Dougherty Co. works to become 'Broadband Ready' By Gabrielle Ware | April 6, 2021 at 7:26 PM EDT - Updated April 6 at 7:26 PM ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Dougherty County Commissioners just passed an ordinance to make the county a âbroadband ready community.â Widespread access to high-speed internet impacts the whole county and it increases access to healthcare and education. Some people without high-speed internet faced issues when the pandemic hit. Phoebe Putney Health System had to ramp up its use of telehealth at the beginning of the pandemic. Dougherty County School System faced connection issues early on when in-person learning switched to virtual. County Administrator Michael McCoy told WALB News 10 that high-speed internet access is growing in importance.