Internet use Survey

Posted on Jul 27, 2009 in Blog, Champaign Government

Information Technologies Department
102 North Neil Street
Champaign IL 61820
(217) 403-8970
Fax (217) 403-8980
www.ci.champaign.il.us

News Release

Date: July 27, 2009 Editor: Jeff Hamilton
Time: 9:00 a.m. Contact: Fred Halenar
217-403-8970
Fred.Halenar@ci.champaign.il.us

Neighborhood Surveyors to Determine Local Computer and Internet Use

Community volunteers will conduct door to door surveys July 29th thru August 1st on behalf of the Cities of Champaign and Urbana and the University of Illinois. The surveyors will visit neighborhoods in both cities and conduct short, 5-minute surveys to determine computer and Internet use by local households. This data is needed to help complete an application for Federal Stimulus grant funds for the construction of fiber-optic community networks and affordable high-speed Internet services. The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Surveyors will visit randomly selected addresses between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and will have identification from the Cities and the University. The approximate area being surveyed is bordered by I-74 on the north, Duncan Road on the west, Springfield Avenue in Champaign and Main Street in Urbana on the south, and Lierman Road on the east. A map of the survey area is also available online at http://archive.ci.champaign.il.us/uc2b/networkmap.pdf. Households being surveyed should have received an informational letter from the Cities.
Residents are encouraged to answer the surveyors’ questions, but are not required to do so. Names will not be associated with the survey and all answers will remain strictly confidential. By participating, residents will make our community’s grant proposal even stronger, which could result in a community network that will provide faster, more affordable Internet access in Champaign-Urbana.

Anyone with questions regarding the survey should contact the City of Champaign at 217-403-8970 or the City of Urbana at 217-384-2444. The public is encouraged to review the draft grant proposal and proposed fiber-optic network at www.cuopenaccess.org.