Marion County looks to improve broadband internet in rural areas. | Pixabay
Marion County looks to improve broadband internet in rural areas. | Pixabay
The Marion County Board of Supervisors will provide $9,128 for the Regional Broadband Initiative with the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
The Regional Broadband Initiative with the Greater Des Moines Partnership is an effort to get quality broadband internet to rural areas in the county that presently have poor internet service, The Oskaloosa Herald reported.
The contribution will fund an effort to conduct a study that will provide the 10 counties in the area with increased options for broadband internet services.
The counties include Marion, Adair, Dallas, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek and Warren Counties.
“Our goal in doing this regional study and action plan is to provide all of our citizens' multiple options for broadband,” said Mike Colwell, executive director of entrepreneurial initiatives of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. “Once you have multiple options, you bring in competition, and prices get reasonable. This isn’t just about accessibility; it’s got to be about affordability too. Not everybody has the money to build out a system or to pay for a system.”
Colwell said this is another option for rural areas in Iowa.
“What we’re trying to do is expose all of the options for each county and city," he said.
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