Being a rural community and facing the challenges of bringing broadband Internet services to residents, the Clare County Broadband Network Group partnered with Connect Michigan and the Connected program. We are developing the Clare County Technology Action Plan to further foster adoption and education for better broadband use and understanding here in Clare County.

We thought we’d benefit from finding out where we stood. The whole point of the certification process is to identify strengths and weaknesses. Frankly, even if you didn’t get to the certification, you would still get a blueprint for moving forward to eliminate those weaknesses.

Community Technology Advisors provide independent community broadband education across the state through the Connected Community Engagement Program by working in the best interest of communities.

Manchester was recently recognized as an “Iowa Connected Community” and I was part of the team that gathered the information and created the plan for future improvements. To the best of my knowledge this was the first time that anyone in our area has made an effort to gather information about the existing broadband access and to think about what will be needed for the future. I knew very little about the availability and scope of the internet services within our community as we entered thi…

Broadband access is a crucial component of economic development. The Connected community certification program will facilitate the building of a comprehensive action plan for developing a technology-ready community.

The process of becoming a Certified Connected Community had many benefits for Urbandale. It brought together the stakeholders with an interest in Urbandale’s telecommunications infrastructure. It provided an opportunity to hear perspectives and ideas on how to improve Urbandale’s broadband status. Finally, the process and award provided the focus and impetus to identify and begin work on projects. In just a few months since being certified, Urbandale is making progress.

Through the Connected Community Engagement Program we have put together a plan for broadband access, use, and engagement. This is the first time our area has looked at improving broadband access and it’s been a tremendous tool in building improved access for the future.

Connected Community certification says to potential investors that Clarksville-Montgomery County understands today’s global business environment and is committed to providing the tools necessary for industries to build, grow and create jobs in our community. An impartial assessment of our digital infrastructure validates the high quality of resources available in our area.

St. Clair County was the third in Michigan and the sixth in the nation to obtain Connected certification. Along with certification, the county worked collaboratively on developing the St. Clair County Technology Action Plan. Our Action Plan is a roadmap for our broadband future. It details our current status and clearly outlines steps to take in order to fill the broadband gaps in the county. We are currently addressing the recommendations laid out in the plan. An unexpected benefit to our broad…

We knew we had a problem, but it sat unaddressed for a number of years. We didn’t address it because we didn’t know how to start, where to go for help and besides most of our peers (rural counties) had the same issue. This is where Connected came in.