MERAMEC REGION BROADBAND REPORT

Regional Technology Planning Team Report

August 2011

RESIDENTIAL STUDY BACKGROUND

Survey mailed June 2011

4000 homes randomly sampled.

470/12% returned.

400 returned surveys analyzed

Provides margin of error of ± 5 percentage points

2

RESIDENTIAL STUDY: WHO RESPONDED

County % of Total respondents County pop as % of

Meramec Region

Population

Crawford 9% 12%

Dent 5% 8%

Gasconade 16% 7%

Maries 6% 5%

Osage 22% 7%

Phelps 16% 22%

Pulaski 14% 26%

Washington 7% 13%

3 5% indicated other or a county outside of the region.

RESIDENTIAL SURVEY: WHO RESPONDED ?

4

Age

Range 20-95, Mean=58

Household Income

$5700K to $200K,

Mean=$54,730K

10% “Rent”

94% White

RESIDENTIAL SURVEY: WHO RESPONDED ?

5

RESIDENTIAL SURVEY: WHO RESPONDED ?

6

RESIDENTIAL SURVEY: WHO RESPONDED ?

7

RESIDENTIAL STUDY – TYPE OF INTERNET SERVICE

8

KEY ISSUES: AVAILABILITY & SPEED

9

KEY ISSUE: CHOICE

10

APPLICATIONS (RESIDENTIAL)

11

RESIDENTIAL STUDY – IMPORTANCE OF BROADBAND

ACCESS

12

BUSINESS STUDY BACKGROUND

Online survey available from:

April 2011 to July 2011

103 local businesses responded

16% were satellite offices

23% had satellite locations

32 questions about broadband or high-speed

Internet services in the Meramec region

13

BUSINESS STUDY – RESPONSES BY COUNTY

By County:

Crawford 7%

Dent 7%

Gasconade 7%

Maries 5%

Osage 8%

Phelps 42%

Pulaski 8%

Washington 15%

14

EMPLOYEE BUSINESS SIZE

15

BUSINESS CATEGORIES

16

DO YOU HAVE INTERNET SERVICE AT YOUR BUSINESS?

Do you have Internet service at your business?

NO =4% Yes = 96%

Lack of availability and cost were the two

reasons cited for not having Internet service.

100% indicated they would subscribe as soon

as broadband was available.

17

CURRENT INTERNET PROVIDER

Top 5 Mentioned

Fidelity

CenturyTel

Socket

AT&T

Embarq

Service established 1990’s-2011

18

TYPES OF INTERNET CONNECTIONS

19

WHY NOT BROADBAND?

20

BROADBAND SERVICE RATINGS

21

SUPPORTED INTERNET APPLICATIONS

22

HOW IMPORTANT

23

92% said would be beneficial if broadband capacity were improved in

the region.

COST OF SERVICE

24

ONLINE BUSINESS SURVEY

44 businesses had other comments about broadband service availability in the region. Some included: A must for rural areas.

Federal government must help improve infrastructure.

Cities should develop networks.

Low interest loans to private sector to incent them to build rural areas.

More competition is the key.

Unsatisfactory business climate.

Improve residential too, because our customers can’t always access our product in Missouri.

25

INDIVIDUAL SECTOR DATA

Agriculture

Economic

Development Sector

Energy Sector

Environment Sector

Healthcare Sector

Higher Ed Sector

K-12 Education Sector

Library Sector

Local Government

Public Safety

Tourism

Workforce

Development

26

MAPS

Review maps provided by State of Missiouri

27

BROADBAND PROVIDERS RESPOND

Feedback on data and current initiatives from

broadband providers.

28

BROADBAND STRATEGIC PLANNING

Will identify strategies, and related directions, initiatives, goals and objectives, that can be employed by interested parties within the region.

It is a large scale, high-level planning exercise

It provides specific guideposts and pathways to better help the region build long term broadband sustainability

Addresses both availability (supply) and adoption (demand) within the region.

29

BROADBAND STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

The Strategic Planning process is split into four (4) phases:

Phase 1 (Today): Needs Assessment and Existing Information Review – A detailed understanding of the current broadband climate and the current and future broadband-related needs in the region.

Phase 2 (Beginning Today): How to move from the current broadband environment to the one needed within the region.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges (SWOC) analysis will be performed.

30

SWOC ANALYSIS

The definitions of the four (4) SWOC elements are as follows:

Strengths – Broadband-related systems, practices, processes, and resources that are highly valued by the region.

Weaknesses – Areas that need improvement; reasons why stakeholders are not able to wholeheartedly embrace broadband; and, areas that tend to compromise the achievement of high levels of availability and adoption.

Opportunities – Favorable situations/circumstances not yet taken advantage of that may positively impact the development and acceptance of broadband.

Challenges – Present and future situations/circumstances that may negatively impact broadband development and acceptance as perceived by the region.

31

SWOC ANALYSIS

Phase 2: cont’d

The analysis should cover a wide range of issues

including those centered on:

residential, business and institutional broadband availability

and adoption,

whether available bandwidth(s) are sufficient for current as well

as near and long term needs and applications,

potential upgrade and expansion possibilities,

reliability of existing networks,

related matters.

Providers are asked during Phase 2 to present their

ideas on possibilities for advancing the broadband

environment.

32

SWOC ANALYSIS

33

SWOC ANALYSIS

The definitions of the four (4) SWOC elements are as follows:

Strengths – Broadband-related systems, practices, processes, and resources that are highly valued by the region.

Weaknesses – Areas that need improvement; reasons why stakeholders are not able to wholeheartedly embrace broadband; and, areas that tend to compromise the achievement of high levels of availability and adoption.

Opportunities – Favorable situations/circumstances not yet taken advantage of that may positively impact the development and acceptance of broadband.

Challenges – Present and future situations/circumstances that may negatively impact broadband development and acceptance as perceived by the region.

34

BROADBAND STRATEGIC PLANNING PURPOSE

AND PROCESS

Phase 3: Findings Review and Initial Strategic Plan Element Development – The RTPT will review the initial findings, priorities, potential strategic directions and actions, timelines and resources needed related to those potential directions.

In this phase, a number of potential strategic directions and initiatives will be identified, reviewed, discussed, and then incorporated into the initial draft of the Strategic Plan.

35

BROADBAND STRATEGIC PLANNING PURPOSE

AND PROCESS

Phase 4: Drafting and Finalization of the Strategic

Plan by the RTPT.

The Strategic Plan will consist of :

1. Introduction and Regional Overview

2. Purpose Statement

3 Detailed SWOC Findings and Analysis

4. Strategic Direction(s)

Short, medium and long term goals and objectives to boost broadband

adoption and availability.

Action Items and Implementation Plan

5. Financial, human and organizational resource considerations

6. Timelines and benchmarks for measuring progress

36

Additional Discussion

37

Connect with us at

MOBroadbandNow

http://mobroadbandnow.com/

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

38

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR PARTICIPATION

IN THE MERAMEC

BROADBAND

PLANNING PROJECT!

39