Category: Asheville

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Asheville Broadband in WNC IoT Municipalities Smart City Wireless

A Smarter Asheville

Smart World IoT Sensor Applications
Smart World IoT Sensor Applications

Internet of Things (IoT)

In a world of wireless sensors that allow the connection of our physical and digital worlds; how does or how could a Asheville effectively be a smarter IoT city? A couple of key ingredients include broadband and sensors. What are or what could be the WNC applications of these IoT sensors?

Wine Quality Enhancing at Biltmore Vineyards

With the very large Biltmore Vineyards, could sensors monitor soil moisture and trunk diameter to control the amount of sugar in grapes and grapevine health?

Water Management

If the French Broad River had IoT sensors that monitor agriculture, farming, industry, services; to detect leakages, tracking pressure and volume variations along pipes, and checking water quality for river sports.

Smart Parking

Asheville App - Where's Parking
Asheville App > Where’s Parking, Photo by Marc Czarnecki
Wall Street
Parking Meet on Wall Street, Asheville, NC – photo by Marc Czarnecki

Tourist and downtown shoppers are privileged to have wireless payments benefits for parking in Downtown Asheville. Analytics of parking space data is also managed by the City of Asheville’s App.

With parking meters, users have the option for either a debit or credit card and the use of the Passport app for parking payments and automated reminders.

Air Quality Stations

Clean air is critical for our citizens and tourists. Capturing data, benchmarking, and reporting this data to control pollution is critical for our health and well-being. Asheville is a climatic data center and no doubt, data is likely acquired through IoT type of devices.

Smart Retail Stores

Amazon Locker - Whole Foods Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC
Amazon Locker – Merrimon Avenue Whole Foods, Photo by Marc Czarnecki

Two Whole Foods grocery stores in Asheville already have Amazon Lockers that provides IoT mechanisms to deliver small products.

References

50 Sensor Applications for a Smarter World – Libelium. (2020, September 9). Libelium. https://www.libelium.com/libeliumworld/top_50_iot_sensor_applications_ranking/

“Smart” parking meters to be installed throughout downtown Asheville | The City of Asheville. (2018, January 29). The City of Asheville. https://www.ashevillenc.gov/news/smart-parking-meters-coming-throughout-downtown-asheville/

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Asheville Basics Broadband access Buncombe Digital Literacy Free WiFi Hotspot Internet Library Low-income Access

Digital Options

Pack Library Digital
Photo by Marc Czarnecki

Pack Library in Downtown Asheville

Located at 67 Haywood Street, the Pack Library and is the main branch in the Buncombe County Public Library System.

The first Pack Library was built and named for George Willis Pack in 1911.

This newer, 56,000-square foot facility was built in 1978 and renovated in 2012.

Digital Resources

It includes digital resources including:

  • Desktop Computer Access in the building
  • Popular resources
    • NC Live a statewide library cooperative, supporting 200+ public and academic libraries across North Carolina
    • NC Digital Library powered by OverDrive and Kindle software
    • Story Line and BiblioBoard hybrid software dedicated to keeping libraries at the forefront of their communities in an increasingly digital age. BiblioLabs offers patrons unlimited, multi-user access through BiblioBoard, the PatronsFirst® digital library, and provides tools that empower libraries to thrive as influential centers for creative community engagement.
    • Tax Help
  • WiFi for your own smartphone, tablet, or laptop
  • Online events by age and by type
  • Printing & Copying

What is your favorite digital resource at Buncombe County libraries; and why?

Libraries – Pack Memorial. Buncombecounty.org. https://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library/branch-locations/pack-memorial.aspx

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4k Asheville Download Fiber Gaming Latency Television

Download Speed for Gaming

Download speed might not get 4k
"Might not get 4k resolution" at this download speed

TV Display Might Not Get 4k Resolution

Epic Games of NC – Featured Games to Download, Play

Broadband or high speed internet provides many opportunities:

  • Telehealth
  • Employment
  • Education
  • Entertainment

But what if your community does not get broadband or internet speeds for the future? 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up would likely not be sufficient for 4k resolution large television monitors and definitely not enough speed for 8k resolution monitors.

The featured screen-shot (above) informed me that in my work location, my download speeds would likely not be sufficient for gaming on Google’s new Stadia platform at 4K resolution.

Let’s take this concept to the future.

Lost Broadband Opportunity

So if your broadband speeds are not fast enough for 4k resolution and current monitors?

What about the necessary internet speeds for other high speed internet benefits?

If you worked for a branch of North Carolina’s Epic Games, a huge global gaming platform; you’d likely not consider coming to Asheville or Western North Carolina to work remotely if very high speed internet is necessary for employment and entertainment.

Fiber is the Future

To future-proof our investments in broadband networks; DSL, cable, satellite, and sometimes wireless broadband services may likely not provide the gigabit speeds needed for our future. Fiber to the home or business is the future-proof investment needed for WNC!

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Asheville Content Live broadcasting Pixel 4a T-Mobile Hotspot

Go FB Live

Facebook Live & Broadband

Facebook Live with Cellular Broadband

A business, a cause, and a reason to go ‘live.’

Tell a story, be real and sincere.

Nowadays anybody can be a content broadcaster.

Going ‘live’ means having a mobile phone, tablet, or webcam laptop with fast, dependable internet; i.e. broadband (download speeds in excess of 25Mbs down and 3 Mbs up; with low latency).

On Location: WAKE by Mel Chin

Using my T-Mobile 5G hotspot and a WiFi connected Google Pixel 4a (5G) phone, and a lapel microphone; these are the Facebook live results from a ‘southside slope area’ of Asheville.

WAKE Facebook Live Event

Here are the results for a local RN Patient Advocacy business posting:

https://fb.watch/4IurhjQBKL/

Prepare you content, test the video/audio equipment including broadband, and you or anybody can broadcast ‘live’ to the world.

The WNC broadband has a speed test available at: https://wncbroadband.org/survey/speedtest.php

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ART Bus Asheville Broadband access Digital Equity Digital Inclusion Mobile Data

ART Bus Station WiFi

Asheville ART Bus Station Free Public WiFi
Photo by Marc Czarnecki

As a regular City of Asheville bus rider, Marc Czarnecki is happy to see that the ART (Asheville Redefines Transit) bus station now has free public Wi-Fi. Riding the bus now really requires an individual to check the schedule frequently. There are multiple different scheduling tools available online for planning your bus trip departure time, which bus to get on, arrival time, etc.

Some of Marc’s smartphone apps to assist in effectively riding the ART bus public transportation include the following. They can now be downloaded at the bus station.

ART Website Transit Maps and Schedules

City of Asheville ART Transit Maps and Schedules

Transit Mobile App

Transitapp.com

Google Maps

Google Maps – Transit & Food – App Store

FCC Speedtest Results

When any individual travels, their time is important. Understanding how internet the ART Bus Station public Wi-Fi is listed below with a screen shot of the speedtest results using the FCC Speedtest App.

If you are in a hurry at the Asheville ART Bus Station; I would not consider the above results acceptable to quickly download apps and check bus statuses.

Charge Your Phone

The newly updated interior bus lobby does have a few plugs to charge your mobile device if needed.

Helpful WNC Broadband Links

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Asheville Asheville City Schools Broadband in WNC Buncombe Digital Equity Economic Development Education Henderson Madison Speed Test Transylvania

Connect K-12

WNC Broadband Speed Bar Graph
Comparison broadband speeds per student of major WNC school districts

Classrooms no longer have chalk boards. Children do have technology everywhere. Technology requires bandwidth. Digital tools are important for tech-infused educational growth. Adequate high-speed internet is needed for our schools future.

The homework gap is personified when there is digital inequality.

Broadband Speeds / Student

To enable digital learning in every classroom every day, the FCC recommends 1Mbps per student.

How do our bigger K-12 compare?

Connect K-12 has some current, free data for review:

Connected Nations Podcast

Learn more about digital equity for our WNC children.

Listen to this Connected Nations podcast.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/connected-nations-podcast/id1508008735#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-6692588

Advocate for Broadband

The Western North Carolina is advocating for broadband for all residents.

Digital inclusion is critical to our economic future!

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Asheville Broadband access Broadband in WNC Digital Equity Digital Inclusion Education Relevancy

Digital Equity

Avery Learning Center

What comes to mind Philip?

Digital equity is ensuring students have equal access to technology and that students and their support network receive the training necessary to use the technology toolsets.

Philip provides a shout-out to CiCi Weston, Executive Director of the Christine W Avery Learning Center – http://cwalearningcenter.com/ for their support of inner-city youth, fatherless homes. They went above and beyond to get hotspots for children that needed the internet connectivity.

Also, Philip mentions the Francine Delany school where Chromebooks and additional WiFi Hotspots were provided to do homework.

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Asheville Asheville Housing Authority Broadband access Digital Equity Digital Inclusion

Housing Authority

Housing Authority

No Cost Internet Access

WNC Broadband Project applauds Asheville City Schools partnering with the Asheville City Schools Foundation, Buncombe County Government, the City of Asheville and the Asheville Housing Authority to works towards bridging the digital gap.

By the end of this year the following family development residents will have internet access at no cost:

  • Southside Community
  • Deaverview Apartments
  • Hillcrest Apartments
  • Klondyke Homes
  • Pisgah View Apartments

According the Asheville Citizens Times Skyrunner, an Asheville-based wireless and fiber broadband internet company, offered the winning bid of $520,000. Skyrunner’s proposal also includes four years of ongoing services charges. Buncombe County has pledged $100,000 in Coronavirus Relief Money, while Asheville has pledged $50,000.

Minimizing the digital divide and providing digital equity are attributes that will provide for a healthier and more economic-vibrant future in Western North Carolina.

More at the Asheville Citizen Times:

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2020/11/02/housing-authoritys-five-family-developments-get-free-internet/3742985001/

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Asheville Broadband access Digital Divide Education Philip Cooper Rural

Broadband Privileged

Broadband Priviledged

Broadband can easily be assumed as a given for those that live in the City of Asheville, but as an individual is further in the countryside of Western North Carolina and in the Appalachian Region, high speed internet may not be available.

Philip Cooper talks about his collaboration with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and how is he privileged to have high speed internet available.

Learn More About Philip Cooper

#appalachiastrong

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Affordability Asheville Asheville Housing Authority Broadband access Broadband in WNC Community Development Digital Divide

Bridge the Digital Divide

Edington Center

As our communities continue to become more digitally-oriented there is a growing digital divide. As governments, businesses, physicians, schools, individuals, move to more electronic and online processes; it is expected the citizens will have internet access, computer devices, and knowledge on how to use technology.

Computer availability is usually with a smartphone with expensive cellular bills. If a home can afford home broadband, Wi-Fi becomes more readily available. For most education, business, and government online transactions a the small screen on a cellular phone is inadequate for transposing needed information; thus, a desktop or a laptop is needed with a larger keyboard, mouse navigation, and larger screen-monitor.

When the internet is available with devices to connect, users need to be skilled to effectively leverage these technology tools. But what happens when there is a bridge between those that do and don’t have internet, smartphone, and a computer? The digital divide develops and grows.

Asheville is leveraging community assets outside the physical school buildings to narrow the bridge of the Western North Carolina digital divide, initially by making Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center a wireless hub. This hub will provide the Asheville Housing Authority’s Southside Community to potentially have wireless internet access before the end of 2020 through a local internet service provider, Skyrunner.

With the WNC Broadband Project, consider advocating today for broadband, high-speed internet for all. It is a timeless investment for our future.

WLOS Article

Asheville City Schools Article