Connected Nation Texas recently published its fifth and final scheduled update to its statewide broadband coverage maps, with four maps detailing various internet speeds available in each of the 254 counties across Texas.
Broadband coverage data was collected over the past two years, Connected Nation Texas said in a press release, and the data was collected in partnership with local stakeholders including more than 200 internet service providers and community and state leaders.
An image of Texas broadband coverage at 25×3 Mbps speed
Handout | Connected Nation Texas“These maps, and the data behind them, are more important than ever — especially now as billions of dollars are being made available to expand and improve broadband availability across the country,” Jennifer Harris, state program director, Connected Nation Texas, said in a statement.
“Our maps yield valuable intelligence on which communities remain unserved or underserved so that state and local leaders can work with internet service providers to close remaining gaps. Broadband access is not a luxury — it’s essential infrastructure that Texas families now rely upon to work and learn remotely, access health care and government services, communicate with friends and family, and participate in the economy.”
The latest report shows that more than 165,300 households remain unserved at 25 Megabits per second download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. Overall availability decreases from 98.15% of households at 25×3 speeds to 93.55% at 100×10 speeds, meaning more than 575,000 households lack service.
Rural availability drops significantly as speeds increase, Connected Nation Texas found, compared with overall Texas availability. Availability in rural areas decreases from 95.12% of households at 25×3 speeds to 82.6% at 100×10 speeds.
In Midland County, 99.84% of households are covered by 25×3 speeds, leaving 79 households unserved and 97.33% of households have access to 100×10 speeds, leaving 1,359 households unserved.
The FCC currently defines “high-speed internet” as 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. However, new federal funding programs including those within the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are prioritizing a higher speed threshold of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.
Higher speeds are increasingly becoming necessary to support the activities of multiple users at once, Connected Nation Texas stated.
“Three years ago, many organizations were struggling to help individuals and families simply because of the lack of access to reliable and affordable broadband,” Executive Director Kelty Garbee of Texas Rural Funders said in a statement. “So, in 2019, we partnered with CN Texas to tackle this issue head-on by identifying community needs and providing viable solutions.”
These maps can help state broadband leaders analyze and challenge new federal broadband maps currently under development by the Federal Communications Commission, Connected Nation Texas stated. The FCC has established a formal process to receive input from states and other stakeholders and states with their own data collection and mapping programs could be the best positioned to help refine data, Connected Nation Texas wrote.
This will influence how much federal funding Texas receives for expanding broadband, as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will use the FCC’s map to allocate funding.
“Our efforts mean that state and local leaders can have great confidence in the data to guide their decision-making on where and how to invest grant dollars to improve access and speeds,” Ashley Hitt, vice president, GeoAnalytics, Connected Nation, said in a statement.