The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: Elderberry on March 21, 2021, 02:08:51 pm
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Texas Scorecard by Jeramy Kitchen March 19, 2021
Approximately 90% of all Texans without broadband access reside in rural areas and barriers to broadband adoption and deployment include both market demand and the economics of population density.
In early February Gov. Greg Abbott named expanding rural broadband access his first emergency legislative priority for the 87th legislative session.
In his state of the state address, he said, “from medicine to education to business, broadband access is not a luxury – it is an essential tool that must be available for all Texans.â€
Notably, the Governor left off any specific budget recommendations for this emergency priority when he submitted his own budget recommendations calling for Texas to “support the creation of a state broadband plan, authorize a broadband office within the Economic Development and Tourism Office, and eliminate barriers to greater access to broadband services.â€
What it looks like in the Legislature
This priority has taken the form of two different bills in both chambers of the Legislature.
In the House of Representatives, State Rep. Trent Ashby (R – Lufkin) filed House Bill 5. This bill would create the State Broadband Development Office (SBDO) within the state Comptroller’s office and require them to establish a state broadband plan by September of 2022. The bill would also require the SBDO to establish a program to award grants, low-interest loans, and other financial incentives to applicants in an attempt to expand access to broadband services in identified “census blocks.†The bill was heard Thursday in the House State Affairs committee but was left pending.
In the Senate, State Sen. Robert Nichols (R – Jacksonville) filed Senate Bill 5, which is a similar bill, but instead of housing the newly created office under the Comptroller, would do so as a part of the University of Texas System. The bill was heard Wednesday in the Senate Transportation Committee; chaired by Sen. Nichols, but left pending.
More: https://texasscorecard.com/state/rural-broadband-abbotts-top-priority-gets-hearing-in-legislature/ (https://texasscorecard.com/state/rural-broadband-abbotts-top-priority-gets-hearing-in-legislature/)
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I live in a rural area, and have broadband. Guv... One question.... just how many people will this benefit, and how much is this going to cost me in taxes? I mean all of these people are using dial-up? :pondering:
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Broadband is available everywhere. It just has a cost. I use Viasat.
(http://www.aldaleel-int.com/adis/images/posts/post5a8f6680e92fb.jpg)
https://www.viasat.com/home-internet/
https://www.hughesnet.com/
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Broadband is available everywhere. It just has a cost. I use Viasat.
(http://www.aldaleel-int.com/adis/images/posts/post5a8f6680e92fb.jpg)
https://www.viasat.com/home-internet/
https://www.hughesnet.com/
Exactly... which is what was my point. Who benefits? (Why?) and how much is going to cost TX taxpayers. The liberal goons would probably have it in the form of some kind of Free 5G platform, et. al.
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Rural electrification and phone service had obvious benefits, and were services not otherwise available. Broadband is not unavailable, and its benefits are not akin to electrical power or phone service.