Harris County Court Commissioners voted unanimously to establish a broadband task force to expand high-speed internet connections throughout the county.
The initiative comes after US Ignite, a national nonprofit hired by the county to evaluate internet access needs, released a study showing nearly one in 10 houses, or 171,000 households in Harris County, don’t have reliable internet access in the central and eastern parts of the county.
The study also detailed that past broadband expansion efforts failed because they relied on temporary grant funding that eventually ran out, and some areas, especially in Precincts 1 and 2, face severe internet connectivity gaps with 60% of all households in those areas without internet.
According to the release, US Ignite led the creation of the Harris County Broadband Roadmap, a tool for the task force that provides a county-wide strategic blueprint. The roadmap categorizes its recommendations to expand access to households under three pillars — Partnerships, Infrastructure and Digital Opportunity. These pillars create a system-wide approach to expanding broadband connectivity.
Funding approaches detailed in the US Ignite roadmap include:
- Public-private partnerships: The county plans to look to lower broadband rollout costs by using its own infrastructure, including revenue-sharing deals, leasing unused fiber lines and creating open networks for other providers to use.
- Cross-departmental investment: The county will encourage departments such as health, workforce, housing and libraries to co-invest in broadband initiatives.
- Philanthropic and institutional support: The county will partner with institutions and philanthropic donors to support digital literacy efforts and expand device access in underserved areas.
- Sustainability planning: The county is considering the Digital Opportunity Fund, revolving loan models, outcome-based contracts and local appropriations to sustain programming beyond the duration of temporary funding sources.
The county would need to conduct a comprehensive digital infrastructure mapping project to identify existing fiber installations and determine what internet technology is needed.
According to the roadmap summary, the county will need to begin by prioritizing build-outs in service gap zones and at unconnected anchor institutions such as schools, libraries and clinics. Long-term plans seek to protect broadband networks from disasters by building them alongside transportation infrastructure, ensuring they remain reliable.
US Ignite and Hays County officials expect the initiative will create a sustainable, long-term digital equity strategy, expanding access to the internet to all county residents.
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