STILL LOOKING GREAT FOR YOUR MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE THAT’S YOUR KEEP YOUR SON TOYOTA TIME
SAVER TRAFFIC.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: THANKS ALINA
NOW TO OUR NEWS 4 JAX I TEAM
INVESTIGATION DIGITAL DIVIDE.
IMAGINE HAVING TO DRIVE 10 TO
15 MILES JUST TO CHECK YOUR
EMAIL JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING OR
HELP YOUR CHILD
COMPLETE HOMEWORK OR THOSE
FIRST RESPONDERS NEEDING
CRITICAL
INFORMATION ONLINE.
>> ONLY THEY CAN’T GET IT YOU
KNOW THAT’S EVERYDAY LIFE FOR
PEOPLE THAT IT’S SO
INCONVENIENT AND SOMETIMES MAKE
LIFE IMPOSSIBLE. SO IT’S ESTIMATED THAT NEARLY A 100,000 PEOPLE IN OUR VIEWING AREA
RIGHT NOW STILL DON’T HAVE
ACCESS TO RELIABLE
INTERNET SERVICE. SO I TEAM
INVESTIGATOR TARIK MINOR IS
DIGGING DEEPER INTO A PROBLEM
THAT’S BECOME NOW A
FEDERAL PRIORITY.
>>MARK COLLINS: SOME MIGHT
CONSIDER IT TO BE A SURPRISING
INEQUALITY THE LACK OF HIGH
SPEED INTERNET IN RURAL NORTH
FLORIDA. IT’S A MAJOR ISSUE FOR
NORTH FLORIDA DOC SERVICES
OWNER
CHARLES HODGES WHO NEVER
IMAGINED GETTING ONLINE WOULD
BE SUCH A CHALLENGE EVERY DAY.
>> SENSUAL OPERATE OUT OF A
TRUCK. A HOT SPOT. MY COMPUTER
TO MY PHONE AND YOUR DRIVE TO
AN AREA OF GOT GOOD
PHONE SERVICE.
>> HODGES DRIVES 8 MILES TO
THIS MCDONALD’S IN MIDDLEBURG
EVERY TIME HE NEEDS TO CHECK
HIS EMAILS FOR US DOC BUILDING
COMPANY.
>> AND YOU CAN SEE HERE BEING
IN 3. THEY’RE BEING SERVICE.
♪
>> THAT’S THE SOUND OF DOZENS OF BACKED UP EMAILS ARRIVING ONE AFTER THE OTHER BECAUSE
HE’S FINALLY ABLE TO GET
ONLINE. ANY
CONTRACTS.
>> THINGS NOT ANYTHING YOU MAY
HAVE
TO EMAIL MOST EVERYTHING WE DO
IS EMAIL OUR CUSTOMER’S RAT
STATE IMPOSSIBLE IS ALSO HOW
PARENTS DESCRIBE HOMESCHOOLING
AND WORKING AT HOME DURING THE
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
>> IT WAS HARD TO GET TO THE
NEXT LESSON AND THERE’S STUFF
WE JUST COULDN’T TURN IN
BECAUSE IT
♪
WHAT DOWNLOAD.
ZOOM MEETINGS WERE
IMPOSSIBLE FOR MY KIDS, THE
KAYLA FANS WHO HAS 4 KIDS SAYS
VIA SAID IS THE ONLY INTERNET
PROVIDER IN HER AREA.
>> IN SOUTHWEST CLAY COUNTY
RIGHT NOW. SHE HAS A SATELLITE
INTERNET SUBSCRIPTION WHICH SHE
SAYS IS EXPENSIVE WITH A
LIMITED RETURN.
>> WE’RE PAYING $100 A MONTH
FOR SOMETHING WE CAN’T REALLY
USE.
>> SO FOR
US LOW INCOME FAMILIES C S SO
IT SEEMS IMPROBABLE FOR MOST
PEOPLE TO THINK THAT IN THE
21ST CENTURY RELIABLE
AFFORDABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET
ACCESS IS NOT AS COMMON AS
TURNING ON YOUR
ELECTRICITY IN YOUR HOUSE AND
TURNING ON YOUR LIGHTS CLAY
COUNTY COMMISSIONER BETSY
CONDON SAYS LIMITED ACCESS TO
RELIABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET.
ALSO PLACE THE COMMUNITY SO
CLAY HILL.
>> AND RESIDENTS LIVING WEST OF
MIDDLEBURG ON COUNTY ROAD 2.18
SHE SAYS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ARE PURSUING STATE AND FEDERAL
GRANTS TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR
THE INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THE
BACKUP PLANE OF TAPPING INTO
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
ONE-POINT-NINE-TRILLION DOLLAR
ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE I
HAVE STAFF TO CONSIDER PURSUING
ADDITIONAL.
>> FUNDING THROUGH THE AMERICAN
RESCUE PLAN
TO PROVIDE INTERNET SERVICE TO
OUR AREA AND TO OUR OUR
WORLD RESIDENTS. >>MARK COLLINS: USING BROADBAND NOW DOT COM THE I TEAM
IDENTIFIED OTHER AREAS WITH
LIMITED OR NO ACCESS AT ALL TO
HIGH SPEED INTERNET INCLUDING
UNION COUNTY WHERE MORE THAN
71% OF RESIDENTS DON’T HAVE IT.
IN THE CITY OF LAKE BUTLER
ALONE THAT’S MORE THAN 34% OF
THE POPULATION ABOUT 11,000
PEOPLE IN BRADFORD COUNTY MORE
THAN 48% DON’T HAVE HIGH SPEED
INTERNET ACCESS AND IN STARK
THAT’S NEARLY 37%.
APPROXIMATELY 5,000 RESIDENTS
WITHOUT IT.
>> BUT IN PLACES
LIKE ALASKA. BOSTWICK
INTERLOCHEN THESE ARE AREAS
WHERE THERE’S REALLY NO
INFRASTRUCTURE AND IT BECOMES A
PROBLEM WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
PUBLIC SAFETY I SHERIFF’S
OFFICE SAYS I EMS WE HAVE
LIBRARIES
AND SCHOOLS. THEY NEED THIS
KIND OF ACCESS AND IT WAS OUT
IN LARGE INVESTMENT FROM THAT
COMMUNITY. THEY’RE JUST NOT
GOING TO GET THAT SERVICE WHICH
IS UNACCEPTABLE ITS
2021.
>> FLORIDA CONGRESSWOMAN KAT
CAMMACK WHO HAS MADE HIGH SPEED
INTERNET. HER
TOP PRIORITY. TELLS THE ITEAM
THERE’S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM BECAUSE
EVERY COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT.
SHE SAYS HER OFFICE IS WORKING
TO CREATE ONE UNIFIED EFFORT
MOVING FORWARD BY USING LOCAL
STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING.
>> HAVE TO HAVE A
DIVERSIFICATION OF BROADBAND
PROVIDERS AND
AND TECHNOLOGIES YOU’RE NOT
GOING TO HAVE ALL SATELLITE NOT
CALL HAVE FIXED WIRELESS AND
ALSO NOT GOING TO HAVE THE
ABILITY TO LAY FIBER TO EVERY
SINGLE HOME IN AMERICA, IT’S
JUST NOT FEASIBLE. PRACTICALLY
OR ECONOMICALLY. >> WITH THIS DIGITAL DIVIDE U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CAT CAN
THAT TELLS
ME LAWMAKERS ARE ALSO HAVING AN
ONGOING DISCUSSION WITH THE FCC
AS TO WHAT THE INDUSTRY
STANDARD SHOULD BE FOR HIGH
SPEED INTERNET. SHE SAYS
CURRENTLY THE FCC CONSIDERS THE
BANDWIDTH OF 25 MEGABITS PER
SECOND TO BE HIGH SPEED
INTERNET. BUT IN MANY CASES SHE
SAYS THAT’S NOT ENOUGH
BANDWIDTH BECAUSE MOST FAMILIES
HAVE MORE THAN ONE PERSON
ONLINE AT THE SAME TIME IN THE
SAME HOUSE CAN DAK ONCE THE
STANDARD TO INSTEAD BE 100
MEGABITS PER SECOND. SHE AND