Flagstaff, Arizona (azfamily) – Fast and reliable internet is part of everyday life for most people, but it is often considered commonplace. Many people in rural Arizona struggle with broadband and reliable internet access, even in downtown Flagstaff.
However, partnerships with the City of Flagstaff and broadband companies. WECOM Fiber We launched a multi-million dollar project to fix this issue.
The average American can get Download rate of 214 megabits per second. The Arizona family tested speeds around Flagstaff, ranging from 120 to just 30 Mbps.
James Peters works in downtown at a coffee shop. He said local businesses have free Wi-Fi that attracts guests, but that doesn’t always work.
He also said he could not move to Flagstaff in 2020 due to internet issues.
“It almost stopped me from going up here,” Peters said. “I can’t do my job that way, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to actually move to Flagstaff.
Flagstaff Mayor Becky Duggett said thankfully that the city is partnering with WECOM Fiber on the $5 million high speed textile broadband project to improve internet speeds at 34 city facilities. Last week, the first phase broke the ground.
“I think most residents of Flagstaff will nod right away when they say they’re going to install textiles all over town because they really need them,” Duggett said.
She said it would help everything from internet speed at local boys and girls clubs to emergency service response times.
“We want to make sure every neighborhood has it,” Duggett said. “Everyone has the same access to online education, telehealth, everything that can make the lives of the citizens better. When it comes to cities, employees can get their jobs done faster. They can provide better customer service.”
WECOM is also investing $45 million to build a 1.1 million-foot fiber broadband network for almost all of Flagstaff. CEO Paul Fleming said this will have a major impact on quality of life, from education to work and healthcare.
“In places where there are a lot of people, especially in rural areas, you’ll have to struggle to drive for an hour or two or three hours to get to the doctor,” Fleming said. “This allows you to get to go there and directly communicate with your doctors, from your home or local community centre, like a library, and get the health care you desperately need without adding all the travel time.”
The company has similar projects in northern Arizona. Fleming said that country access to high-speed internet is important as their company was founded in Kingman in the 50s.
“That’s where we’re spending all of our time now. We’re building a future resistant network of fiber across the state,” he said. “It can really help Flagstaff move forward in this digital age.”
The project must be completed in 3 years, and the first customer must notice the differences this summer.
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