December 20, 2022
Challenge the Map
While this request falls outside of my usual child development / parenting / child care work, commitment to rural communities drives much of my work. As such, for those in rural communities, please take a few minutes to challenge the map of Kansas broadband access. The Kansas Department of Commerce’s website provides details on both why we need you to help, and how to help them. This is directly from the Commerce website:
“IMPORTANT: This map from the FCC will determine how much funding Kansas receives. Currently the FCC shows KS at ~5% unserved. We are more likely closer to 15% unserved, and that difference will have a direct negative impact on the dollars we receive … potentially 100’s of millions of dollars! We can challenge/change this map, but it will take a strategic concerted effort across the state and through our networks.“
Please check both your own home’s description of your broadband access, and ask others in your communities to do the same. It takes less than five minutes to submit a challenge, and all of the information you need is here:
https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/challenge/.
This is not just about the money, rural residents deserve access to high-speed internet, the federal government is supporting this effort, but we need accuracy to properly fund it.
Please distribute to all of your networks. It will take all of us.
An infographic is also available here:
https://www.kansascommerce.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/FCC-MAPPING-CHALLENGE.update.11.28.pdf.