It has been a recognized issue that rural areas have not been receiving as much connectivity as urbanized areas. New measures are being taken to expand fiber for those who are in need of better internet access in order to grow the overall fiber optic map.
Montana has one of the lowest state populations densities per square mile, alongside Alaska and Wyoming. This, in turn, accounts for more rural areas in need of internet connectivity. In one small town, Kalispell, there are certain measures being taken to combat the lack of network map coverage.
A recent Fox article discloses how U.S. Senator Steve Daines and FCC Brendan Carr have been touring with specialty physicians who are making a move to secure telemedicine for their rural patients. A fiber cable addition, the length of 425 miles, has resulted in rural clinics now being connected with the Kalispell Regional Hospital. This new expansion will allow specialty care doctors to reach the outer bands of communities. The Director of Health Information Exchange in Montana, Ahyoung Huff, stated that before this addition a trauma-related MRI image sent to a more urbanized facility would take 20 minutes to download due to the slow connection. With the new fiber optic map coverage in a situation where every second counts, the download time is now down to an average of 15 seconds!
Fighting Fires with a Fiber Optic Map
The healthcare industry is not the only area that is benefiting from the fiber expansion. The U.S. Forest Service had previously not seen much of an update in mobile radios and other technology since the Vietnam War. However, with the increased options for connectivity, the forests will benefit as well.
The Technology and Development Program states that the next generation of firefighting technology is currently being evaluated. Some of the advancements will focus on communication platforms, aircrafts for fighting fires, and improved flame retardant. Fire shelters are also improving with better connectivity available, which directly increases the number of lives saved during a rescue. Another technology utilized to combat fires is virtual reality, which trained smoke jumpers in deploying out of airplanes to combat forest fires.
Not only will doctors and firefighters benefit from the expanded fiber optic map, but so will the businesses and individuals that rely on internet connection. These new advancements will bring companies and rural neighborhoods into the modern future. Having better communication between long distances can help pertinent information travel faster resulting in increased lives saved at the most critical moments.
Often companies benefit from discovering the fiber optic network map their area of service. If you are interested in knowing these details, contact GeoTel today.
Author: Valerie Stephen
