DETCOG- BROADBAND CHALLENGE: The Deep East Texas Council of Governments is challenging the accuracy of the new Texas State Broadband Map that will determine how state and federal Broadband Internet Funds will be distributed around the state. The DETCOG challenge asserts that 46 census blocks in the 11-county DETCOG Region have significantly slower internet speeds than what the Texas Broadband Development Map currently depicts. DETCOG is one of 24 regional non-governmental planning commissions for the state of Texas and is served by volunteers who collectively help facilitate and coordinate economic development for local governments in an 11 county region. Lonnie Hunt is
DETCOG’s Executive Director, and explains that the rural nature of the 11 county region is unique when compared to most other planning commission’s regions in Texas.
“We have about close to 350,000 people in our 11 counties, that’s a lot of people but it’s spread out over an area of almost 10,000 square miles, we’re larger than several other states,” Hunt explained. “So it’s a lot of people but it’s sparsely populated.”
DETCOG’s challenge is based on evidence gathered from over 3,000 households and businesses in Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler Counties. These households and businesses responded to DETCOG’s requests to complete an online broadband survey and speed test. Hunt hopes DETCOG’s challenge will amend the State and Federal Broadband maps to assure that Deep East Texas gets its fair share of funding for broadband development.
“We’re asking for things, we need jobs, we need economic opportunity, we need better education and healthcare,” Hunt said. “And we firmly believe that broadband is the key building block that makes that possible for the future of rural regions like ours.”
Broadband development for rural areas is a major part of the bi-partisan “American Rescue Plan” from the Biden Administration, an estimated $100 million dollars has been earmarked for Texas.
