Wise County Texas

Objective: Ensure all residents have access to the internet and speeds that meet their needs for work, education, telehealth, and quality of life purposes.

Wise County has made significant investments to ensure the county has improved broadband infrastructure. This has increased broadband availability in the area. Having broadband access is necessary to participating in the online world, but it is often not the only barrier residents are facing. Wise County should continue to explore partnerships and opportunities to get more residents online. It is important for Wise County to continue to track broadband developments at the state and federal level for additional opportunities to increase broadband access, adoption, and use.

Action 1 – Partner with local nonprofits, community anchor institutions, and internet service providers to promote low-cost broadband programs.

One of the main barriers people face when getting online is affordability of internet service. While the physical connection may be available, Wise County should also consider the cost of high-speed internet service, including the equipment and devices needed to get online. The county should work with community leaders and institutions to publicly promote programs and opportunities designed to reduce the cost of broadband service. Wise County residents noted affordability as a key barrier, especially for residents outside the city limits. One resident noted, “I pay too much for service that doesn’t meet expectations.”

Below are some programs and resources that are available to residents.

• Resources to locate affordable internet service or computers: Using online resources, Wise County residents can identify local and national providers who offer special low-cost services for vulnerable populations, older adults, and low-income families with children. Resources include EveryoneOn (https://www.everyoneon.org/), which helps residents locate low-cost internet services and affordable computers by ZIP code and by need, based on their participation in assistance programs.
• State and federal low-cost programs:
  • Lifeline is a federal program administered through the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Universal Service Administrative Co. that lowers the monthly cost of phone or internet services for eligible consumers. Consumers can get up to $9.25 off the cost of phone, internet, or bundled services each month. Households can qualify based on income or participation in federal or tribal assistance programs.

ISPs often offer their own low-cost options or subsidized programs to consumers at a greatly reduced cost. Local advocacy for internet affordability, using Wise County specific data, will be essential to ensuring residents can continue accessing online information and virtual resources.

Action 2 – Maintain open communication and positive relations with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) working in the county.

ISPs are key partners for communities looking to expand broadband access. Wise County has strong relationships with ISPs, including Nextlink Internet, which has partnered with the county to expand broadband access. Checking in regularly with ISPs allows community leaders to stay abreast of construction and expansion progress or changes in plans, to identify challenges they are facing, and to communicate community goals and objectives. This open communication allows ISPs to better understand community needs and for communities to better understand the obstacles and barriers ISPs face. When in the community, residents noted that, while service was reliable in the city, it was less reliable in more rural parts of the county. One resident described how it took multiple weeks to get a service provider out to their property to fix a broken connection, leaving them disconnected from the internet. Broadband champions in a community can play a role as connector between ISPs and residents to ensure that the service provided is meeting the needs of local residents.

Action 3 – Explore options for expanding access to public Wi-Fi in locations residents frequent.

Wise County can partner with local businesses, community anchor institutions, and other government entities to make public Wi-Fi available. The county could collect locations with this publicly available Wi-Fi and post them on their websites so residents know where they could go to access the internet. The county could also post locations for any available public computing spaces.

Resources

• The FCC High-Cost program: CAF A-CAM
• The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)  
• Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, Allocation by County
• ARPA SLFRF, Final Rule
• Broadband Development Office Funding Programs
• BroadbandUSA: Federal Funding Guide
• Guide to Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities in the U.S.
• Lifeline Program

Objective: Partner with libraries and community organizations to provide digital literacy training.

Broadband connects people to the world and opens the door to opportunity. Where there is broadband, there is development, achievement, and innovation. In rural communities, broadband looks like economic development, greater education opportunity, advancement in agriculture and farming, connection to telehealth services, infrastructure improvement, and general technological advancements. To engage on the internet, an individual must have the digital skills necessary to safely navigate the internet. Many local and national organizations and institutions offer digital training and literacy workshops to the public for free or reduced costs in pursuit of digital opportunity for all. Making these programs widely and frequently available throughout Wise County will increase engagement, adoption, and use of the internet.

Connected Nation partnered with the Decatur Public Library to bring digital skills training to the county. All participants received a certificate of completion at the end of each class certifying participation. Additionally, all participants and the library received a link to the online curriculum to continue the digital learning. This engagement is a prime example of programming that community anchor institutions can offer to residents, often for free, in partnership with local and national organizations. Continuing this work is a priority for the library and should be supported.

Action 1 – Identify and convene community leaders to be broadband champions.

Broadband access and adoption is critical to many parts of a community’s development. Sectors as diverse as education, healthcare, economic development, and public safety all have a shared interest in ensuring that residents can successfully navigate online platforms. Bringing together a broadband taskforce and regularly convening the group to discuss the challenges and opportunities they are seeing from their perspective, as well as to identify areas of collaboration and learning, can help meet broadband adoption goals. 

Action 2 – Identify or develop additional curriculum for free community workshops.

Community organizations should continue offering digital skills workshops in partnership with local and regional organizations. Classes can be offered at local facilities, such as the school gym, library, or the community center, and be advertised through the local media. Classes should promote safe online activity and increase digital engagement. The more the community engages online, the more residents will reap the benefits of a digital lifestyle.

Workshop topics might include:

• How to teleconference
• Cybersecurity 101
• Microsoft Office skills
• Intro to social media and website building
• Telehealth basics

Action 3 --  Partner with community stakeholders for workshop execution.

Many nonprofits and community-based organizations are providing digital skills training to their clients or the people they serve as part of the work of fulfilling their mission. This could include a health clinic teaching people how to use the online health portal, the school district training parents on how to navigate the parent portal to receive messages and check their students’ grades, or the library helping folks apply for jobs. Bringing these entities together to share resources and to strategize on how to best serve the community will allow for collaboration on this issue. Collectively, community stakeholders could partner to host digital training sessions, with different organizations contributing as they can, with space, devices, or skilled facilitation.

There are many resources online with curriculum and content. Connected Nation provided curriculum and materials to the Decatur Library when it offered in-person training. This curriculum can be used as is or customized further to meet the needs of local residents. Additionally, Connected Nation offers Teens Teach Tech, a program where teens receive training and are empowered to provide digital skills training and digital navigation services to those in their community. They receive guidance and training form Connected Nation and are eligible for financial incentives and community service credit. If interested, please reach out.

Resources

Digital Literacy

• Connected Nation Digital Literacy Workshops
• Digital Learn – Free courses to learn anything about computers
• Digital Literacy Curriculum for K-12
• Free Applied Digital Skills – Google for Education
• Live, Virtual Classes for Seniors
• AARP Joins Nonprofit to teach tech to older adults
• The complete guide to digital skills
• Grow with Google

Cybersecurity

• Cybersecurity courses
• Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency - Cyber Resource Hub
• Connected Nation Cybersecurity Workshops

Objective: Bring additional resources to Wise County to support residents’ adoption and use of the internet.

Broadband spurs development at the individual and community level – expanding access expands opportunity. Helping the community understand how broadband adoption can help them meet their personal needs and goals, as well as support the community as a whole, can increase adoption and allow the investments made into broadband infrastructure multiply.

Action 1 – Showcase the local impact of increased broadband use in the community.

Increasing broadband adoption can have significant economic development implications for the county and can bring personal benefits to users. A community outreach initiative highlighting the benefits of broadband adoption can help illuminate important use cases and instill confidence in local residents to gain the skills needed to navigate the online world. A training for small business owners could help them build an online presence and sell their goods to people across the country. The county could advertise all of the local government services residents can access online and promote easy ways to engage with local government through technology. Creative ways to highlight the benefits of being online will encourage more residents to adopt broadband and realize the potential of being more engaged in the digital world.

Action 2 – Pursue state and federal funding for broadband advancement.

The infusion of state and federal funds into broadband expansion is an opportunity for Texas communities to support ISPs and other entities who are looking to expand infrastructure and programs that support robust broadband delivery. Wise County should explore the best ways to compete for these dollars.

In addition, there are other funding sources that promise opportunities for broadband, such as the U.S. Economic Development Association or U.S. Department of Agriculture. Capitalizing on this once-in-a-generation funding opportunity will be paramount to ensuring Wise County residents have faster, more reliable broadband for years to come.

Action 3 – Pursue philanthropic grants to advance local community development using broadband technologies (e.g., workforce development, telehealth, digital literacy, etc.).

Many Texas and national philanthropic organizations are supporting this work as well. Wise County should evaluate these grant programs and make strategic decisions to apply for funding to advance broadband access, adoption, and use in the county.

In conjunction with the countywide Connected Engagement program, Wise County has been allocated grant writing funds. The goals and actions outlined in this document provide the framework for county leaders to prepare for and pursue applicable funding opportunities and program advancements designed to close the Digital Divide in Wise County. Through countywide partnerships and collaborative efforts, the community can advocate and provide equitable, affordable, and reliable broadband access for all residents, businesses, and community anchor institutions. Texas Rural Funders maintains an online hub of grant resources. The community may consider utilizing this resource to identify a funding program that best meets their needs.

Resources

•  Texas Rural Funders Latest Grants