CONNECTING CARROLL COUNTY WITH FIBER

• Emergency services and telemedicine are priorities for the county. Fiber optic to premise will remove the barriers we now face with our older population, challenging mountainous terrain and families living in remote rural areas.
• As a tourism destination attracting over 1.4 million visitors a year, reliable 100/20 fiber throughout the county can literally mean the difference between life and death.
• Fire, police, emergency services and medical teams need efficient communications. Our mountainous terrain presents many obstacles that can be overcome with fiber optic.
•  Ensuring the county airport and all medical facilities are covered is critical to life flight, emergency calls, transportation, and safety coordination needs. 
• Optic fiber does not require electricity and is; therefore, not susceptible to power outages, surges, static electricity, or inclement weather when communication services are needed most.
• Fiber is future proof and can serve 30 years. Fiber is immune to moisture, temperature changes and can be installed underwater. It will not corrode as it does not contain copper.  

Lack of 100/20 fiber impedes development of telemedicine. Telemedicine is 

becoming more of a priority to provide services to the unserved, underserved, 

elderly patients, those with mental health needs and patients with disabilities. 

Where many of these people live, they do not even have cell phone coverage.

• In addition to residents and visitors, over 12,000 people in Madison and Newton 

Counties and the Southern part of Missouri rely on Carroll County hospitals for 

care and emergency services.

• A growing population with disabilities and/or mental health needs require more 

services and access to broadband. 

• Mental Health, Anxiety & Depression: Arkansas is the 2nd WORST state. “Securing access to 

mental health care is an especially difficult obstacle for people, especially children, in the 

Natural State”. The “State of Mental Health in America” report says “23.2% of Arkansas

youth with private insurance don’t have coverage for mental or emotional problems, 

making it the worst for that category in the country. People living in rural areas often don’t 

have as many resources, such as therapists and psychiatrists, money or means of 

transportation, as their urban counterparts. Teletherapy and other remote clinical services 

are needed to overcome the challenges. Some people may not have the necessary phone, 

tablet or computer to access even remote care options”. Access to broadband internet 

in the home is critical.

• As a tourism destination attracting over 1.4 million visitors a year, reliable 

100/20 fiber throughout the county can literally mean the difference between 

life and death.

The following statistics were reported by school district:

o Eureka Springs: 23% of students do not have home internet service

o Berryville: 26% of students do not have home internet services

o Green Forest: 65% of students do not have home internet service

• Consistent access to high speed, reliable 100/20 internet is vital for the education and 

future of our students.

Carroll County is a rare jewel for Arkansas with tremendous economic growth potential.

o The county has lots of land, water, and natural resources

o The county (specifically Eureka Springs) is a well-known brand nationally and 

internationally as a tourism and retirement destination.

o Quality of Life assets are plentiful throughout the county making it attractive to 

businesses and residents to relocate.

o Remote work options have escalated since Covid-19. Without reliable 100/20 fiber 

available, locations throughout the county get eliminated from the list of options 

and opportunities.

o Population is on the rise and is projected to continue to increase over the next 10 years. 

o The average age of residents is falling and more families with children are moving 

to the area.

o More people are choosing the county for retirement.

o Economic diversification foundations already exist but are hampered by lack of 

broadband access:

Agriculture

Tourism

Entrepreneurship

Outdoor adventure products, services, and manufacturing

Healthcare

Advanced Manufacturing

Career tech and trade schools

The survey conducted through the committee revealed affordability as a major barrier 

to receiving decent broadband coverage. Over 1000 surveys were submitted.

• Of those paying more than $90 a month for service, the average cost to get fixed 

wireless, satellite or cable was $165 per month. Of those paying for fiber, the monthly 

cost was lower.

• The committee has promoted, with some success, the Affordable Connectivity Program 

and will continue to do so.

• Considering median household income and average rental costs, the ideal price range 

for 100/20 fiber broadband for Carroll County is $50-$90 per month.

To state the obvious, if Carroll County had 100/20 broadband service, more businesses, 

entrepreneurs, and remote workers would choose to live and work here. 

• 100/20 broadband is key to expanding and diversifying the economy throughout the county.

• 100/20 broadband is need to expand existing career track programs available through 

our school districts:

o All three school districts have strong Career and Technical Education programs 

which include Information Technology, Construction, Agriculture, Business, Hospitality, 

Health Services, Art, Audio/Visual, Technology and Communications and, Science, 

Technology, Engineering and Math.

o Through a partnership with the Carroll County Airport, the STEAM program has been 

expanded to include a Student Aviation and Flight School consisting of two aviation 

STEM pathways: Pilot and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones). This career track is 

varied and totally dependent upon technology.

o Through the Carroll County Collaborative (C3), the Carroll County Career & Tech 

Center (C4) was established with a partnership and funding from Tyson Foods. The 

Center opened in 2017, and currently has a long waiting list of students and adults 

looking for training, up-skilling, and jobs.

• Each of these programs are poised to add additional curriculum and opportunities for area 

students to help build a workforce specifically around broadband technology and installation.

• The county has an untapped labor force of retired professionals from a variety of fields 

and industry. Many retired professionals find it necessary to gain full or part-time

employment to supplement their income due to inflation and rising housing and utility costs. 

Many of whom would be interested in being part of building the county broadband 

infrastructure.