Many Dallas families still don’t have reliable internet. Here are some possible solutions

Thousands of students in Dallas still do not have access to reliable internet even after a year and a half as many children depend on online connections to continue studying.

Dallas ISD turned to wireless hotspots for expanded broadband access in the early months of the pandemic, but these were often unreliable and expensive over time.

Now the district is exploring two possible solutions as a more permanent solution to the digital divide that has plagued Dallas since the invention of the Internet.

DISD officials could expand infrastructure such as cell towers across the district to extend the reach of existing Wi-Fi networks and use federal funds to buy internet subscriptions in bulk for families in need.

Now is the time to push for better access, said Joanne Hovis, president of CTC Technology & Energy. Hovis’ company is helping DISD and the city to develop broadband expansion plans.

“In all of the years that the commercial Internet has existed, I don’t think there has ever been a comparable opportunity to address broadband and digital equity issues with public funds,” said Hovis.

Officials across Texas say they are campaigning for better access. A new law requiring the state to work out a plan to expand broadband access and set up a work surveillance bureau that was passed with broad support from both Republicans and Democrats in the last legislature.

The federal government also recently approved large pots of money that local governments can cut down to expand Internet access.

Dallas ISD officials hope to capitalize on these developments so that every student in school and at home has reliable connectivity, said Jack Kelanic, chief technology officer of Dallas ISD.

The city is on board with $ 40 million provisional.

The goal is “fairly broad and daring and simple: that all Dallas residents have access to high-speed internet in their homes,” said Liz Cedillo-Pereira, the city’s justice and inclusion director.

Lack of access

Three in ten households in Dallas County do not have access to the 2010 broadband standard, a recent survey found.

Neighborhoods with the least access – due to cost or inadequate infrastructure – are often in the poorest areas of Dallas, near the southern border of the school district.

STEAM coordinator Ronessa Hollingsworth prepares paperwork for a WiFi hotspot found by DISD on the 24. A district poll found that 30% of families said they didn't have internet at home.

“While there is Internet access in almost all households, the service is not sufficient in many to meet the students’ needs for distance learning, but also for homework,” said Hovis. “The lack of services is often in line with household income.”

A CTC study found that northern parts of Dallas often have more options for Internet access – via cable, fiber, or DSL – while some southern parts of Dallas tend to have landline-only access.

South Dallas also tends to have slower speeds, which is important as homework or school applications sometimes require faster connections. And slower internet can be detrimental to students trying to register online for extra help with schoolwork.

Internet service providers are private companies and tend to invest in areas of greater population density and higher incomes, leaving low-income families in remote areas with few options.

Use of federal funds

Dallas ISD could use federal funds to buy mass Internet subscriptions and then offer the services free to families who otherwise couldn’t afford them, CTC recommended.

But this solution would probably be short-term and take a few years before the federal aid runs out.

At first, DISD trustee Dustin Marshall was skeptical of the plan, suggesting that it created a moral hazard that would snub families with their own money for paying for services. But after learning that DISD would not pay for the subscriptions with district funds, he supported him.

The bulk buy plan allows the district to expand access quickly while opening up other long-term options to expand infrastructure, Kelanic noted.

“It’s quick, it’s easy [and] this service already exists, ”said Kelanic. “We don’t have to build anything, and at the moment federal money is available to offset 100% of these costs. It’s hard to miss. “

But the subscription model has its limits. In areas where the existing infrastructure does not reach households, a subscription would make no difference.

A long term solution?

A more ambitious plan would place internet towers on the roofs of schools so that Wi-Fi could be broadcast to nearby neighborhoods and homes.

DISD is running a pilot program within the Lincoln and Roosevelt High School feeder patterns. Adding antennas to district-owned buildings across the area could serve up to 80% of DISD families.

However, the costs of expanding DISD’s internet antennas would be higher and require a longer-term investment due to technological change.

“It’s telling that our technologies are 3G, 4G, 5G,” said Andrew Afflerbach, CTC CEO and Chief Technology Officer. “That means there is always a G and you are always faced with a technological change.”

The technology usually has a lifespan of six or seven years before it becomes obsolete, Afflerbach suggested.

“I like to use the commercial providers at short notice to replace the hotspots and get connections immediately,” said DISD trustee Dan Micciche. “In the long term, I like the rooftop solutions with a reservation.” Investing in the infrastructure plan could result in the borough committing to borrowing the expense every few years, he said.

But it could also be an opportunity for DISD to make some cash, Marshall said, wondering if the district could sell tower space to commercial internet service providers.

The trustees would likely have to approve such an infrastructure plan at a future board meeting, although several board members appeared to support the idea.

The city is also considering building its own infrastructure, which would build a 100-mile fiber optic system, and exploring how it could use the roofs of public buildings for its own network, Cedillo-Pereira said.

The city and district want to publish a draft plan by mid-July, which they will use as a guide.

The DMN Education Lab deepens reporting and discussion on pressing educational issues that are critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control over the Education Lab’s journalism.

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