Wichita County launching county-wide broadband engagement
Wichita County, Texas (October 29, 2021) – The Wichita County Broadband Committee invites local stakeholders, community residents, and media to attend a special kickoff event on Thursday, November 4th at 7:00pm to discuss expanding and improving broadband access, adoption, and use throughout the county. Attendees will learn more about broadband access in Wichita County, the Connected Communities program at Connected Nation Texas (CN Texas), and the project timeline. The meeting will conclude with a virtual Q/A session.
The broadband committee, who will work closely with CN Texas, is made up of the following local stakeholders:
- Judge Woodrow "Woody" Gossom: County Judge, Wichita County
- Commissioner Jeff Watts: County Commissioner, Wichita County
- Henry Florsheim: President and CEO, Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce
- Blake Jurecek: Assistant City Manager, City of Wichita Falls
- Brad Owens: Superintendent, Burkburnett ISD
- Becky Montgomery: Director of Technology, Burkburnett ISD
- Tony Bushong: Superintendent, City View ISD
- Ted West: Superintendent, Electra ISD
- Cody Carroll: Superintendent, Holliday ISD
- Steve Moody: Superintendent, Iowa Park CISD
- Jodi Schlaud: Curriculum and IT Coordinator, Iowa Park CISD
- Rebecca McCain: CEO, Electra Hospital
- Michael Kuhrt: Superintendent, Wichita Falls ISD
- Shad McGaha: Chief Technology Officer, Wichita Falls ISD
- Joyce Gilleland: Executive Secretary and Court Coordinator, Wichita County
- Nancy Gregory: Commissioners Court Administrator, Wichita County
The broadband committee is hosting a community kick-off event on Thursday November 4, at 7:00 pm. You can attend in-person or virtually. In-person location include:
Burgess Elementary: Cafeteria
3106 Maurine St
Wichita Falls, TX 76306
Booker T Washington: Cafeteria
1300 Harding St
Wichita Falls, TX 76301
Electra ISD Administration Building
400 E. Roosevelt
Electra, TX 76360
Iowa Park CISD
328 E. Highway
Iowa Park, TX 76367
Burkburnett Main District Office: Boardroom
100 N Ave D.
Burkburnett, TX 76354
If you are attending virtually, registration details can be found at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wEYc3BubQtCUvRDpNtv-ZA
“The Wichita County Broadband team is excited to partner with CN Texas and get this project underway,” said Wichita County Judge Woodrow Gossom. “We want to better understand our community’s broadband needs and put actionable steps in place to improve connectivity for the residents and businesses in Wichita County.”
If you cannot attend the kickoff meeting, the Wichita County Broadband Committee is asking residents and organizations to take 10 minutes to fill out this short survey. Simply choose the survey category or categories that represent you or your organization.
https://myconnectedcommunity.org/wichita-county/
The goal of the survey is to identify unique challenges and opportunities for expanding high-speed internet in Wichita County so that every family, business, and community organization can access the critical resources needed to be connected. Wichita County will work with CN Texas to help close the Digital Divide within the community. The project will have no cost to the county thanks to the Priddy Foundation, headquartered in Wichita Falls. Wichita County is one of seven communities in the region to receive funding for this type of broadband initiative.
A Technology Action Plan will be developed for the county by leveraging Connected Nation’s Connected Community Engagement Program and will be shaped by the information provided by local stakeholders. For that reason, it’s important to include as much information as possible so that no area is left out of this plan.
The Connected Program has been used in nearly 650 communities across the country to develop county or regional Technology Action Plans that have both short term and long-term broadband solutions.
For more information or if you have questions, email info@connectednation.org or head to connectednation.org/texas.
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About Connected Nation Texas: CN Texas is the statewide subsidiary of the national nonprofit Connected Nation. Our mission is to improve lives by providing innovative solutions that expand access to and increase the adoption and use of broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies for all people. Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation.
Connected Nation works with consumers, local community leaders, states, technology providers, and foundations to develop and implement technology expansion programs with core competencies centered on a mission to improve digital inclusion for people and places previously underserved or overlooked. For more information, please visit: connectednation.org and follow Connected Nation on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Priddy Foundation: The mission of the Priddy Foundation is dedicated to the support of programs in human services, education, the arts, and health, which offer significant potential for individual development and community improvement throughout Northern Texas and Southern Oklahoma. More information can be found at: https://priddyfdn.org/