Gloucester residents have been invited to have their say on the issue of whether public broadband should be made available in the county.

County Information Technology department staff members completed the final draft of Gloucester’s broadband study yesterday. The deadline to complete the survey is Sept. 25.

The survey is available online by visiting http://speakupgloucesterva.info/surveys or in paper form from all county offices and the two public library branches. The paper forms can be returned to any county office building or e-mailed to sm.infotech@gloucesterva.info.

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors authorized county staff to issue the surveys during its July 7 meeting to help gauge how many residents may be interested in public high-speed wireless internet access; a venture that could cost the county approximately $1 million to set up.

IT director Scott Varner told the board that the county’s option for wireless internet access, if it were pursued, woul...