The Milam County, Texas Broadband Team has completed its community technology assessment, along with an outside plant audit and radio frequency analysis of available broadband coverage. The results of this assessment can be found by clicking the symbol for each of the sections below. The Solutions sector includes recommended actions the community can implement to improve the broadband and technology ecosystem at a local level. Findings from the outside plant audit and radio frequency analysis can be seen in the interactive map below. It should be noted that much of the assessment was conducted before or at the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This worldwide event likely impacted many of the metrics included in this assessment.
Organizations
Fixed broadband is delivered to a user via several technology platforms including cable, digital subscriber line (DSL) over phone line, fiber optics, and fixed wireless. Fixed broadband is designed for stationary use at a fixed location such as a home, business, or institution. From a location, however, fixed broadband service is often broadcast as a Wi-Fi network to connect nearby devices.
The following map shows where broadband is available in Milam County, along with results from an outside plant audit and radio frequency analysis conducted by engineers from Connected Nation.
Objective
Milam County should obtain federal and state grant monies, such as EDA Grants, American Rescue Plan monies, and NTIA Broadband grants, to build additional and expand existent infrastructure in Milam County to facilitate better broadband.
Description
There are a multitude of existing and potential federal funding opportunities for broadband expansion. While federal agencies have niche missions, each can contribute funding to a community’s broadband readiness endeavors through unique grant programs. Examples include the Department of Agriculture, Economic Development Association, and Federal Communications Commission. Developing a grant strategy, or a funding strategy, is an important part of a community’s competitiveness when applying for available funds. Important elements of a grant plan include accurate broadband mapping, stakeholder support, broadband partnerships (i.e., ISPs), and up-to-date funding information.
Actions
Action 1. Judge Young should identify applicable grants for community/county to apply for and begin preparing grant applications with assistance from a school or county grant writer.
a. Use Internet Society funding guide linked below to review federal grant programs.
b. View Connected Nation’s “Current Broadband Funding” landing page for information on funding opportunities.
c. If the community does not have a designated grant writer or broadband specialist, consult with CTCOG about available resources and grant-writing assistance.
Action 2. The Community Broadband Team (County Judge, EDC Coordinator, others as needed) should meet with community ISPs (internet service providers) to discuss infrastructure needs and financial responsibilities and implications.
Action 3. The Community Broadband Team should meet with community broadband providers who have already been allocated federal money, including CAF and RDOF, to ensure infrastructure plans are not needlessly redundant.
- RDOF Phase I Auction Winning Bids
- AMG Technology (Nextlink), $2,462,026.10
- CCO Holdings (Charter), $9,228.00
- LTD Broadband, $12,297.00
- CAF Phase II Auction Winning Bids
- AMG Technology (Nextlink), $1,089,117.50
Action 4. County officials (i.e., Judge Young) should make contact with Congressman Sessions’ office to inquire about federal grant application assistance; inquire about letters of support, additional funding opportunities.
Action 5. Milam County, in conjunction with Commissioners Court approval, should spend federal grant winnings on broadband expansion projects utilizing ISP partnerships and abiding by regulatory standards.
Responsible Parties
Local units of government; congressional staff; grant writers; broadband providers
Resources
• ctc technology & energy: Developing a Grant Strategy in an Evolving Funding Landscape
• Internet Society: Guide to Federal Broadband Funding Opportunities in the U.S.
• BroadbandUSA: Federal Grant Resources
• Connected Nation: Current Broadband Funding
• Congressman Pete Sessions’ Office Locations and Contact Information
• US Department of the Treasury: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
• US Department of Agriculture: ReConnect Loan and Grant Program
• American Rescue Plan: County Allocation
• American Rescue Plan: City Allocation
• Grants.gov: NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program
Objective
Milam County should develop public-private partnerships with broadband carriers by leveraging community assets in pursuit of expanded network deployment.
Description
Public-private partnerships take many forms, limited only by the imagination and legal framework in which the municipality operates. Some communities issue municipal bonds to fund construction of a network, which they lease to private carriers, with the lease payments covering the debt service. Others create nonprofit organizations to develop networks in collaboration with private carriers or provide seed investment to jumpstart construction of networks that the private sector is unable to cost-justify on its own. A public-private partnership should not be simply seen as a method of financing. The strength of these partnerships is that each party brings something important to the table that the other doesn’t have or can’t easily acquire. The community can offer infrastructure (publicly owned building rooftops, light poles, towers, and other vertical assets for mounting infrastructure) for the deployment of a network, as well as committed anchor tenants. Private-sector partners bring network-building and operations experience.
Actions
Action 1. The Broadband Team (County Judge and community stakeholders) and county leadership should explore use of RFI (requests for information) to gather information regarding potential partnerships to address areas of the community that are unserved. Explore examples of RFI/RFP language in the link provided.
Action 2. Judge Young, Michelle Morgan, and others as needed should assess ongoing and planned publicly- and privately-funded broadband projects.
- EX: RDOF and CAF. See action item 1 for specifics.
- Meet with broadband providers individually, as able, to discuss projects and funding. Milam County has already met with Zochnet, Bartlett Electric Coop., and Nextlink.
- Once one-on-one meetings with providers have been exhausted, community should release an RFI to gather additional information that was not presented during meetings or to gather information from providers who did not have meetings with county leadership.
Action 3. Judge Young and county broadband leadership team should consider public-private partnerships, as needed and desired.
- Elements to consider include competition, enhanced service, equity and service to all, public control over infrastructure, risk avoidance, redundancy, etc.
- Examine different models of partnership in conjunction with community stakeholders (County Attorney, Mayor, etc.).
- Model 1: Private Investment, Public Facilitation: Make available public assets like fiber and conduit, share geographic information systems data, streamline permitting and inspection processes, offer economic development incentives to attract private broadband investment.
- Model 2: Private Execution, Public Funding: Identify revenue streams that can be directed to a private partner, issue RFP for private turnkey execution.
- Model 3: Shared Investment and Risk: Evaluate using assets to attract private investment, evaluate funding new assets to attract private investment, evaluate building new fiber assets to businesses and/or homes for leasing to private ISPs.
- Broadband team should discuss key legal considerations for localities looking to build a broadband partnership: review authority issues, understand the legal tools and instruments that could shape the partnership, negotiate the agreement.
Responsible Parties
County Judge; community institutions and stakeholders; broadband providers; residents and businesses
Resources
- ctc technology & energy: Developing a Grant Strategy in an Evolving Funding Landscape
- BroadbandUSA: An introduction to effective public-private partnerships for broadband investments
- NCDIT Broadband Infrastructure Office: Putting Together Your Request for Proposals or Information
- Connected Nation Texas: Texas Broadband Providers by County
Objective
Milam County should implement digital literacy and inclusion programs in the community to ensure all community members have the ability and skills to use digital devices to access and manipulate information.
Description
For those unfamiliar with the term, digital literacy seems like a complex concept, but put simply, it is an individual’s ability to interact and exchange information via digital platforms efficiently and successfully. As the name suggests, digital literacy necessitates a level of competency. Put another way, literacy requires understanding, skill, and knowledge. Digital literacy then is an understanding of the digital environment and all the software, social media platforms, and lingo that comes along with it. For Americans who have limited exposure to new and constantly evolving technology trends and products, staying abreast and informed can be harder than it seems. For rural Americans, digital literacy can be stunted by many things including lack of devices, knowledge, and general infrastructure. By providing training workshops focused on digital readiness and inclusion, a community can equip its citizens for digital immersion and advancement for the now and the future. Digital literacy focuses not just on access to devices and broadband internet, but the skills and ability needed to engage on these platforms.
Actions
Action 1. Milam County community institutions (i.e., libraries, schools, agriculture) should identify regional and community partners with resources and expertise to assist the county in producing “free” digital literacy and inclusion workshops with an emphasis on broadband adoption barriers.
- Schools: Buckholt ISD, Cameron ISD, Gause ISD, Milano ISD, Rockdale ISD, Thorndale ISD, Resolution Ranch Academy, St. Paul Lutheran School
- Libraries: Cameron Public Library, Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library
- Agriculture: Texas Farm Bureau and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
Action 2. Identify or develop curriculum using publicly available programs, such as AARP and PLA, and county-sourced information to facilitate community-wide training courses.
Action 3. Schedule training classes at local facilities and promote through local media.
- Utilize existing websites and social media accounts for Milam County and surrounding cities.
- Utilize partnerships at local media outlets (Cameron Herald, Rockdale Reporter, Thorndale Champion, Temple Daily Telegram, KMIL, KXRT) to promote technology workshops.
Action 4. Invite ISPs (internet service providers) to sponsor and attend events. ISPs may be willing to sponsor events since community-wide workshops will likely lead to increased broadband adoption and use.
Timeline
Milam County should implement digital inclusion and literacy programs by the end of 2021. Every six months, the community should evaluate the status of available curriculum to determine if updates are needed.
Responsible Parties
Community anchor institutions: schools, libraries; broadband providers; local units of government; media outlets
Resources
- Connected Nation: What We Do For You, Digital Inclusion
- National Telecommunications and Information Administration: Five Digital Inclusion Trends in the United States
- AARP: AARP Joins With Nonprofit to Teach Tech to Older Adults
- Public Library Association: Digital Learn Curriculum
- Connected Nation Texas: Texas Broadband Providers by County
- Milam County: Cities/Schools/Other Links
Objective
Milam County should partner with Chambers of Commerce, EDC, and regional organizations to boost online and social media presence for community anchor institutions, local businesses, medical facilities, and novelty attractions to drive e-commerce, business retention, and job-growth rates.
Description
For small businesses and community-run organizations, an online presence and the use of social media are vital to stay competitive in the 21st century. A website and social media channels are not just for organizations that have the experience, staff, or budget; any small business, library, or community organization can tap into these resources. Training should be provided to all community members regarding the use of websites and social media. Website topics should range from starting a basic website to more advanced topics such as e-commerce. Social media topics should include a variety of social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Broadband empowers small businesses and local leaders to achieve operational scale more quickly by lowering start-up costs through faster business registration and improved access to customers, suppliers, and new markets. According to Connected Nation’s “2012 Jobs and Broadband Report,” businesses that are using the internet bring in approximately $300,000 more in median annual revenues than unconnected ones.
Actions
Action 1. Milam County community institutions (i.e., libraries, schools, City Hall) will first need to identify regional and community partners.
- Partners can provide resources and expertise to assist the community in producing “free” website and social media workshops.
- Possible partnerships include Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Councils (EDCs), and Councils of Government (COGs):
- Cameron Chamber of Commerce, Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, Thorndale Chamber of Commerce
- Cameron Industrial Foundation, Rockdale Municipal Development, Milam County EDC
- Central Texas Council of Governments (CTCOG)
Action 2. Curate curriculum based on publicly available programs, and county-sourced information, to implement and meet community needs.
Action 3. Partner with ISPs to sponsor workshops (ISPs may be willing to sponsor events since small-business workshops will likely lead to increased broadband adoption and use.)
Action 4. Schedule workshops and advertise classes via local media.
- Utilize existing websites and social media accounts for Milam County and surrounding cities.
- Utilize partnerships at local media outlets (Cameron Herald, Rockdale Reporter, Thorndale Champion, Temple Daily Telegram, KMIL, KXRT) to promote technology workshops.
Timeline
Milam County should implement technology workshops by the end of 2021. Every six months the community should evaluate the status of available resources and online curriculum to determine if updates are needed.
Responsible Parties
Chamber of Commerce; Economic Development Organization; community anchor institutions; broadband providers; media outlets
Resources
- Small Business Chronicle: Social Media Benefits for Small Businesses
- WorldHealth.Net: The Importance Of An Online Presence For Physicians
- Connected Nation Texas: Texas Broadband Providers by County
- The Creative Collective: Social Media, Let’s Get Started with Social Media Marketing
- Connected Nation: Tech for Small Business Infographic
- US News: A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing: A U.S. News Guide
- Website Setup: How to Make a Website
- Milam County: Cities/Schools/Other Links
- Milam County has partnered with Connected Nation to complete an outside plant audit and radio frequency analysis following conversations between Michelle Morgan, Jennifer Harris, and Chip Spann.
- This audit will identify granular information about the community’s current broadband environment and capabilities. These results should be used by the community when applying for grants and working with providers to improve and expand broadband access.