Harris County 'investing in smart, people-centered infrastructure' by expanding free public Wi-Fi

Harris County's elected leaders are working to "bridge the digital divide" in order to allow for more residents to have internet access by investing in the infrastructure to expand free Wi-Fi across the county.

At their July 20 court session, Harris County Commissioners approved spending $3.2 million in COVID-relief dollars for the project.

"Today, we allocated an additional $3.2 million to expand free public Wi-Fi in our county," Judge Lina Hidalgo (D-Harris County) wrote in a tweet the day commissioners voted to approve spending the money. "The infrastructure discussion isn't complete without broadband. From community centers and libraries, to buses and student access, we're investing in smart, people-centered infrastructure."

The county's Budget Management Department asked the Commissioners Court to allocate the additional money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act since the pandemic highlighted the need for internet, especially with students and adults turning to the internet to learn and work.

"Harris County residents still experience a digital divide," Budget Management officials wrote in their request to the Commissioners Court. "One hundred twenty-three thousand Harris County residents have no wired internet and only 53% have fiber optic availability. In some neighborhoods, over 25 % of young people still lack access."

Harris County previously used money for the CARES Act to bring free public Wi-Fi to community centers, parks and libraries plus 20,000 households, but there's still a need to bring connectivity to more people. 

"This incremental funding will enable expansion of the public Wi-Fi openings to 105 Wi-Fi mesh networks and 16 mobile buses, together with ongoing broadband support to an estimated 20,000 families through the 2021-2022 school year," Budget Management officials said in their request. 

The CW39 reported back in April, Harris County partnered with Comcast to set up hotspots for students lacking the internet at home.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of internet access. Forty-four million households in the U.S. lack home broadband access, The Hill reported.

According to KBMT, a dramatic drop in STAAR test scores has underscored the need for school districts to return to in-person instruction full-time for the next school year, but not everyone is open to the idea just yet.