Empowering Nashville through Internet Connectivity
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The early days of the internet are a little hazy to most people. What started out as a fun luxury for a select few quickly became a daily requisite for the vast majority. Despite its prevalence, there are still many people around the world, and even in Nashville, who have little to no access to the internet. Moreover, those that do have access often do not take advantage of its full potential. With improved connectivity, people and businesses can be more efficient and engaged.
Better Technology Means Better Business
At Concept Technology, we have the opportunity to help numerous businesses, schools, nonprofits and other establishments maximize their internet potential. A common business complaint is the juggle between multiple Wi-Fi signals. Just one wireless access point may work in your house, but chances are your business requires several throughout the office. Think about moving from conference room to break room to your desk. How many different access points do you jump between in a typical day? And how many times does your computer try to connect to a distant, weaker access point when a stronger one is closer? One of our most common solutions at Concept Technology is to install a device that combines all access points under one wireless ID. This means you join one network with one password for your entire space. You can move freely without falling into a weak spot in the office. The system naturally switches you to the strongest access point without interfering with your work.
Sometimes, the digital distress businesses experience is on a physically larger scale. In one particular instance, a client needed to expand their internet access over a huge campus. While the initial solution was to run more cables, it became apparent that this would be too costly. Our team ultimately brought in the same technology that is used to provide internet in foreign, rural countries. This met the client’s needs while also saving them the tens of thousands of dollars it would have cost to disperse cables throughout their property.
Keeping Nashville Connected
While Concept Technology focuses primarily on optimizing connectivity for businesses, we know that there’s a parallel story to be told about the digital divide many in our community face each day. In the Metro Nashville Public School district, 44 percent of students lack access to the internet at home, according to Connected Nation. And that number is only a part of the larger 55,000 households in Davidson County that are without internet access.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][wproto_quote text=”Each day that a school or community goes without internet is another day it falls behind in access to information that community members need to build themselves a better life.”][vc_column_text]Just last year, the Digital Inclusion Fund was launched to spread internet accessibility. The initial budget allotment from former Mayor Karl Dean was matched by several companies, eventually bringing the fund to $400,000 in October of 2015. In conjunction with the fund, 3,800 computers were donated to lower-income families with students in Nashville schools. The Digital Inclusion Fellowship, managed by the Nonprofit Technology Network, is also working to raise the digital-literacy level for adults by developing educational programs and a computer lab. And our close friends at Google Fiber are bridging the digital divide by providing free gigabit internet to Nashville’s low-income housing residents.
At Concept Technology, we believe in the vital role tech plays in keeping people connected, and we are glad to be a part of a city that shares in that mission. Nashville is a great example of how the public sector and private companies, like ours, are coming together to ensure that all of our fellow citizens benefit from the technological revolution that has transformed life in the 21st Century. I believe that our city’s commitment to overcoming this problem will prove central to our continued growth and success.
This post also appeared in The Tennessean.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][wproto_image image=”10751″ link_type=”custom” custom_link=”http://concepttechnologyinc.com/googlefiber/” image_align=”aligncenter”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
