After spending time on a 12-stop Broadband Listening Tour, holding online stakeholder meetings and gathering survey results, the comptroller and the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) met the goal of releasing the planning by this month. The report provides context for the broadband initiative and distills connectivity, delivery and surrounding issues.
“We compiled lessons learned from the Texas Broadband Listening Tour, survey responses, analysis of results and staff recommendations to create this initial Texas Broadband Plan,” Hegar said in a news release. “We hope you find this plan useful, insightful and sound, as a road map for improvement. This is a monumental task, and we must work together to accomplish it. Expanding broadband access will require collaboration and partnerships between local governments and private entities, across counties and among residents.”
Data contained in the broadband plan includes:
- The history of the BDO
- Funding sources
- How Internet services are delivered
- How many Texans are connected or have low or no service
- Which communities are in most need of connectivity
- Next steps
While more than nine out of 10 Texas households have access to broadband service, not all subscribe. Anecdotally, newspapers across Texas have reported that some residents cannot access a hard line to the Internet, resorting to using cellphones to complete homework and job duties.
As the listening tour made stops across the state to hear from the public, multiple issues were raised. In Fort Worth, education and health-care concerns were on the list as commenters referenced pandemic responses that left swaths of Texans needing online access for classroom learning, to schedule doctor visits and to work. Affordability, information literacy and upskilling the workforce were also discussed.
“Texas faces a huge challenge: connecting over 1 million households to high-speed broadband, improving connectivity for over 5.6 million households, improving affordability of broadband for 3.6 million households and assisting 3.8 million Texans with digital literacy challenges," Hegar said in the news release. “This plan is a foundation upon which the Texas Legislature, the BDO and other stakeholders can build actionable programs.”
The BDO was established under House Bill 5 during the 87th Legislature. The office, housed under the comptroller’s office, is charged with creating an accurate broadband map, awarding grants and monies, setting the threshold speed for broadband, providing community outreach and addressing barriers to expansion.
Funding includes $5 million initially appropriated by the Legislature, and the BDO will help determine how federal funding is distributed in grants, loans and in other ways.
Federal funding includes:
- $500.5 million, American Rescue Plan — Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund
- At least $100 million, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) — Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
- An undetermined amount, IIJA — The Digital Equity Act
As 2023 approaches, the BDO and the comptroller will work toward:
- Establishing a broadband-focused, federally compliant grant program
- Publishing a broadband availability map
- Managing recurring coordination and communication opportunities across stakeholder groups
These “areas of focus” and the “guiding goals” set out in the plan will inform how the state moves forward as mapping, funding and other data continues to be clarified.
