New Harris County task force will target internet inequity across communities

Digging deeper

Universal Services, Harris County's information technology department, will develop the broadband task force with county department representation and other partners including:

• Communities with the lowest level of internet connectivity at the time of the motion
• Internet providers
• School districts throughout the county
• Nonprofits addressing the digital divide
• Workforce organizations
• Community colleges, public universities and technical schools

By the numbers

Harris County’s Broadband Office started in November 2020 after commissioners at the time determined there was a greater need for more public internet, particularly for communities where both home internet and public internet were not readily available, according to the department’s website.

Since its inauguration, the county broadband office provided the county with:

• More than 17,000 hotspots for students
• More than 100 free Wi-Fi locations
• More than 19 wireless data transmission sites

Precinct 3 Tom Ramsey asked why the county data presented to commissioners suggested that internet connectivity concerns weren't a problem for the unincorporated areas in his precinct. Sindhu Menon, Universal Service's chief information officer, said Precinct 3 had the highest number of teleworkers.

"It is not one size fits all," Menon said. "As you have seen in the report, it differs from precinct to precinct."

What residents should know

A map showcasing where Harris County’s high-speed internet access locations are located can be found on the county website here.

Next steps

The county’s administration office and other broadband stakeholders will report back to commissioners by Oct. 16 on the new committee’s structure, governing documents and bylaws.