More than $1.3 billion investment in broadband

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Charter Communications today announced a major investment that could potentially help the rural areas in the Rio Grande Valley obtain broadband internet access during the next few months.

During a news conference at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen, Abbott said there are certain regions in the Valley that don’t have access to broadband.

“That puts them a decade behind others who have had access,” Abbott said. “We have a collective goal in this state … hinge together with the residents and leaders right here at the Rio Grande Valley. We want everyone to have access to broadband. ”

 Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda said all eyes are on Texas, specifically South Texas.

Sepulveda said during COVID-19 she saw the importance that broadband plays in the community.

“So, we are grateful for that [$1.3 billion] investment in our community,” she said. “You continue to build and upgrade your network to make sure that it is available to all residents in all corners of the Rio Grande Valley.”

Todd Baxter, Charter Communications regional vice president for Government Affairs, said there are two components in the investment.

“First, a $700 million investment in network evolution, providing a pathway to delivering symmetrical and multi-gigabit internet speeds across our company service area completed by the end of 2025,” Baxter said.

He said Charter Communications is a broadband connectivity company and cable operator under the brand name Spectrum to more than 32 million customers over 41 states.

“Second, is a $620 million investment to expand our fiber optic network in more than 50 counties, bringing again symmetrical and multi-gigabit broadband to more than 140,000 currently unserved homes and small businesses,” Baxter said.

There are additional subsidies for rural broadband expansion in Texas, he said.

 “And thanks to Gov. Abbott and the state legislative leadership of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, Sen. Joan Huffman, Rep. Greg Bonnen and Rep. Trent Ashby, there is 1.5 billion additional dollars in state funds dedicated to this effort.”

Abbott highlighted the Governor’s Broadband Development Council law during the conference.

“To fix that, I signed a law providing the biggest broadband expansion ever in the history of the state of Texas,” he said. “They created the broadband development office to prepare a Texas broadband plan. It provided a half a billion dollars for broadband infrastructure.”

Baxter said the investment would not be possible without the vote of all Texans on Proposition 8.

More than 2.5 million Texas voters cast their ballots during the Nov. 7 Constitutional Amendment Election, giving the green light to 13 of the 14 proposed state constitutional amendments, including Proposition 8, which would create a fund outside of the general revenue administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to expand broadband internet to communities that may not be able to afford access. 

Statewide, 1,747,713 voters cast ballots in favor of Proposition 8 while 768,928 voted against it. In Hidalgo County, 26,932 voted in favor while 8,243 voted against. In Cameron County, the vote was 14,913 in favor and 4,544 against.

The broadband infrastructure fund will expire on Sept. 1, 2035, unless extended by the Texas Legislature, according to sos.texas.gov.

“Everybody in the state of Texas needs access to broadband,” Abbott said during the news conference. “But when you hear the connectivity speeds, it’s extraordinary. … We are talking about billions of dollars, including substantial investments right here in the Rio Grande Valley to make lives better for everybody who lives in this entire region.”

He said there are some Texans who are not getting access to broadband.

“We as a state, we as a people have an obligation to ensure that whether you live in a big city or in a small town … of the state of Texas, you … are going to have access to the highest grade broadband access so that you can communicate and thrive just like everybody else in the entire state,” Abbott said

He thanked Charter Communications for leading and investing in the change.

“With this new investment, Texans who live in some of the most beautiful, but far-reaching regions of the state of Texas will have the same internet access as those who live in big cities,” Abbott said. 

Tom Chiang, Charter Communications group vice president of Internet Product, said the “evolution project” will provide 25, 50 and 100 gigabits per second. 

“Our network is more than capable of getting to these application programs,” Chiang said. “We are … really about building the network in the future. Our aim is to be the fastest forever. We are bringing a best-in-class seamless converged productivity experience to all Texans.”