Guam Internet Capabilities to be Mapped
Information town hall meetings to begin Thursday in Hagatna
Immediate Release: March 2, 2011
Guamanians soon will have a map showing you the range of broadband services available in locations throughout the island.
This means residents can click on any area of the island on this map, and it will show cellular data coverage, what internet services are available, how fast the speed is, and if the area receives no service
One Economy Corporation, a national non-profit corporation, is starting a series of town hall meetings in every village. The company will be in Hagatna at 6 p.m. , Thursday, March 3 at the Bordallo Governor’s Complex. One Economy is partnering with the Bureau of Information Technology to produce the broadband map of Guam. Part of the partnership requires One Economy to solicit public input about broadband services. One Economy also will provide more information about the work they are doing, and the map they will produce. The company wants to better understand residents’ usage of Internet services. Equally important as the physical mapping is to hear residents’ priorities and concerns about broadband.
No independent assessment has ever been conducted on Guam. Currently, private internet service providers and telecommunications companies sell cellular and Internet services to residents, businesses and the government. There is no public map explaining to residents where service is lacking or where it is optimal.
“This map can help consumers understand where good and bad cellular and data services are before they enter into contracts with certain companies,” Chief Information Officer Ed Cruz said. “It will also inform Guamanians of where there is Internet service, or other public digital services. This information can lead to greater competition, which can translate to better Internet and telecommunications services.”
One Economy Corporation was awarded this grant via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds designated for Guam.
One Economy and its partners aim to create a map and report on Broadband in Guam by four principal means. They are:
– Outreach to internet service providers to provide data including the provider’s area of coverage and services available to customers;
– Conducting town hall meetings to understand residents’ attitudes toward broadband;
– Conducting a phone survey of residents to understand their attitudes toward broadband;
– Encouraging residents to take the Broadband speed test available at www.broadband.gov/qualitytest/
in order to electronically verify their connection speed.
