Connected Tennessee releases county-level Internet speed map

Connected Tennessee has released a county-by-county report of average Internet speeds. The report was gathered with data gathered from 86,000 people over all 95 counties in Tennessee, including data collected by SpeedMatters.

"The data gathered by Connected Tennessee allows us to see for the first time where improvement is needed and work to localize our efforts," said Governor Phil Bredesen. "Technology adoption and economic development go hand in hand, and we want to work to ensure that Tennesseans everywhere can realize the opportunities that are possible when all communities are truly connected."

According to the report, the average statewide upload speed is 575 kilobits per second (Kbps) and the average statewide download speed is 3.4 megabits per second (Mbps). On average, a Tennessean with high speed Internet service can download 1 megabyte of information in less than three seconds. With dial-up service, the same amount of information would take almost four minutes to download. Fifteen of 95 counties have a significantly lower than average upload speed, and 30 counties are slower than the average download speed.

Connected Tennessee, like Connect Kentucky, is working to close the digital divide statewide by building a collaborative network of telecommunications and information technology providers, public agencies, business and community leaders, researchers and universities. This network will work towards meeting Governor Bredesen's Trail to Innovation, which includes these five goals;

• Affordable broadband technology for all Tennessee;
• Dramatically improved use of computers and the Internet by all Tennesseans;
• The formation of eCommunity Leadership Teams in every county – local leaders who assemble to develop and implement technology growth strategies for local government, business and industry, education, healthcare, agriculture, libraries, tourism and community-based organizations;
• A policy and regulatory framework that encourages continued investment in communications and information technologies year after year; and
• A meaningful online presence for all Tennessee communities to improve citizen services and promote economic development through e-government, virtual education and online healthcare.

Interestingly, McMinn and Polk counties, two more rural counties, registered among the state's highest upload speeds. None of the state's major metropolitan counties, including Hamilton, Knox, Davidson and Shelby counties, rank among those with the fastest upload speeds. Hamilton, Davidson and Knox counties all have significantly higher than average download speeds.

"The United States has fallen to 16th in the world in terms of access to broadband Internet," said CWA District Vice President Noah Savant. "The data collected by the Speed Matters Campaign and Connected Tennessee is designed to encourage the build-out of high-speed networks ultimately to provide not only all Tennesseans, but all Americans with the ability to access the immeasurable benefits afforded by a high-speed connection."

Connected Tennessee Releases Nation's First County-by-County Internet Speed Map (The Daily News Journal)

Connected Tennessee.org

Connect Kentucky

Connected Tennessee Releases Nation's First County-by-County Internet Speed Map (Connected Tennessee)

Download speeds from Web vary widely in state (Times Free Press)

Sullivan among counties that lag in Internet Speed tests (Times News.net)

Morning Links: 25 January 2008 (Nashville Post)

Bedford lags behind state in broadband (Times Gazette)

On Broadband & Shelby County (Mediaverse)

Study: Broadband access in Shelby County under 50 percent (Memphis Business Journal)

Connected Tennessee (Roane Views)

Connected Tennessee Releases Nation's First County-by-County Internet Speed Map (Henry Countian)