Polk County Broadband Initiative

Submitted by Polk County Judge Brandon Ellison

As all of you are aware, Polk County has a need for better internet connections with broader coverage throughout the county. Although my office has been working on this problem for a few years, we haven’t been able to get much traction coaxing new and willing internet service providers (ISP’s) to build a service area here.

By the end of the year or early in 2024, I expect to have an opportunity to incentivize the right ISP or ISP’s to compete for our service area. The Arkansas Broadband Office will open a grant window later in the year to accept applications from a partnership of the county and an ISP. There can be multiple applications from the county with other ISP’S. The goal of the Polk County Broadband Initiative is to achieve complete coverage of the county with quality and affordable internet.

In order to be prepared for this opportunity, it will be wise to accomplish some tasks to make our application(s) more attractive. We will begin by forming a County

Broadband Committee. The committee will consist of community leaders, elected officials, representatives from business, agriculture, education, tourism, communication professionals, and interested citizens.

The committee will identify potential resources such as possible matching funds for infrastructure, digital skills training classes, and affordability outreach programs.

Another project for the committee will be to identify willing internet service providers and then evaluate them for potential partnership with the county. We must also develop a list of broadband priorities from infrastructure to skills training. The grantor will want to know that we have a plan to train the unskilled how to operate on the internet safely.

A high percentage of the proposed plan to distribute the internet will likely be carried on a fiber cable, however, fixed wireless systems using high elevations, towers and other structures will be considered for more remote locations or even densely populated areas. So, the committee should identify high vertical assets that might be available. Right of ways for installations will also be sought out. The committee should ask for any policy changes or waivers from the local governing bodies that will help accomplish or save expense for internet construction.

If you have special expertise or you are just really passionate about this initiative, contact the County Judge’s Office for consideration for membership on this committee.

Call 479-394-8133.

The current standard for internet speed that is eligible for grant funding is 100 megabits download x 20 megabits upload (100x20). The price per month will need to be $60 or less. According to the Polk County internet audit, 98% of our citizens are either unserved or under-served by that measure.

There is some progress developing in our mission to get connected that I want to tell you about. Currently construction is underway by Four States Fiber from just south of Cove to the Sevier County line to supply a fiber internet connection to EVERY structure that has an electric meter.

This was made possible by the participation and cooperation of Southwest Arkansas Electrical Cooperative by using their poles and right of ways exclusively inside their territory. Polk County residents that receive electricity from Southwest, will have access to quality and affordable fiber connections for around $60 per month.

In another development last week, Hilliary Communications, headquartered in Lawton, Oklahoma, contacted me requesting a support letter for an Oklahoma grant. This is for a project that comes across the Arkansas line and captures an area on Highway 8W to Rocky. This is a proposed project and I will not know the results for some time.

I am committed to do whatever is reasonable to get Polk County complete coverage of quality and affordable internet. Please stay tuned for periodic updates on the broadband initiative.

Arkansas to receive over $1B to expand broadband

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 26, 2023) – Today, the Arkansas Department of Commerce, along with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced that Arkansas will receive $1,024,303,993.86 from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The funds will be used to expand broadband access in Arkansas and address affordability and digital skills needs throughout the state.

“This announcement will be transformational for Arkansas,” said Governor Sanders. “With more than $1 billion now at our state’s disposal to fund broadband access, we will finally be able to close the digital divide between rural and urban Arkansas. This puts every part of our state on an equal playing field and unlocks a world of potential for businesses, schools, and everyday Arkansans.”

The priority for Arkansas’ allocation of BEAD funding will be to address the lack of broadband access at an estimated 215,000 homes and businesses located throughout the state. Funds can also be used to improve high-speed internet at vital community anchor institutions such as hospitals, libraries, and schools. Arkansas’ workforce will also benefit from funding to improve digital skills.

“These funds are an economic game changer,” said Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald. “As a small rural state, we have too many households and businesses that are not connected to broadband. This affects our bottom line –from education and skills development to entrepreneurship and opportunity. Broadband is no longer a luxury; it is an absolute necessity for individual upward mobility as well as to develop strong and vibrant communities that will attract business and industry to the state.”

The Arkansas State Broadband Office, housed within the Arkansas Department of Commerce, will administer the BEAD funding allocated to Arkansas. In accordance with BEAD program requirements, the Broadband Office must submit to NTIA a five-year action plan and other documentation by the end of 2023 before funding will be released to the state. The Broadband Office, working under the leadership of Governor Sanders, will ensure that plans for BEAD funds address the priorities of the state and include opportunities for feedback by local communities. Use of BEAD funds will also be subject to legislative review and appropriation.

Polk County 4-Her’s compete at District 4-H O’rama

Submitted by Sherry Beaty-Sullivan

Six 4-H’ers from Polk County competed at District 4-H O’rama held at the Malvern High School on Tuesday, June 13. Competitions included skills contests, illustrated talks, and demonstrations. Young people competed with others in the 25-county district.

Representing Polk County 4-H: Remi Hopper competed in Gun Safety

& Marksmanship, Ethan Fields competed in Performance Arts-Vocal and placed second, Nathaniel Fields competed in Wildlife Id and placed third, Layla Horton competed in Food Fair and placed first, Bella Horton, competed in Livestock Skills and placed third, and Ruby Hopper competed in Animal Science and placed second and qualified to compete at State O’rama in late July on the U of A-Fayetteville campus.

Hunter of Mena graduates from U of A’s Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

FAYETTEVILLE, AR (06/23/2023)

— Anna Hunter of Mena recently graduated from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Hunter joined more than 900 additional undergraduate Fulbright College students who graduated in spring 2023 and whose academic achievement was celebrated during the commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 12, in Bud Walton Arena.

“On behalf of our faculty, staff, and the entire U of A community, we offer Anna a big congratulations,” said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean of Fulbright College. “We’re so incredibly proud of Anna for reaching this incredible academic achievement.”

“To Anna and the entire Class of 2023, I’ll add this: You’ve grown in the face of these obstacles, you’ve adapted, and your resiliency has brought you to this moment. You’ve worked so hard for so long, and now you’ve reached the graduation milestone you’ve been striving for,” Sloan said. “Congratulations!”

Mena High School offers ACT Boot Camp

Mena High School is excited to be offering an ACT Boot Camp to next year’s 10th-12th graders this summer.

The camp will take place July 10-14 from 8 a.m. - noon in the MHS math hall.

Parents and/or students, please email colby.singleton@ menaschools.org to sign up or call Mena High School with any questions at 479-394-1144.

Collectively, Fulbright College awarded nearly 1,200 bachelor’s degrees to students this spring in areas of study that span across four academic disciplines in the college: fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

“I hope that Anna, all of our new alumni, and all who supported them on this journey to commencement will take a moment to reflect on just how momentous this is, on all it took to get to this point, and all the incredible potential the future now holds,” Sloan said.

The Fulbright College commencement website https://fulbright.uark.edu/commencement/ includes a complete list of our Spring 2023 graduates and information about our college’s featured student speaker.

Videos of the live-streamed 2023 spring commencement ceremonies are also available on the U of A’s YouTube channel https://www. youtube.com/user/UniversityArkansas/videos Printed program books were handed out to graduates and are available online at https://registrar.uark.edu/commencement.pdf

ORSD to destroy certain special education forms

State and Federal guidelines require that all special education due process forms and records be destroyed after six years after a student leaves the special education or speech therapy program.

If your child was dismissed, graduated, or found not to be eligible for special education or speech therapy services during the 2016-2017 school year, you have the right to review and request copies of your child’s due process records before they are destroyed.

Your child also has the right to review the records, provided your child is 18 years of age or older. If you wish to view the records, they will be available at your child’s school building from Aug. 21 - Sept. 1, 2023, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Records will be destroyed on Sept. 12, 2023.

The records are not your child’s permanent records.