Dallas County Commissioners are seeking proposals to build an information superhighway for areas underserved on internet access.
The proposed fiber network would ring around the City of Dallas, which has been pursuing its own high-speed connections for dreams of becoming a “Smart City.”
The Dallas County network would serve smaller cities and unincorporated areas around them.
Dallas is the headquarters for AT&T, one of America’s largest data service providers. Companies compete for customers in Dallas County areas that they choose by market factors. But some places with plenty of people still lacked service for COVID-19 stay-at-home kids learning and parents working.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said the county’s request for proposals on new fiber infrastructure should specifically address past inequities that left some areas underserved.
“This RFP should be structured as a best remedy to talk about how we limit, remediate red lining in our communities,” Price said.
The county has $35 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars as a start to offer providers that would spend much more to complete the network.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The City of Dallas has been using federal money for similar efforts. The Red Cloud neighborhood of Pleasant Grove is an example. New street lights are equipped with devices that will provide free Wi-Fi service beginning later this month. The lights already operate.
The city added service in other unserved areas and connected fire stations and other public buildings to serve neighborhoods.
Consultants helped Dallas County investigate digital equity issues last fall and the plan that moved forward this week.
County Commissioners said they have other underserved areas to cross the digital divide.
“There are areas in my own district missing a lot of the infrastructure in fiber,” said Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel.
Her District 1 includes Garland, Mesquite, Balch Springs and portions of Northeast Dallas.
Other members said southern Dallas County has the most areas in need.
“We need to be sure that all the underserved areas are our priority,” Commissioner Elba Garcia said.
Price said language in the request may not force providers to serve those areas.
“I just don’t get a comfort level that at the end of the day we’re talking about eviscerating red-lined communities, and that is the design of the legislation and the leveraging of the money,” Price said.
Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to issue the request for use of the federal money and promised to see that proposals reach the right places.
