Resident Broadband Survey

Help Plan For a More Connected Future

We all know how important the Internet is in our daily lives. Unfortunately, high-speed Internet isn't reliable or available in some areas of our community. In order to bridge this digital divide, Livingston County needs to gain a better picture of connectivity in our area.

For this, we need your help!

The County has partnered with Merit Network to create a survey to gather this valuable information. Your response is very important! The information you provide will only be used to explore broadband access options, and will not be sold. Understanding what Internet access looks like in our County is the critical first step in addressing our needs.

Please complete our quick and easy survey. By participating, each resident helps us plan for better connection.

Why Should I Participate?

Many homes in our community don't have reliable access or connection at all to high-speed Internet. By taking our survey, you can help us identify gaps in our area's Internet connection. We will use this information to help plan for broadband access expansion.

Connection to the Internet is important for many areas of our lives. Here are some ways better access impacts us all:

Education - Students without broadband at home are at a significant disadvantage vs. their peers. Students with high-speed Internet access at home have more digital skills, higher grades, and perform better on standardized tests like the SAT.

Public Safety - Communities without broadband suffer 25% higher rates of death, injuries and crime.

Economic Development - Having a home broadband connection gives households an estimated economic benefit of $1,850 a year.

Agriculture - Farmers with broadband access experience a 6% increase in revenue on average.

Survey FAQ

What Are These Surveys For?,

The goal of this survey is to identify areas of Livingston County that do not have broadband Internet or have poor broadband Internet service.

What Should I Do If I Have Any Questions Or Concerns About This Survey?,

If you have questions or concerns, please email broadbandinfo@livgov.com or call 517-294-2776.

What Should I Do If I Have Website Issues?,

You can try refreshing the web page, or visiting the link from a different browser like Chrome, Firefox, etc.

If you still have issues, please email broadbandinfo@livgov.com or call 517-294-2776.

How Will I Know If My Survey Was Received?,

After you complete the survey online, a confirmation page will appear after you click "submit."

Will The Survey Work On My Cell Phone?,

While the survey will work on your cell phone, we encourage you to complete it from your home or business connection.

What Is Broadband?,

When visualizing bandwidth, or broadband speed, it may help to think of an Internet connection as a system of roads. If there is only one lane and a lot of traffic, it will take a long time for a group of cars to reach their destination. If more lanes are available, the same group of cars would reach their destination quicker!

Broadband is Internet access, but the term refers to a high-speed Internet connection that provides the user the ability to upload and download high-quality video, data, and images.

Current federal standards define broadband as 25 megabits per second for download and 3 megabytes per second for upload.

What Is Fixed Internet?,

Simply put, fixed Internet provides Internet access to a single physical location. You cannot take a fixed Internet source "with you." Examples of fixed Internet include wired Internet, satellite Internet, dish, and DSL.

Who Should Take This Survey?,

All residents are encouraged to complete this survey, regardless of connectivity status. Even if your home has Internet, it is critical to broadband planning and improvement efforts that your participate.

How Do I Respond If I Work From Home?,

Residents who work from home should complete the survey and when you come to the questions, "please indicate if this is a business or residential property," please answer with "residential."

Is the Information I Provide Safe?,

Yes, the information you provide will be secure. The data collection process used by our partner, Merit, has passed the Michigan State University Institutional Review Board Review.

All information you provide will only be used for broadband planning purposes and never sold.

Community Resources

Here, in our Community Resources section, you will find materials to help spread the word about the Resident Broadband Survey and encourage our community to participate.

Message #1: October 12th - Survey Introduction