Lawmakers Say Texas Needs A Statewide Broadband Plan

[TexasTowelie]

The pandemic has been hard for everyone, but especially for those who don’t have dependable access to high-speed internet. One thing that might have helped – a statewide broadband plan. Texas is among just six states that don’t have such a plan, even though over 2 million Texans lack access to high-speed internet, according to the state comptroller’s office.

A group of nearly 90 state lawmakers recently sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott calling for a statewide broadband plan. State Rep. Trent Ashby is a Republican from Lufkin, Texas. He told Texas Standard that many who lack broadband access live in rural areas.

“Coronavirus has really highlighted and laid bare the challenges that many rural Texans face in terms of connectivity,” Ashby said.

Making broadband both widely available and affordable are among the goals of those who signed the letter, Ashby said.

Read more: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/lawmakers-say-texas-needs-a-statewide-broadband-plan/

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. That's true of all states.

Although certainly because Texas is so very large, it probably has a lot of poor people in rural communities without internet access. On the other hand, it is relatively flat, which makes installing high-speed internet a lot easier than in mountainous areas.