Connection To Connecticut

CCM partners with Great Blue Research and State Gov to studybroadband access

Good high-speed internet remains elusive for some communities in Connecticut. We know that last mile connectivity is an issue for some, and we know that price is an issue for others. But where exactly do those lines lay? CCM partnered with Great Blue Research and the state of Connecticut to find out exactly how folks feel about internet service providers.

The study, which was designed in collaboration between the three parties, asked individuals to respond to about 20 questions designed to take less than five minutes to complete. Respondents gave us two types of responses, hard data like exactly how fast their internet is and anecdotal responses to how they felt about their internet. And In a short period of time, over 2000 individuals participated in this study in over 150 municipalities. Statistically, this would give us a confidence level of over 99% with a margin of error less than 3% if this were an average study. But wanted to dig deeper into the municipal level.

Reaching this many people is a much more difficult task than it might seem. One issue that arose was households without good internet service might not be able to take this survey at all, so the team that coordinated the survey looked at the data and compiled that information onto maps, which allowed them to specifically target areas that had seen few responses. With the final outreach, it is likely that we will have responses from all 169 towns and cities in Connecticut.

What’s next is compiling a report based on the information. Combining the hard data – the areas where people had low speeds for high costs – with anecdotal evidence – like the one respondent who couldn’t play his football video game – will give us the fullest picture yet of the digital divide in Connecticut to date.

Based on a cursory glance at the responses, many residents feel like they don’t have many options and are relegated to slow and over-priced internet. Informing individuals of programs that can make service more affordable is just a patch, and until we can get reliable service to every corner of Connecticut there will still be a digital divide.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, some residents are happy with the service they are getting. Some remark that it has “good upload and download speed” or “It works for what I need it for.” But more and more, people need it for all sorts of different things. From applying to jobs, to doing a school project, streaming movies and television or even playing their video games. With so many different uses, Connecticut residents need and deserve internet that is better than fine.

Look for a full report from CCM and its partners in the future.