Summary: Proposition 8 is "probably the first and last time you will ever see this magnitude of public funding for broadband availability.” Will Willow Park and Parker County qualify and seek their share of the "largest federal public investment in broadband"? / For the 07 November election, Willow Park Civics will post and update current information on Election Calendar, Voter Registration, Early and Election Day Voting, Ballot Research and Ballot Samples, Results.
Latest Update: Tuesday, 24 October, 2023
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The 07 November 2023 Election. Get Ready. It’s your citizen right and your civic responsibility.
Proposition 8 Broadband on Ballot of 07 Nov. 2023 Election.
Proposition 8 is "probably the first and last time you will ever see this magnitude of public funding for broadband availability.” (1) A "FOR" vote will support "more than two million Texas homes [that] do not have access to broadband and more than three million [that] cannot utilize broadband due to socioeconomic challenges." (2)
However, according to state and federal authorities, Willow Park and Parker County have full Broadband coverage and may not benefit directly.
Although the maps of Broadband coverage indicate, except for far west Parker County, 95% Parker County is covered, larger cities like Fort Worth say the maps are not detailed enough to show the real need for broadband and high-speed Internet access in the larger cities, especially those with significant growth. "17% of Fort Worth residents don’t have access to high-speed internet and 8% have no internet access. (1)
Willow Park is just 10 miles west of Fort Worth, and Parker County is a neighbor to Tarrant County, both growing just as quickly as our eastern neighbors. Will Willow Park and Parker County qualify and seek its share of "largest federal public investment in broadband"?
Willow Park Civics Editorial
Articles and Research
• Proposition 8. Creation of the Broadband Infrastructure Fund, HJR 125, (Document) Ballot Wording “The constitutional amendment creating the broadband infrastructure fund to expand high-speed broadband access and assist in the financing of connectivity projects.”
2. TX House Rep. Glen Rogers Time to vote on 2023 Texas Constitutional Amendments, The Community News, 18 October 2023, Excerpts.
Proposition 8 will read: “The constitutional amendment creating the broadband infrastructure fund to expand high-speed broadband access and assist in the financing of connectivity projects.” More than two million Texas homes do not have access to broadband and more than three million cannot utilize broadband due to socioeconomic challenges. Additionally, four of the five least connected cities in the US are in Texas and one in every six public school students in Texas lacks access to high-speed internet. Telehealth opportunities abound in Texas, where sixty-four counties lack a hospital, and twenty-five counties lack a single primary physician. For farmers and ranchers, modern precision agriculture requires connectivity. Digital literacy and connectivity are not an option, but an absolute necessity.
1. Here’s how the state broadband fund would affect Fort Worth if approved in November, Fort Worth Report, 20 October 2012. Excerpts.
This potential $1.5 billion state fund is described as a supplement to the largest federal public investment in broadband infrastructure.
A proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot could help bridge Tarrant County’s digital divide by bolstering the largest federal public investment in broadband, according to officials.
Proposition 8, if approved by voters in Texas, would create the $1.5 billion Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund to cover broadband initiatives. This funding will come straight from the state Legislature and will supplement the $3.3 billion the state of Texas received from the federal government through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
Connor Sadro, a transportation planner with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, said this is “probably the first and last time you will ever see this magnitude of public funding for broadband availability.”
The state’s comptroller’s office, which oversees the Broadband Development Office created by the state Legislature in 2021, would determine where the money from the fund would go, based on a map that highlights which communities are unserved or underserved.
This state map identifies areas that are unserved, underserved and served based on a certain internet speed. It is different from the broadband map put together by the FCC.
According to the Texas broadband development map, the city of Fort Worth is fully served.
City staff gave a presentation to council members in September stating that 17% of Fort Worth residents don’t have access to high-speed internet and 8% have no internet access.
Staff also identified gaps in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods like Las Vegas Trail, Como, Marine Creek, Stop Six, Rosemont and Ash Crescent.
• Here’s A Rundown of the Constitutional Amendment Propositions on the November Ballot, The Texan, 28 July 2023. Excerpts
Creation of the Broadband Infrastructure Fund
“The constitutional amendment creating the broadband infrastructure fund to expand high-speed broadband access and assist in the financing of connectivity projects.”
The Legislature itemized $1.5 billion for the new fund to subsidize expansion of broadband internet service in sparsely-populated areas of the state. Read more here.
• Texas Legislature Approves $1.5 Billion for Rural Broadband Expansion, Tweaks Telecommunications Fund, The Texan, 14 June 2023, Excerpts.
Following up on 2021’s legislation creating the Broadband Development Office, the Texas Legislature this year appropriated $1.5 billion for the purpose of expanding internet reach to rural portions of the state.
Those projects are intended for “unserved” communities in the state, defined as areas that do not have access to internet speeds of 25 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) of download speed and 3 Mbps of upload speed. “Underserved” areas are any place between that line and 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds.
According to data compiled by the Texas Telephone Association (TTA), there are more than 777,000 unserved Texans across the state and 365,000 underserved.
More than a quarter of the population in East Texas is unserved.
• Taxes, state parks, infrastructure: What you need to know about the Nov. 7 constitutional amendments election, The Texas Tribune, 15 September 2023. Excerpts.
Proposition 8 – HJR 125 "The constitutional amendment creating the broadband infrastructure fund to expand high-speed broadband access and assist in the financing of connectivity projects."
What it means: Texas lawmakers made an investment in broadband development by passing a bill which would create the Texas broadband infrastructure fund — pending approval of this resolution.
With the passage of this resolution, $1.5 billion would be allocated to expand internet availability in Texas, where some 7 million people currently lack access. These dollars would help pay to develop and finance broadband and telecommunications services as well as 911 services. The fund will also provide matching funds with federal money from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program. — Pooja Salhotra
• Here’s how the state broadband fund would affect Fort Worth if approved in November, Fort Worth Report, 20 October 2023. Excerpt. This potential $1.5 billion state fund is described as a supplement to the largest federal public investment in broadband infrastructure.
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