High Speed Internet Connectivity in Greensboro

The Town of Greensboro Planning Commission has asked us to distribute the following survey to our membership. High-Speed internet connectivity is the subject of intensive effort in the area through a consortium of users called NEK Community Broadband. Internet connectivity was one of the top things that Greensboro residents identified as something they wanted to improve through the USDA community grant initiative that we went through last winter and spring. This survey includes an assessment of your current connection speed as well as a few questions to assess overall interest and need. The quality of the survey increases with the number of people who participate, so please respond. All seasonal and year-round residents are invited to participate.

You can participate by clicking on the following link (or copying and pasting into your browser) – http://nek.tilsontech.com/

NEK Community Broadband (www.nekbroadband.org) is a Communications Union District (CUD) working to provide every E911 business and residential address in 31 towns in Northern Vermont with access to a minimum speed of 100 Mbps, symmetrical, at an affordable price. The goal is to ultimately get every home and business connected to a fiber-optic network. NEK Broadband will use wireless as an interim solution to get as many addresses connected as soon as possible.

Symmetrical connections offer the same upload and download speeds.  So if you were to subscribe to a 100mb/sec symmetrical plan, you would be able to download and upload at that speed simultaneously.  Basically, it means your data travels at the same speeds in either direction. Your download and upload speeds are equal, and you can do the two simultaneously equally fast. The higher the number the faster your data travels. For example, a single user with 100 Mbps internet speed will be able to stream Netflix, YouTube TV, Hulu, and other streaming services. It’s also enough for downloading HD video and photos, participating in a Zoom call and doing basic internet stuff like surfing the web and checking email.

You can find out your internet speed on a smartphone or computer by downloading an app or visiting a speed test online. The speed test result will give you download and upload numbers. The lower the number the slower your internet experience will be. An easy online speed test may be found at:  https://www.speedtest.net/