Farm Credit is partnering with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and other rural groups to boost support for federal investment in rural broadband. “TestIT,” sponsored in part by Farm Credit, is a NACo project designed to build an exact map of rural broadband availability to demonstrate to lawmakers where investment is most urgently needed.
We encourage you to participate by downloading the TestIT app onto your phone and using it in rural areas. The app will test your broadband speed and, in addition to giving you the results, will share the location and broadband speed data with NACo. NACo is using the data to build detailed maps of actual broadband capacity in rural communities.
While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) generates public maps of broadband service providers throughout the United States, these maps have been inaccurate, leading to confusion and overstated service levels – especially in rural areas. Federal agencies often use these maps in determining areas to prioritize for investment.
NACo, a Rebuild Rural Coalition partner, released a report recently detailing the initial results from TestIT. The report aggregates data from 2,391 US counties gathered March 1, 2019 through February 6, 2020.
According to the samples, 1,362 counties experience the internet at levels below the FCC’s definition of broadband, including 19 percent of large counties, 51.5 percent of medium counties and an alarming 77 percent of small counties, based on population.
We encourage you to “TestIT” and share information about this project among your networks. To download the app and test broadband in your community, follow these simple steps:
1. Locate the iOS/Android app store on your phone
2. Download the TestIT mobile app
3. Open TestIT mobile app and click: Test Speed Here
To learn more about TestIT, visit the Farm Credit blog and read NACo’s full report.
