City of Dallas agrees to co-fund consultant for Dallas ISD internet broadband project

The city of Dallas is partnering with Dallas ISD to provide funds to look at a potential expansion of internet access within the area.

Dallas City Council agreed unanimously during its April 27 regular meeting to share costs with DISD for an independent consult to assess the state of the city’s broadband internet supply. The consultant is also expected to recommend long-term strategies for improving internet access, affordability and adoption throughout Dallas.

The partnership is part of a larger DISD and Texas Education Agency project called Operation Connectivity that is designed to “connect all of Texas’s 5.5 million public school students with a device and reliable internet connection,” according to district documents.

The Operation Connectivity working group previously identified the need to engage an independent consultant to assess the current state of broadband internet supply in the city, according to the resolution approved by council.

With council's approval of the agreement, the city's Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Reich was authorized to disburse a maximum of $250,000 from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. That fund was established in June 2021 with grants from the U.S. Department of Treasury to provide relief during the pandemic.