Your Input Needed to Improve Internet Access and Speeds Across San Augustine County
San Augustine County, TX (October 27, 2020) – The San Augustine County Broadband Committee, in partnership with Connected Nation Texas (CN Texas), is asking for your input as the Committee develops a Technology Action Plan for the entire county. The plan will provide immediate and long-term solutions for expanding access to high-speed internet (broadband).
The plan will be shaped by the input provided—so anyone, any business, or any community organization looking to improve their internet access or speeds should take part in the survey: https://www.myconnectedcommunity.org/san-augustine-county/.
“All of us in San Augustine County have at some point experienced the struggles of having too little or no internet access at home—especially during recent COVID-19 shutdowns,” said San Augustine Mayor Leroy Hughes. “Those impacted include local children who can only access their online classrooms via donated hotspots, small business owners who can’t access a virtual marketplace, and employees who must have internet access to keep their jobs. Lack of general bandwidth foils any attempt to attract hi-tech industry to the area. It affects all of us in both small and large ways. That’s why it’s so important that we get as much input in these surveys as possible so we can truly identify the places that have no internet access and those that need to have improved access.”
With funding from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation through the Texas Rural Funders, CN Texas is identifying 23 communities across the state to take part in the Connected Community Engagement program. San Augustine County was the eighth community selected.
The community engagement program collects data from local stakeholders and works directly with providers to identify opportunities and challenges for expanding access to broadband—developing a county-specific Technology Action Plan. The Connected program has developed more than 350 of these plans across the United States.
“This is an opportunity for San Augustine County residents and businesses to leverage CN Texas’ experience in other communities to improve high-speed internet across our area,” said Wynn Rosser, President and Chief Executive Officer of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. “If we are able to develop a well-informed Technology Action Plan then we will be better equipped to expand internet access to more people, businesses, and organizations across the county. That means we can make it possible for our communities to connect to the resources and opportunities that impact everything from education to the economy. The San Augustine Connected Community engagement is part of the foundation’s larger commitment to support the development of high-speed internet across the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) region.”
Head here for a printable fact sheet on the San Augustine County Broadband Committee’s work: https://connectednation.org/texas/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2020/06/San-Augustine-County-Broadband-Fact-Sheet-draft.pdf
To learn more about CN Texas, email Jennifer Harris at jharris@connectednation.org or visit the CN Texas website at https://www.connectednation.org/texas. To learn more about the Connected Program head to https://connectednation.org/connect-my-community/.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessica Denson, Communications Director
Connected Nation
502-341-2024
jdenson@connectednation.org
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About Connected Nation Texas: CN Texas is a local division 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 Texas Rural Funders: The mission of the Texas Rural Funders (TRF) is to partner with rural Texans to achieve their vision of prosperity and wellbeing. The group’s strategies recognize and are informed by rural expertise and assets. The TRFC leverages local, philanthropic, state and federal resources to collaborate on projects, support local capacity and leadership, share research, convene stakeholders and engage in advocacy. More information can be found on the TRF webpage at: https://www.edtx.org/get-involved/texas-rural-funders-collaborative.