Farm Director, KC Sheperd, is visiting with Oklahoma State University’s Brian Whitacre, as he gives an update on broadband progress in the state.
After a long selection process, Whitacre said the Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board has voted to hire former Oklahoma State Representative Mike Sanders as the executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office.
“His first order of business really is ramping up the state broadband office,” Whitacre said. “We have kind of been ‘bare bones’ at this point. We really have about three full-time employees in the Oklahoma broadband office. Other states have 15 or 20.”
In December of 2022, Whitacre said the state of Oklahoma received federal funding to improve internet access throughout the state over five years. Nine months from when the funds were received, Whitacre said the state is required to have the five-year plan compiled.
“That puts us around August of 2023 when we need to have that full plan submitted back to the federal government,” Whitacre said.
Hiring the appropriate individuals to work in the broadband office, Whitacre said, will be an integral part of compiling and submitting that plan.
“Because we are kind of behind the curve in the number of people we have employed and working on this, it is going to take us a while to get up to speed and get these people hired and make them aware of what we need to have in that five-year plan,” Whitacre said. “They are big on meshing the infrastructure piece with this digital equity piece. We have got to make a case for how we are going to go help people use the internet, get people signed up for it that have never experienced it, and help them be productive users.”
Part of the work the state broadband office has been doing includes reviewing information from the FCC National Broadband Map, where previously, Oklahoma residents were asked to review the map for accuracy and submit challenges to the data.
“We are challenging the number of locations that will affect the amount of dollars we get later on,” Whitacre said. “We are also challenging some of the places where the map says, ‘hey, you guys have good broadband,’ but in reality, that is not the case.”
Whitacre also gave an update on more progress regarding additional funding, aside from the federal funding which will be issued further down the road. There is funding available through the American Recovery Plan Act, he added.
“The state legislature has about 380 million dollars, specifically that they are focusing on broadband,” Whitacre said.
The goal, Whitacre said is to have 98 percent of Oklahoma covered by 2028.
