BEAM to create Mississippi Broadband Map | DeSoto County News

The Workplace of Broadband Growth and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) launched a brand new web site to document web speeds and collect details about web utilization and availability. This info will enable BEAM to create a novel and up to date Mississippi Broadband Map that’s crucial for increasing broadband infrastructure within the state.

Any Mississippian who lacks sufficient web service ought to go to www.broadbandms.com. These with no web could name or textual content “Web” to 601-439-2535 to report a location with no service.

The information collected is especially necessary as a result of Mississippi’s portion of federal funding from the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act (IIJA) might be decided by the variety of unserved and underserved areas within the state.

Over the subsequent few months, BEAM might be utilizing information collected from the www.broadbandms.com web site, together with different info, to problem inaccuracies on the present federal map, which might be utilized in July 2023, to allocate funding amongst all 50 states. The federal map was lately launched and doesn’t precisely mirror broadband entry and availability in Mississippi.

“Excessive-speed broadband entry lays the inspiration for bettering schooling, bolstering financial improvement, and growing entry to medical take care of Mississippians,” mentioned Gov. Tate Reeves. “For this reason it’s critically necessary that correct maps are produced which correctly acknowledge current protection and any gaps throughout our state.”

“Our workplace has been compiling information and dealing with a mapping marketing consultant to arrange for the discharge of the FCC map in November. We knew the preliminary map wouldn’t present a real image of broadband service in Mississippi and our workplace is able to interact within the problem course of so Mississippi might be pretty represented,” mentioned Sally Doty, Director of BEAM.

The www.broadbandms.com web site makes use of three separate strategies to judge web speeds and features a quick survey about web utilization. If a location has no service in any respect, customers can point out that on the web site when accessed by means of cell service or whereas at a location that does have service. The web site doesn’t collect or disclose any private info.

BEAM is the lead workplace for increasing connectivity to unserved and underserved areas all through Mississippi. The workplace was created by Home Invoice 1029 and signed into legislation by Governor Tate Reeves through the 2022 legislative session.