PRESS Staff Report
BROWNSVILLE, TX—The Isla Blanca Park area of South Padre Island, and outskirt areas of Cameron County are one step closer to bridging the digital divide.
Cameron County and VTX-1 Internet held a press conference on February 5, 2024 kicking-off the partnership to bridge the digital divide that exists in the area by expanding broadband services throughout county.
According to county leaders, the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the digital divide that exists in Cameron County and the disadvantage that our citizens, students and those seeking medical attention were left to deal with in our area.
In a press release distributed by the County, the public-private partnership with VTX-I was noted as a positive first step toward the goal of making affordable broadband services available to all citizens in the County.
The agreement with VTX-1 provides professional grant writing services to pursue state and federal grant opportunities to help fund the needed broadband expansion in Cameron County estimated at well over $100 million. The agreement also secures minimum broadband internet speeds of 100/50 megabits per second (Mbps) at a $30 per month price point for all new and existing VTX-l customers, according to the County’s press release.
Qualifying low income households will have the opportunity to pursue reimbursement through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and receive $30 per month to cover the service fee.
As previously reported in the PRESS, prior to competing for grant funding, VTX-1 agreed to utilize $10 million of their own funding and assets to install broadband infrastructure, within 120 calendar days, to the areas of Bluetown, Lozano, San Pedro and the area south of the causeway in South Padre Island including Isla Blanca Park.
Additionally, according to the County, VTX-1 will expand wireless services to several areas within Cameron County to provide connectivity with improved download and upload speeds. These initial projects will provide reliable high-speed internet to each of these areas.
VTX-l will utilize their own funding and assets and pursue grant opportunities to expand broadband connectivity throughout the county and will NOT require any financial contribution from Cameron County.
Cameron County Judge Trevino, Jr. said, “Expanding broadband connectivity in our area has been a top priority of the Commissioners Court. The pandemic shed light on the lack of broadband connectivity in our area and the disadvantage this created for our citizens and students.”
Trevino went on to add, “This partnership with VTX-I is a positive step toward addressing the digital divide that exists in our area and will ensure that our citizens have the necessary broadband connectivity they need for education, working remotely and telemedicine.
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