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How to Use Broadband Assessment Tools

There are many ways that the assessment tools can be used to gather data for the Regional Broadband Plans. Originally, all of the assessment tools were in the Broadband workbook, but have been lifted from there, reviewed, and edited. (They may still require a few minor changes depending on your community in order to make it all flow).

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Using & Implementing the Online Workbook

Suggested Planning Process
 A guide for the chair or facilitator. This section suggests a process, which can be used as a guide to assess a community/region’s e-readiness and to develop a plan to use broadband applications to enhance development opportunities.

Benchmark Data
The data included in this section is provided to help communities/regions understand how they compare to statewide and national benchmarks in several areas regarding the use of information technology.

Technology Trends for Communities
Is your community/region aware of technology trends and developing ways to leverage these trends?

For additional information, contact Connie Hancock, Project Lead, 308-254-4455, or Charlotte Narjes, Project Lead, 402-472-1724.

 

Possible Ideas for Implementing the Assessments

►Identify a group of people who you think have an interest or knowledge of the section you are asking them to help you with. Invite them to help gather data by explaining to them the importance of gathering information to prepare a Regional Broadband Plan that will help educate leaders and businesses in rural communities on the added value of broadband in business and put a plan into place to provide higher broadband speeds in the future.

►Review the assessments that you will work with and share with individuals you contact that the assessment will require some time. Some assessments will take 30 minutes or less and a couple of them may require as much as an hour.

►Set a date and time, or several dates and times to implement the assessment.

►Set a date for completing assessments. Might be one month from time of implementation.

►Then determine the best way to get people to complete the assessment.

  • Send out the link in an email with an explanation, asking them to reserve a certain amount of time to go through the assessment and respond to the questions as best they can.
  • Invite a group of 6-10 or maybe even more people to join you on a conference call while sitting in front of a computer on a specified date and time. Send them the link to the assessment, ask them to pull up the assessment and respond to the questions as you lead a discussion as you work through the assessment tool. This might be a way to gather quite a bit of data with a smaller amount of time. NOTE: There are funds to pay for conference calls. You would need to estimate the number you would expect to be on the call through R.S.V.P’s. Contact your regional coach to have them set up a conference call for you.
  • Arrange appointments with individuals or even groups from a community or region and complete the survey for them online while asking them their responses. Will take more time to do.
  • Arrange appointment time for a phone call to an individual or group of people on a speaker phone and ask them to respond to the questions as you ask them and complete the assessment.
  • Other ideas? Share them via your regional listserv or with your coach.

►Report back to your coach the number of contacts you made and number of assessments you think were completed.

Go to Regional Broadband Assessment Links