2:27 am UTC May. 16, 2021
Debbie Wertz, DeSoto County Chamber of Commerce
Reliable internet access used to be more of a want than a need. But especially after COVID-19, we realize that it is a lifeline.
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Just a few weeks after the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Florida – early in March, 2020 – the state began to realize that reliable access to the digital world has become a necessity. Education, health care, employment, social services and many other aspects of our lives moved online – all things we suddenly needed more than ever.
But in order to have effective digital access, people need three equally important tools: a reliable broadband connection, the right technology and digital literacy.
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A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) map shows that DeSoto County falls far behind surrounding counties, as well as the national average, when it comes to broadband speed.
The map shows that 50.84% of DeSoto residential broadband customers have access to speeds higher than 100/10 Mbps, while the rest of the residential service is at 25/3 Mbps or less. The national average broadband speed as of 2020 was 86.04/11.86 Mbps. This means that nearly half of the DeSoto County residents only have access to internet speeds that are more than three times less than the national average.
In neighboring Sarasota County, 94% of residents have access to speeds of 250/25 Mbps, more than 10 times faster than half of DeSoto County residents. In Manatee County, 99% of the population has access to the same high speeds as Sarasota, with 87% in Charlotte County.
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DeSoto’s South Florida State College helps students and faculty with limited internet access
When South Florida State College in DeSoto County was closed for in-person classes last year because of COVID-19, students flocked to the parking lot to do their school work.
They did not have a reliable internet connection at home, so they had to grab their laptops and drive or catch a ride to the college to use the Wi-Fi there. They would sit hunched over in their cars, working on assignments.
Asena Mott, director of South Florida State College’s DeSoto campus, tells the story of a mother and daughter who drove to the college to use the Wi-Fi almost every day. On one especially hot afternoon, the mother’s car overheated. The daughter’s school work was disrupted, and they had to pay to get their car repaired.
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