Broadband Conference at the FED Bank - Last Week in Dallas

Last week in Dallas, PLAN Systems along with Mission Telecom attended a very interesting and timely conference: “Accelerating Implementation: A Statewide Summit on Broadband as Economic Development.”

Broadband as a Necessity

The event was in connection with the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), Texas Rural Funders, and hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas centered on two days of economic development talks focused towards on-going major statewide broadband funding efforts and predicted outcomes i.e. Information is the New Economy and Many People are Getting Left Out.

Dallas Texas at the Federal Reserve, PLAN Systems

Here are some of the high level take aways from the event that I noted:

– Internet connectivity officially in the eyes of Texas has a positive correlation with increased economic development for whole regions
– $3.3 Billion in TX state and federal funds was allocated to provide High-Speed Internet Access Statewide, part of a larger $42.45 Billion federal BEAD initiative
– Funding programs will still fall far short of connectivity goals — especially in rural areas that receive less than 3% of funding, because there’s no ROI
– There is recognition that broadband and digital skills training are desperately needed, but 1/3 of people that retrain still don’t get the job they are seeking
– $100 plus a month for broadband service is an unacceptable amount for a growing number of the population
– $25 is the sweet spot of affordability for high speed internet service, far below the typical broadband costs

This conference helped give me a much better perspective on the state of connectivity and collaboration in Texas from a boots on the ground perspective; it also provided an opportunity to connect the work we have been doing at PLAN Systems with service workers in the field: from community foundations, communications cooperatives, education institutions, local and rural ISPs, workforce developers, and city mayors and administrators.

Many of the folks in attendance that we met have predicted and/or reoriented already, even without the official word from the Texas BDO, and have been dedicated to developing and adapting innovative solutions. Further announcements to follow on the new programs that we have been preparing as well, so as not to bury the lead.

Here’s a preview for the folks that came to PLAN Systems: