Rural areas work to provide internet connectivity to students

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- 4-County’s FastNet fiber services will expand to families in Noxubee County.

For the school system, it provides another option for a faster internet connection in the classroom.

Having internet services can be a make or break for students.Missing assignments and deadlines soon won’t be an excuse.

” We need it. It’s a necessity,” said 8th-grade teacher Jackie Hill.

Hill is surprised to learn 4-County’s FastNet broadband services will expand to her area.

” It hasn’t just been since the pandemic. It has been a great need for a while. I think we kind of get left out because we are a rural area,” said Hill.

For years, Hill has watched students struggle to complete classroom assignments.

Scholars would have little to no internet connectivity.

” Students are falling further and further behind. Those students would miss out on assignments on Monday,” said Hill.

Noxubee County Schools installed WIFI hotspots throughout the district for students.

Internet connections can be delayed.

” A lot of the networks didn’t know the capacity they had to utilize the internet that every student in our district is on wifi virtual learning,” said Coordinator of Professional Development, Dr. Khristy Franklin.

” They wouldn’t be able to get those assignments until Wednesday. It would entirely push that lesson back, which would throw the entire lesson plan behind,” said Hill.

Being in a rural area can affect the productivity rate when internet services aren’t available.

” Just being in our community, we won’t have to pull one service or system at once. We’ll have a variety, so it will be easier to eliminate the stress on one stream of internet usage,” said Franklin.

” Those kids are put at a disadvantage where other kids are steadily moving forward. Not by anything that’s their fault. They don’t have good connectivity,” said Hill.

FastNet construction for Noxubee County is for Fall 2023.

Administrators will continue to provide hotspots for students upon request.