What residents need to know
At an Oct. 22 meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved a $2.5 million broadband expansion contract with Comcast Cable Communications LLC to bring internet infrastructure to rural areas of the county.
“Virtually everything we do now happens over the internet and if there are parts of our community where people can’t access that, that means they can’t do business, they’re restricted from learning and they can’t connect with their friends and family,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy said.
Zooming in
The expansion aims to bring major transmission lines to improve the broadband speeds in unserved and underserved areas in the county including Simonton, Kendleton, Needville, Thompsons and surrounding communities, according to agenda documents.
The project will be funded by federal American Rescue Act Funds and supplemental funds provided by Comcast, according to agenda documents.
Looking back
The broadband expansion project began in 2021 when McCoy said he learned many Kendleton residents didn’t have access to the internet. This resulted in the county’s Broadband Feasibility Study, completed in summer 2022, showing the county needed $36.8 million in fiber paths, Community Impact reported.
Going forward
Comcast expansions began upon the approval of the partnership on Oct. 22 and are expected to wrap up by the end of 2025, McCoy said.
“This is a result of strong collateral collaboration with our members of Commissioners Court to make this happen,” he said. “Residents should be very excited this is coming—that is what is going to help propel the expansion of business in our communities and really get people connected to the greater universe.”
