HYANNIS – A major focus of late in the Cape Cod community has been broadband access as the digital frontier has grown since the pandemic, and the Cape Cod Commission is doing their due diligence to find the best solution.
With the county allocating funding to do a more in-depth analysis, says Steven Tupper, Deputy Director of the Cape Cod Commission, they believe they can identify any potential needs for improvements.
“A lot of this focus came out of the pandemic. Certainly it became clear at that point, as it has been for a number of years, but more so during Covid. That broadband is not just an amenity, it’s certainly a necessity for everyday life,” Tupper said.
The first thing the commission will be tasked with as they do their analysis, will be to look objectively at the data to truly understand the challenges the Cape faces when it comes to reliability.
Though the focus of the initial analysis will be on fixed broadband services, some regions rely on mobile broadband service, says Tupper, which the commission plans to look into as well.
“Understanding where the challenges are different among different groups of people on the Cape. We certainly understand that different households have different resources in this space, and really have different challenges depending on what they’re able to procure in terms of broadband service, devices, and what sort of skills they have in that space,” Tupper said.
He said the Cape Cod Commission understands that the availability of broadband service can affect the quality of life for any resident in need, whether it is for work purposes or even to sign up for vaccinations and doctor visits.
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