https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2023/06/07/the-key-for-broadband-access-in-dallas-county-is-affordability/

Ensuring that everyone has the ability to connect to high-speed internet has been a key area of interest for policymakers in Dallas County recently, and for good reason — the pandemic shined a light on the invaluable nature of connectivity in today’s world. Americans of all ages and walks of life relied on it for everything from remote learning to telehealth. As leaders consider the best way to bridge the county’s digital divide, there are two pivotal questions worth mulling: What barriers are keeping residents offline, and what are the quickest, most effective solutions at our disposal to overcome these barriers? According to the FCC’s maps which were recently updated by the Biden administration, the entirety of Dallas County has access to broadband speeds. That indicates that a lack of broadband infrastructure is not a significant factor preventing residents from obtaining connectivity. Instead, the issues of affordability, or lacking the income needed to afford a broadband subscription, as well as adoption, or lacking the digital skills necessary to navigate the web, are the key barriers affecting Dallas County’s unconnected residents. Despite these variables, county lawmakers are considering constructing a countywide, government-owned broadband network. The county’s assessment acknowledges that “broadband service is widely available in Dallas County at 100 Mbps download, 20 Mbps upload [speeds],” meaning that the vast majority of the infrastructure being built would be duplicative, providing a service that has already been available for residents.