Texas has released a new map showing internet access across the state.
Using data collected from Internet service providers, a new map of Texas broadband development shows which neighborhoods have access to high-speed Internet and where Internet is lacking.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the map will help determine which areas need funding for broadband expansion.
According to Texas House Bill 5, passed during the 87th legislative session, areas can be funded “if less than 80% of the area has Internet access at 25 megabits per second (mbps) downstream and three Mbps upstream.
That meets the Federal Communications Commission’s current definition of high-speed Internet at 25 Mbps, but Hegar said the definition is dated.
“In talking to stakeholders across the state last year, we learned that to be truly competitive, communities need Internet that is faster than the FCC’s definition of high-speed broadband,” he said. “That’s why we designed a map to show coverage at different speeds.”
Internet reliability is also a concern many Texans have voiced, Glenn said, so by mapping what kind of technology is available in different areas, it could help lawmakers figure out where to prioritize funding.
The map is interactive and allows the user to enter an address to find the internet speed available in that area. Neighbors are grouped into three categories: “served,” meaning Internet speeds greater than or equal to 100 Mbps, “underserved,” meaning Internet speeds between 25 and 100 Mbps, and “unserved,” i.e. Internet speed is less than 25 Mbps.
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