Columbus County Broadband Survey

This survey is part of Columbus County’s Broadband Initiative to determine the internet/broadband needs for all residents of Columbus County. The primary goal is to identify underserved areas and work to attract internet service providers offering expanded service and higher speed options.

By participating in this survey, you are agreeing that Columbus County and the NC Broadband Infrastructure Office may seek to contact you to follow up on your service needs. Results will be: 1) mapped to show unmet needs or demand for high speed internet and 2) shared with relevant broadband service providers or community planners in an effort to identify service solutions. Therefore, your address in the beginning demographic section is critical to identifying underserved areas. Users submitting data on this survey can choose to NOT allow their location to be mapped. If mapped for public display, specific addresses will be buffered to ensure anonymous addresses. We invite all Columbus County residents to complete this survey by August 13th, 2021. For more information on this survey, please call the County Manager’s office at (910) 640-6630. Thank you in advance for your time.

Question Title

* 1. Resident Contact Information

Name *

Physical Address *

Address 2

City/Town *

State/Province *

ZIP/Postal Code *

Question Title

* 2. What is the County that you reside in?

Question Title

* 3. Do we have your permission to have your address appear on the Columbus County Demand Map?

Yes

Question Title

* 4. Is high speed Internet service currently available at your address?

Yes, I pay a monthly subscription for internet.

Yes, high speed Internet is available, but I do not subscribe to it.

No, I do not have access at my address.

Question Title

* 5. How do you access the internet at home? (Check all that apply.)

Cellular data plan (e.g., Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, US Cellular, etc.)

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) (e.g., CenturyLink, AT&T, Star Communications, etc.)

Cable modem (e.g., Spectrum)

Fiber-Optic (e.g., AT&T U-verse, ATMC, Riverstreet Networks, Star Communications, etc.)

Satellite Internet Service (HughesNet)

Dial-up

Not Sure

High Speed Internet is not available at my address

Question Title

* 6. How satisfied are you with the speed of your current internet access?

Unsatisfied

Somewhat Unsatisfied

Not Sure

Somewhat satisfied

Satisfied

High Speed Internet is not available at my address

Question Title

* 7. How satisfied are you with the reliability of your current internet access?

Unsatisfied

Somewhat Unsatisfied

Not Sure

Somewhat satisfied

Satisfied

High Speed Internet is not available at my address

Question Title

* 8. What is the main reason you do not currently have internet access in your home? (Skip to question 9 if you have internet access)

Don't see the need for it

Not available in my area

The internet service available in my area is too slow or unreliable

My device does not connect

Too expensive

I use the internet somewhere else

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 9. If Internet service is/would be available to you, identify the digital devices that you could access the internet with from your residence. (Check all that apply.)

Smart phone

Desktop

Laptop

Tablet/e-reader (e.g., Kindle, Ipad, etc.)

Smart TV (e.g., Android TV, Samsung Smart Hub, etc.)

Streaming Device (e.g., Chromecast, Apple TV, etc.)

Gaming System (e.g., XBOX, Playstation, Wii, etc.)

Home automation/Security devices

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 10. Please indicate your desired internet speed for your home.

Basic Internet (1 to 25Mbps)…staying connected, basic email, simple web browsing, downloading video, etc.

Typical Internet (50Mbps to 200Mbps)…remote monitoring, basic telecommuting (work at home), streaming video or music (YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, etc), complex web browsing, online education/classes, medium-size file/image sharing, online gaming, large-size file/image sharing, remote medical diagnosis, basic medical record sharing, remote education (between two or more educational sites), etc.

Premium Internet (500Mbps to 1Gbps)… high-definition telemedicine (e.g. sharing/downloading medical images), multiple interactive education service, complex education services, complex gaming, complex telecommuting, high quality telepresence/video conferencing.

Question Title

* 11. What is the maximum you are willing to pay for an Internet Connection?

Less than $25 per month

Between $26 and $39.99 per month

Between $40 and $49.99 per month

Between $50 and $59.99 per month

Between $60 and $69.99 per month

$70 or more per month

Question Title

* 12. Please indicate the age range of primary users of internet service at your home. (check all that apply.)

Adult (s)- Ages 19-25

Adult (s)- Ages 26-45

Adult (s)- Ages 46-65

Adult (s)- Ages 66 and older

School Age Child (Children) - K-8th grade

High School Age Child (Children) - 9th-12th grade

Question Title

* 13. Would a member or members of this residence take online classes if sufficient high speed internet service were available and affordable?

Yes

Question Title

* 14. If reliable, high-speed internet service is unavailable at your home, what opportunities do you and your family miss out on as a result of not having it. (Check all that apply or skip if not applicable.)

Ability to work from home

Ability to complete online assignments for school or college

Ability to save money by seeking lower cost video streaming options

Ability to protect your family/property by utilizing internet connect security devices

Ability to communicate with loved ones over apps like Skype and Facetime

Ability to search for and apply for new employment opportunities online

Ability to seek and apply for food/social/education/employment assistance programs

Ability to engage with health care providers through telemedicine options

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. As a result of not having access to high-speed internet, where do you go to try to access the internet? (Check all that apply.)

A friend or family member’s home

At my job

A local business, restaurant, or coffee shop

Public Library

An outside Wi-Fi hot spot

On my cell phone

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 16. Is this a home-based business?

Yes

Question Title

* 17. If no, would you be able to work from home if you had better technology?

Yes

Question Title

* 1. Resident Contact Information

Question Title

* 2. What is the County that you reside in?

Question Title

* 3. Do we have your permission to have your address appear on the Columbus County Demand Map?

Question Title

* 4. Is high speed Internet service currently available at your address?

Question Title

* 5. How do you access the internet at home? (Check all that apply.)

Question Title

* 6. How satisfied are you with the speed of your current internet access?

Question Title

* 7. How satisfied are you with the reliability of your current internet access?

Question Title

* 8. What is the main reason you do not currently have internet access in your home? (Skip to question 9 if you have internet access)

Question Title

* 9. If Internet service is/would be available to you, identify the digital devices that you could access the internet with from your residence. (Check all that apply.)

Question Title

* 10. Please indicate your desired internet speed for your home.

Question Title

* 11. What is the maximum you are willing to pay for an Internet Connection?

Question Title

* 12. Please indicate the age range of primary users of internet service at your home. (check all that apply.)

Question Title

* 13. Would a member or members of this residence take online classes if sufficient high speed internet service were available and affordable?

Question Title

* 14. If reliable, high-speed internet service is unavailable at your home, what opportunities do you and your family miss out on as a result of not having it. (Check all that apply or skip if not applicable.)

Question Title

* 15. As a result of not having access to high-speed internet, where do you go to try to access the internet? (Check all that apply.)

Question Title

* 16. Is this a home-based business?

Question Title

* 17. If no, would you be able to work from home if you had better technology?

Question Title

* 18. Please share below how a lack of access to fast internet has impacted you or your family.