Dallas County partners with Zayo to improve internet access in underserved neighborhoods
Dallas, Texas – Aiming to close the digital divide impacting thousands of people, Dallas County officials have launched a major effort to improve high-speed internet service throughout several neighborhoods. Driven by a partnership with Zayo, a telecom infrastructure business, this project represents a significant move towards regional digital equity.
Supported by over $27.8 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, the initiative aims to improve internet connection in ten distinct ZIP codes across the county, especially in southern Dallas where the shortage of connectivity is most severe. Emphasizing the significance of this growth at a press conference, Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins pointed out that in the modern world, having access to the internet is as basic as having electricity, heat, and water.
This expansion plan goes beyond just putting over more than 60 miles of additional fiber optic cables; it’s also a proactive attempt to make it simpler and more affordable for internet service providers to serve once unreachable locations. Given that around 24,000 Dallas homes lack internet connectivity right now, this project is desperately needed.
Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman highlighted that while many areas in his district enjoy adequate internet access, there are noticeable gaps that hinder economic and educational opportunities.
“We need to have equality because, without equality to the Internet, we don’t have access to commerce, to education [and] to materials that are necessary to the everyday life in the modern world,” Sommerman said as reported by GovTech.
The program also goes beyond infrastructure. Further helping the community toward digital literacy and competency, Zayo is scheduled to spend an extra $150,000 to supply 300 computers and sponsor technological education for local students.
Designed to take two years to finish, this ambitious project not only seeks to eliminate the glaring digital inequalities within Dallas County but also provides a template for like projects in other areas. Dallas County is making major progress toward changing its digital landscape to one that supports and encourages economic growth, educational successes, and more general society advantages by extending digital access.
