EASTON, Pa. — Some Northampton County residents see room for improvement in their internet services, according to survey results released at a county council committee meeting last week.
County officials said the survey’s results will be used to develop a strategy for the county to take a more hands-on approach to improving broadband services — including possibly designing and constructing a new county network.
- Northampton County officials and broadband consultant Design Nine shared preliminary results of a broadband survey conducted earlier this year
- The survey found room for improvement in the county's internet, and that respondents think county government should play a role in improving it
- The survey is part of a larger study County Executive Lamont McClure previously said would guide "engineering and communications construction firms that might be selected to design and construct a 21st century network"
The survey, like the larger broadband study of which it is a part, was developed by Design Nine, a Blacksburg, VA-based consulting firm specializing in “broadband network planning, design, and build out services,” according to its website.
Its results will be used to develop a “network conceptual design” for the county, which it may choose to construct.
“You're going to see that our citizens have identified a problem, and that they believe we have a role in taking action.”County Executive Lamont McClure
Thursday’s presentation by Design Nine Chief Executive Officer Michael Cohill marks “the beginning of the process of us coming to the conclusion of what we hope to be our way forward with respect to broadband,” County Executive Lamont McClure said.
“You're going to see that our citizens have identified a problem, and that they believe we have a role in taking action.”
Better services needed
The survey was in the field from late February to mid-April, and asked residents and business owners to describe their internet connections.
Respondents could fill an online version, or a paper version distributed by mail.
Cohill told the Economic Development Committee several hundred people sent back paper surveys, and several thousand completed the online survey. Representatives for about 70 businesses responded.
He said a final report on the results will be released as soon as next week.
About a quarter of respondents said they were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their current internet speeds, and nearly a third said they only have one option for broadband internet service.Results of the Northampton County internet survey
More than half of residents who responded said they needed better internet service, Cohill said. Most of the Valley’s internet providers saw between 56% and 64% of their surveyed customers report needing better service.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents are “interested in faster and more reliable internet service,” according to Cohill. A third said the availability of broadband internet is affecting where they choose to live.
About a quarter of respondents said they were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their current internet speeds, and nearly a third said they only have one option for broadband internet service.
The county's role
McClure was keen to emphasize that 88% of respondents said the county should play a role in improving broadband access.
The survey found particular need in the Slate Belt region, in Northeast Northampton County, along with parts of Easton’s West Ward and South Side Bethlehem.
Businesses that filled out the survey are generally happier with their internet service than are residents, Cohill said.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents representing businesses said they want better internet access; 47% are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the speed of their internet service.
Seven in 10 businesses needed their employees to be able to work from home.
“The telephone and cable companies and the other ISPs are not making that investment."Design Nine Chief Executive Officer Michael Cohill
Cohill said he was “surprised” by how few homes in the county have a fiber internet connection. He found that between zero and 5% of homes in the county, depending on ZIP code, have access to fiber internet.
He said in other comparable areas, the number is closer to 20%.
“The telephone and cable companies and the other ISPs are not making that investment,” he said.
Cohill said he expects fiber service to expand as existing cable and telephone companies receive large federal grants for broadband access, many of which prioritize fiber projects.
Recommendations
“We’re not recommending the county become an internet service provider,” Cohill told the committee.
Instead, he proposed, the county could build a fiber-optic internet network connecting homes in Northampton County.
Multiple internet service providers could then lease that network infrastructure, and use it to provide internet access to customers.
Getting a fiber network built in Northampton County is “not really a cost thing, it’s a political issue."Design Nine Chief Executive Officer Michael Cohill
“It’s most efficient to have one single, very high-performance network in a community or in a county, but you can have multiple providers competing for business over that,” Cohill said.
He also described a similar approach for building cell towers in rural areas, and then leasing space on those towers for 5G service providers.
Above all, he recommended that officials reach out to the internet service providers operating within Northampton County, and develop a relationship with the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, which allocates state and federal funding for internet infrastructure projects.
The county has a limited role in doling out broadband grants. However, county officials are asked to weigh in on the broadband authority’s funding decisions, which gives them some influence over which projects move forward.
Ultimately, getting a fiber network built in Northampton County is “not really a cost thing, it’s a political issue,” Cohill said.
