Data: Areas Unserved and Underserved by Broadband in Texas

An analysis of data from the latest version of the Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map, which the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will use to allocate $42.5 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding later in June 2023, reveals some interesting trends that affect rural customers. The data shows that Texas has 777,115 “unserved” Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs).  Texas has 364,991 BSLs that are considered “underserved,” meaning that they are able to receive broadband service above 25/3 Mbps but below 100/20 Mbps.  With 9,816,521 total BSLs, 7.92% of Texas BSLs are unserved, and 3.72% of BSLs are underserved. While the West Texas region ranks fourth in the percentage of BSLs lacking access to reliable broadband service, the region contains eight of the top ten least-served counties in the state.  The least served county is Kinney in the South Texas region, where only 5 locations in the whole county have access to reliable broadband service above 25/3 Mbps. The analysis is only part of the picture, as regional cost differences will certainly impact the ability to deploy reliable broadband service to meet the future needs of Texans in these regions.