The "Texas Broadband Bill" will establish a Broadband Development Office within the state government, and aims to demonstrate measurable progress in broadening access to high speed internet across the state within one year of the bill becoming law on September 1st.
For most of us, access to the Internet is taken for granted in our daily lives - if you're reading this article (for example) then you likely assume (as I do) that high-speed access is available at all times. But for many living in rural areas or under-developed countries, this is not a reality.
According to recent data from Statista, 48.6% of the world's population is not yet online. Around 27,000 people gain Internet access every hour, and 69.8% of households in the Americas have Internet access. That still leaves a long way to go.
Many have come to rely on internet access in their daily lives all the more since Covid-19 struck. It's become an essential for daily life, in much the same way as we rely on readily available water or electricity in our homes.
Internet access has enabled home schooling, home working and for many, access to healthcare and health insurance services where social distancing and stay-at-home orders prevented many from leaving their homes.
It's not just about convenience either - many studies have highlighted the effects that are directly linked to Internet access including economic opportunity and social mobility. If you're denied access then there's a good chance you'll have less opportunities in your life to accrue wealth or to improve your life more generally.
How to bring broadband to rural areas?
One challenge that will need to be overcome by the Texas Broadband Development Office is in how to bring high speed internet to remote and rural areas. In cities (for example), the fastest and simplest connections are made possible by copper or fiber-optic cables that are prevalent and readily available. But extending these services into remote areas is often not cost-effective or viable for service providers.
The Brookings Institute has highlighted a number of key actions that need to be taken if all American households are to gain access, including measures to improve funding for expansion and to lower the cost to households (highlighting that a typical broadband connection costs over $60 per month which is unaffordable for many).
In practical terms the options are a little more fundamental and mostly come down to technology. Aside from broadening the rollout of physical cabling and satellite connectivity, options include:
The means that will be used in Texas to extend Internet access to all citizens of the state remains to be seen. Clearly though it's an initiative that seems to favor all citizens rather than just a subset based on their political preferences. That must be seen as a good thing for Texas.
This is original content from NewsBreak’s Creator Program. Join today to publish and share your own content.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0