Milton businesses and community members are strongly encouraged to participate in the regional broadband assessment project through Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP), which was launched in November 2021. The data collected from this speed testing initiative will help with identifying, as well as quantifying, the existing broadband speeds throughout the region.
There are several areas in the Rock County that lack adequate and/or acceptable broadband access, and much of the data previously collected by the federal / state government is either inaccurate and/or outdated. Considering the significant increase in remote work, as well as the uptick in the delivery of educational and health services to the home via the internet, the importance of having a robust broadband network cannot be overlooked. That’s why Rock County (i.e. its Ad Hoc Broadband Committee) is currently examining a number of scenarios and concepts that will position – as well as accelerate – the County for broadband-related investments.
The following information is important to note if community members have concerns related to privacy and data collection that might be preventing them from participating in the speed testing:
- This broadband speed tester does not use tracking cookies; and no personal data per se will be stored. However, participant location and speed data will be stored.
- Since broadband speeds are impacted by numerous factors, participants are asked to make sure that no one at the participant house or business is streaming or gaming while taking the speed test. Additionally, participants are asked to make sure their work/school VPN is turned off or deactivated during the speed test.
- Participants may be asked to supply data for this assessment more than once . Generally, the FCC requires 3-4 months of consecutive information before it will revisit or update is census block speed data.
If there are any questions, community members can contact MadREP at (608) 571-0420 or by email at info@madisonregion.org.