When my wife and I moved to Oak Creek Village about four years ago, I never thought about an Internet connection. Had I done so, my choice of location might have been different.
That’s because I’m still working part-time and teaching business and economics all over the world. My classes are primarily taught online, especially after the pandemic. Once I settled in, I quickly discovered that my broadband service was woefully inadequate. To teach classes online, I had to check into a local hotel. This allowed me to upload the internet speed I needed to reliably broadcast my classes live.
This reality was the beginning of my journey to improve broadband in Big Park.
As a community economist, I have focused on the impact of policies and infrastructure, or lack thereof, on the economy at the local level. Last year, my company, Summit Economics, completed his White Paper on this topic. This can be found on the home page of summiteconomics.com. The basic conclusion that future viable communities will need high-speed internet. Communication infrastructure has become as important as good transportation access.
A lot has happened during the last year. First Big Park missed a golden opportunity to get high-speed internet that is 10x to 20x faster than current services. Yavapai County subsidized Altice (aka Suddenlink or Optimum) to lay fiber in Cornville and Rimrock. With speeds of 1,000 mbps, these communities jump from the bottom to the top of Verde Valley internet speeds.
I think the speeds have improved here at Big Park, at least for me, but I still have to be very careful when teaching or consulting online. Second, fixed fiber, fixed wireless towers, There is more competition and choice, such as satellites. However, depending on your location, your choices may be limited. Additionally, not all delivery channels work the same. The best source of reliable high-speed internet is fixed fiber delivered through his APS above ground or on existing utility poles.
I think it’s one last big chance to ensure Big Parks and Villages aren’t left behind in the future of the Internet of Things. A federal law was passed last year. The Broadband Equity Access & Deployment (BEAD) Act provides funding for speed increases to at least 100 mbps downloads and 20 mbps uploads. That’s about double the average speed you get in Big Park. These are baseline speeds and are available up to 1000mbps.
To do our best to secure our future, Big Park Council supported a study conducted in early 2023. The results of the survey can be seen in the accompanying map (online) and table (below). This map shows that it looks like you’re using an internet service provider in the cluster location where you can get the best service. Additionally, none of the providers meet the FCC-recommended minimum speed of 100/20 mbps. This means that the VOC/Big Park community is underserved and eligible for BEAD funding. If fixed fiber cannot be spread throughout the community, he is left with three options. 1) accept existing ones, 2) pursue fixed wireless, including building multiple towers to provide the signal, 3) be able to connect via satellite.
We are advancing along multiple paths to get the fixed fiber. These include 1) working with the City of Sedona, which has hired a consultant, 2) contacting Yavapai County with the Yavapai County School and Library Superintendent who may be leading the BEAD effort, and 3) establishing relationships. to pursue, etc. Contact directly the Arizona Department of Commerce, which leads her BEAD efforts in Arizona.
