Earlier this year, Connect Nevada's Engineering & Technical Services (ETS) staff investigated a flood of requests from the Genoa Lakes community at the foot of the eastern Sierra slopes about 15 miles southwest of Carson City. Residents reported having no access to reliable broadband service.

 

Charlie Roodenburg, the ETS state lead for Connect Nevada confirmed the lack of service and went to work figuring out the most sensible solution. Since the community is far from any reported cable or DSL connections and mobile broadband was sketchy, Genoa Lakes residents were introduced to Hot Spot Wireless which is a fixed wireless provider. By the summer’s end, Hot Spot Wireless had already connected a handful of households while others signed up and anxiously awaited service.

 

Thanks to new broadband connections, many of the professionals who call this community home can now support their business needs from home, which they anticipate will help generate new employment in the region.

 

Genoa Lakes is a perfect example of Connect Nevada’s mission. The initiative’s purpose is to identify unserved and underserved communities, create a connection between provider and customers, and facilitate a solution.