you took the test earlier, please consider taking it again. The latest effort is meant to build on the data collected from the previous testing cycle. New data will make it possible to establish baselines and allow comparisons to the earlier test results.
To take the speed test, participants must connect their device to their home Wi-Fi service and disconnect from any virtual private network (VPN) which may be used for school or work. For the most accurate results, participants should make sure no one else in the home is using the internet to stream video or play games while running the test.
Those who do not have Wi-Fi access at home may submit the address of a home without service by visiting a location, such as a library or a restaurant, that offers free Wi-Fi.
“We need everyone in our 45-county primary service area, and the entire state, to take the speed test to give us an accurate picture of which areas have adequate internet access and which areas are lacking,” said Lonnie Lawson, President and CEO of The Center for Rural Development. “It is extremely important that we have a solid understanding of our internet capabilities in all of our counties, but especially in Southern and Eastern Kentucky.”
The Kentucky Broadband Speed Test is a crowd-sourcing project that will gather data from Kentuckians needed to expand home internet access for distance learning, telework and telehealth.
Kentucky is partnering with the Minnesota-based company Breaking Point Solutions to obtain actionable data. The data will be an important tool as communities plan for broadband expansion projects. Statistically valid data obtained during the speed test can be used for future funding applications and short- and long-term planning for improved internet access across the state.
For more information or questions about the Kentucky Broadband Speed Test, please call The Center for Rural Development at 606-677-6000 or email Scott Surber, Broadband Technology Liaison, at ssurber@centertech.com.