The LinkWYOMING Initiative

Welcome to the LinkWYOMING website. Here you’ll find important news and resources related to our mapping and planning efforts.

Feel free to visit our site often for the latest in broadband-related news and resources. The following are a few of the most recent updates to our site:

• According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, on any given day, 53% of young adults ages 18-29 go online for no particular reason except to have fun or to pass the time.
• USDA announced funding to improve access to healthcare and educational services in rural areas, including two school districts in Wyoming. Funding is provided through the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Program.
• The winter 2011 edition of "the Link" (LinkWYOMING's digital newsletter) contains summaries of the seven regional broadband investment plans, information on new features of the state and national broadband maps and how to access a new LinkWYOMING resource known as "Broadband 201."
• EdLab Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and recipient of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Broadband Initiative (SBI) award on behalf of the State of Wyoming, has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) in order to identify a monitoring and evaluation partner for the LinkWYOMING program.
• After months of meeting, research and planning, the LinkWYOMING regional planning teams have determined top broadband priorities and developed regional broadband investment plans.

Region 1 (Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston Counties)

Region 2 (Converse, Natrona and Niobrara Counties)

Region 3 (Carbon and Sweetwater Counties)

Region 4 (Lincoln, Sublette and Uinta Counties)

Region 5 (Fremont and Teton Counties)

Region 6 (Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park and Washakie Counties)

Region 7 (Albany, Goshen, Laramie and Platte Counties)

Funding for LinkWYOMING

Funding for LinkWYOMING

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 made funding possible for broadband projects, including mapping and planning, infrastructure, public computer centers and sustainable adoption programs. States' broadband mapping and planning projects are made possible through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) State Broadband Data and Development (SBDD) grant program.

In Nov. 2009, Wyoming received an approximately $1.8 million grant to fund the State's SBDD project years 1-2. An additional $2.36 million grant was awarded in Sept. 2010 to fund project years 3-5.

This project will serve as a catalyst for increased access to and use of broadband to better serve our citizens. With ubiquitous broadband, we can realize improved economic development, access to education and health care, enhanced public safety, improved government efficiencies, increased tourism, greater access to telework opportunities and more.

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Why LinkWYOMING?

Through initial research, we understand there are many reasons Wyoming residents do not use broadband. Perhaps the most commonly cited barrier is access: broadband must be available in order to adopt it. Where broadband is available, barriers to adopting it include high subscription costs, lack of broadband-ready devices, low awareness of broadband uses and concerns about privacy and security on the Internet. Through community collaboration and regional planning, this project will address these issues and many more.

In order to address expansion of this technology, we must first have a clear picture of where broadband currently exists in the state, and thus where our gaps in coverage are. Following a thorough assessment and inventory of key Wyoming assets, we have developed an online, interactive tool revealing our broadband footprint. This tool, available on this site in August 2010, will display detailed maps of broadband coverage in both rural and urban areas throughout the state and will provide consumers with links to individual broadband providers in their area.

While consumers may use this content to identify and order broadband services, it is equally important for policymakers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Policymakers can identify and address barriers to expansion. ISPs can identify gaps in coverage and an estimated cost to fill them.

To this point, we have been unable to accurately articulate the levels of current and future demand for broadband services for Wyoming businesses, households and community anchor institutions. By collecting and analyzing market data, we will be able to profile county-specific broadband service demands and complete a geographic analysis of that demand relative to available infrastructure.

Another challenge LinkWYOMING will address is the absence of coordinated regional leadership to plan and implement local sustainable adoption. Later this year, we will facilitate regional technology planning teams to develop effective, local strategies and regional broadband plans.

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Our Role in Addressing Broadband Challenges and Solutions

LinkWYOMING is not intended to replace or compete with other broadband efforts in our state, but rather to identify and work with new and existing projects that share our goal. Through collaboration, we can finally realize greater access to and use of broadband technologies to improve business opportunities and the quality of life for all residents of Wyoming.