State Comptroller Glenn Hegar last week released his agency’s plan to support the expansion of broadband internet access to areas with limited or no access. Hegar and his agency’s Broadband Development Office received feedback through a series of town halls, virtual discussions and more than 16,000 responses to a survey.
“An important, recurring theme has been the reminder that though high-speed internet may once have been a luxury, it is now a necessity,” Hegar wrote in a letter to Texas legislators. “Texans need reliable, high-speed connectivity for a wide range of potential applications including public health, safety, education and modern agriculture.”
Census data collected in 2020 indicates as many as 7 million Texans — nearly one-fourth of the state’s population — do not have broadband access. The issue disproportionately affects rural communities, low-income families and communities of color, the report said.
