Meetings will focus on better internet access
Public focus groups on improving internet access to underserved rural Sonoma County areas including Dry Creek and Alexander valleys and the Sonoma Coast begin next week.
The first meeting will be in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, Sept. 12, followed by back-to-back sessions in Healdsburg and Sebastopol two days later.
The focus group to address broadband deficiencies in the north county is meeting in Healdsburg from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Sept. 14. A Sebastopol focus group is scheduled later that day from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Veterans Memorial building on High Street. The Sebastopol meeting, sponsored by the county’s Access Sonoma Broadband project, will look at broadband in the Fifth Supervisorial District where residents lack adequate high-speed internet, wi-fi and mobile phone service from Bodega Bay to the Sea Ranch.
“Broadband is a necessity and no longer a luxury,” said Sonoma County Economic Development Director Ben Stone, in a media announcement of the effort to gather public input on improving mobile phone service, wi-fi and high-speed internet. A total of 10 workshops and focus groups are scheduled around the county beginning with a session at the Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa at 1 p.m. on Sept. 12.
Stone said the aim is to develop a strategic plan “for improving access to internet services for residents, businesses, and anchor institutions, including health care facilities, public safety agencies, and schools.”
The Economic Development Board announced a partnership last month with
a consultant group, Magellan Advisors, that will host the workshops and focus groups. Meetings are anticipated to be about 90 minutes long and will be facilitated by Courtney Violette of Magellan Advisors.
Magellan’s consultants will work with Access Sonoma Broadband to develop a plan for Sonoma County’s broadband future that evaluates the state of broadband throughout Sonoma County, especially unincorporated rural areas.
Magellan’s analysis will develop profiles of the various communities and identify key issues impeding broadband expansion, Stone said.
Throughout the process, Magellan and Access Sonoma Broadband will engage local leaders, businesses, municipalities, and others in the community to ensure regional collaboration, said Stone.
