Pooja Salhotra
Rural Texans, internet providers worry that federal broadband expansion plan will have a painfully slow rollout
A national coalition—including broadband providers and nonprofit organizations—noted that some recipients nationwide of previous broadband grant programs have failed to use their allocations to build out broadband networks. Texas Rural Funders, a nonprofit dedicated to rural philanthropy, took the lead in collecting signatures from Texans.
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
Texas lawmakers passed a momentous bill that allocates $1.5 billion to expand internet availability across the state through the new Broadband Infrastructure Fund. If approved by voters in November, that money will be added to an undetermined amount of federal dollars the state will receive. That allocation is slated to be announced by June 30.
With billions of dollars on the line, East Texans say a crucial state map incorrectly shows they already have broadband
Thousands of East Texans are part of a petition challenging the accuracy of the Texas Broadband Development Map that shows internet availability and speeds across the state.