Ookla Speed Test

County Executive Ilene Shapiro is asking residents, businesses, schools, libraries, local governments and others to take an internet speed test sponsored by her office to better understand coverage gaps and high-speed availability in Summit County. The data collected by the County will be used to apply for federal funding to bring better access to areas with low-speed or no internet service. The test was developed by the Executive’s GIS team and Ookla, web service that provides free analysis of Internet access performance metrics.

The test is available below. It will begin automatically when you scroll down. We encourage users to take it mutliple times, at different times, on different days, and with different devices. We also have a survey below the test related to internet performance and cost. All information collected will be kept confidential and not used for any other purpose. Please complete the survey after you take the test! 

Take the Survey Now

Summit Connects

Summit Conects will initially consist of a 125-mile fiber optic cable ring connecting Summit County and all its 31 city, village and township governments to gigabit speed internet service. Summit County and the City of Fairlawn entered into a cooperative agreement to formalize the partnership and entity that will eventually own and operate the fiber ring. The development of Summit Connects is largely funded through the County’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act monies.

The preliminary intent of the network is to provide a high-speed, secure and affordable broadband platform to host each community’s public safety operations. The network will be serviced by FairlawnGig, one of the nation’s most successful municipal broadband utilities, owned and operated by the City of Fairlawn. Once construction begins, the County expects the fiber ring to be operational by 2025. In the second phase of the project, the County will work with local communities to explore the feasibility of expanding Summit Connects through internet service providers to residents, businesses, schools and other interested entities.

Digital Inclusion

Summit County is taking a major step toward digital equity and inclusion with the creation of a Summit County Digital Equity Framework. We have partnered with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) to create an Equity Strategy. This work will be led by Steering Committee made up of community members and stakeholders. We held 

To launch this work, we held a webinar to introduce the tenets of digital inclusion and equity, and to discuss how we can effectively close the digital divide in our community. As we make a landmark investment in Summit Connects, we want engagement from all 31 communities to ensure that our residents, especially disadvantaged residents, are included in an increasingly digital world.

Watch webinar recording

To learn more about NDIA, visit https://www.digitalinclusion.org/.