Tomball resident Debby Heaton can see the construction of the Grand Parkway from her house but said she and her neighbors are not able to receive access to a 21st-century amenity many often take for granted—Wi-Fi.

“If someone asks me to email them, I have to fire up my computer in my hot spot, and it will burn up my [mobile] data just to email a PDF,” Heaton said. “I don’t think people realize there are pockets of our community that have no Internet service.”

Heaton is one of many residents who live on an acreage property in the rural areas of Tomball and Magnolia with sparse Internet capabilities. However, as the area sees a rise in new development, major Internet service providers are making strides to catch up with growth, according to officials.

From 2012-14, AT&T invested more than $6.8 billion in its Texas wireless and wireline networks to upgrade reliability, coverage, speed and performance for residents and businesses, according to an AT&T spokesperson.

“AT&T is committed to small-town and rural America and to using all available technologies to serve the people who live in hard-to-reach and remote areas,” according to the spokesperson.

In addition, Comcast announced Nov. 18 plans to double its Xfinity outdoor Wi-Fi coverage in the rural areas of Tomball and Magnolia by installing more than 100 new hot spots during the next few months, said Michael Bybee, Comcast external communications senior manager for the West Division and Houston region. Comcast provides hot spots to more than 5,000 homes and small businesses in Tomball and more than 2,000 homes and small businesses in Magnolia, he said.

“People use the Internet on the go all the time, but wireless data plans can be expensive, and megabytes can add up quickly,” said Ralph Martinez, Comcast regional senior vice president. “Our goal is to provide a seamless Wi-Fi experience for businesses and visitors.”