Thrive Regional Partnership teams up with the Sewanee DataLab to create a broadband asset inventory to support local communities and strengthen high-speed internet connectivity across the tri-state.
Students from the inaugural Sewanee DataLab program will partner with Thrive Regional Partnership (Thrive) to identify assets and gaps in local communities that could support efforts to expand access to high-speed internet connectivity in the greater Chattanooga region.
Students will work alongside Thrive to identify physical assets such as community property and vertical structures; digital literacy data such as device access points, broadband adoption rates, internet pricing; as well as community stakeholder opportunities such as internet and telecommunications service providers, libraries, school systems, economic development agencies, healthcare providers, and more.
“This new program tackles immediate social problems while providing hands-on training for students, academics, and professionals using concrete social projects and real-life data sets—training participants while positively affecting communities near and far.”
The grassroots research will be combined into a public tool that will be of value to a variety of audiences such as local community members and leaders, elected officials, anchor institutions, internet service providers, and business leaders who make decisions that affect broadband access and digital equity.
The research will also provide a data-driven foundation that supports the collaborative efforts of Thrive’s cross-sector Regional Broadband Alliance, which seeks to equip the entire tri-state region with robust, accessible, and affordable high speed internet at home, school, and work.
“Thrive is pleased to partner with another higher education institution in the region to build stronger data behind the complex challenges we seek to solve, while engaging students in real-world community solutions.”
Thrive and Sewanee will be contacting people in communities directly to conduct this research. If you are interested in participating, please contact us.