SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO—County Executive Ilene Shapiro is asking residents, businesses, schools, libraries, local governments and others to take an internet speed test sponsored by her office to better understand coverage gaps and high-speed availability in Summit County. The data collected by the County will be used to apply for federal funding to bring better access to areas with low-speed or no internet service.
Those interested in taking the test should visit https://co.summitoh.net/summitconnects. The test was developed by the Executive’s GIS team and Ookla, a web service that provides free analysis of internet access performance metrics. The test includes several survey questions related to internet performance and cost. All information collected will be kept confidential and not used for any other purpose.
In recent years, Executive Shapiro and her team have heard from many residents and businesses that the quality of service they receive does not match the amount of money they pay each month to their internet service provider or that high-speed service is not available in their neighborhood. With significant federal funding available to increase internet access, the County needs more complete data to submit competitive grant applications.
The data collected from the speed test will also assist the County as it continues to build out the Summit Connects high-speed fiber public safety network. The Executive’s Office expects the construction bid for this project to be available by the end of May.
