Land Office Gives $42.7M to 5 Counties for Connectivity

The General Land Office (GLO) has announced that it will send $42.7 million to five East Texas counties for broadband and interoperable radio communications infrastructure.

The Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) will manage the money to be used in Newton, Polk, Jasper, Tyler and San Jacinto counties, part of a 12-county region that has been named as one of the areas most in need of high-speed Internet.

Lonnie Hunt, DETCOG’s executive director, told KTRE-Channel 9 that this money will support fixed wireless, which will complement fiber projects already in the works.

Some 2.8 million households in Texas lack broadband, according to the Broadband Development Office, a problem disproportionately impacting rural areas.

The monies are part of $68 million from GLO’s Regional Mitigation Program, according to the agency. The remaining funds will largely go to roadwork and built infrastructure in other counties.