Sparta Township Farmers Push for Better Broadband
For Lori and Greg Schweitzer, internet access on their Sparta Township farm is limited.
"It's frustrating," said Lori. "It's pretty poor."
Lori says the lousy service results in wasted time and missed opportunities.
"When you're watching the weather and you go to make a decision, and it just takes 20 minutes for the internet to upload, you've missed out or you make the wrong call," said Lori. "You left to go hay, and it rains."
The couple attempted to fill out the Crawford County broadband survey online. However, their poor connection at home prevented them from completing it.
"They are the picture-perfect example of what many people in Crawford County are facing, especially in the rural areas," said Crawford County Commissioner Francis Wiederspahn. "These people filled out the survey, tried to do it online, not surprisingly they couldn't do that."
On Tuesday, the Crawford County Commissioners stopped by the Schweitzer's home to address their concerns.
The commissioners have dedicated $3 million in American Rescue Plan funds to improve broadband throughout Crawford County.
"We trying to improve it with the money we were given from ARPA," said Wiederspahn. "This is a one-time shot and we want to make sure we do it right."
The commissioners have distributed 10,000 surveys to help them pinpoint which areas are in need of better access.
Based on the information they've collected so far, the commissioners have determined Venango Township east all the way to Spartansburg is the area in greatest need of better broadband.
The Schweitzer's agree.
"We should have the same access as everybody in the cities," said Greg. "I think that's just as important as us out here in the rural."
The commissioners hope to have the final results from the survey by the end of the summer.