NEWS
Expanding broadband access named emergency item
AUSTIN – During his State of the State speech on February 1st Texas Gov. Greg Abbott named expanding broadband access as one of his emergency items for the 87th Texas legislative session.
Many rural communities in Texas do not have access to reliable broadband Internet, which makes it difficult for them to complete tasks that require high-speed Internet, including virtual learning and telemedicine. During the pandemic, many schools have transferred to online classes. Children who live at homes without readily accessible broadband Internet access miss important content in their online classes, which leads to them falling behind in their schoolwork.
JJ McGrath, Founder of Connect2Educate, Owner/Operator of TekWav, and state director of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) said he was not surprised Gov. Abbott named expanding broadband access in Texas as an emergency item. “The digital divide has become more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic and it needs to be fixed right away. The distribution of devices and wifi hotspots is good, but it’s not going to solve this problem for the long term,” said McGrath.
“Too many children cannot attend online classes or complete their homework because they do not have reliable Internet access at home. Expanding broadband Internet access by utilizing fixed wireless Internet will help ensure that students continue receiving a quality education,” McGrath continued. Mr. McGrath is working on closing the digital divide through his new organization Connect2Educate.
Connect2Educate is a Texas-based partnership led by Internet service providers to expand Internet access throughout the state and ensure every student in Texas has access to the technology they need to access online classes. It works with local governments and ISDs to provide quality Internet services and software support to Texas families regardless of income level.
The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) is an organization of entrepreneurs who provide wireless and broadband solutions to consumers and businesses. Members of WISPA provide cost-effective Internet access to underserved areas of the country and support the investment and deployment of broadband Internet access to all Americans.
For more information about JJ McGrath, Connect2Educate and WISPA, please contact Rebecca Hucker at [email protected].
The second community meeting on needs for an emergency room or hospital in Bowie is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the Bowie Community Center.
This is the second meeting to discuss these needs following the closure of the Faith Community Health Center emergency room on Oct. 6, just shy of a year of operation. More than 200 people attended that first meeting, where discussion centered on the creation of a taxing district to support any sort of medical facility.
Citizens in the Bowie area are encouraged to attend and take part in these discussions.
The Bowie City Council has moved its Nov. 18 meeting to 6 p.m. on Nov. 19 where three new council members will take the oath of office.
Councilors include Laura Sproles, precinct two, Brandon Walker, precinct one and Laramie Truax, precinct two. After the votes are canvassed and the oaths given, a mayor pro tem will be selected.
The new members will jump right into training as City Attorney Courtney Goodman-Morris provides an orientation and discussion of duties for council members.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will make his monthly report on the following topics: Nelson Street, which opened last Thursday, update on the sewer line replacement project, substation transformer placement and information on medical companies.
A closed executive session on the Laura McCarn vs. City of Bowie lawsuit is scheduled. The suit arose in November 2022 when the city broached selling some 25 acres it owns on Lake Amon G. Carter, originally part of the land purchased for the 500-acre Bowie Reservoir completed in 1985.
McCarn challenges the ownership of the property stating it should revert to the original owners since it was not used for the lake.
This 24.35 acre tract is located at the end of Indian Trail Road surrounded by the lake and the Silver Lakes Ranch subdivision.
One of Bowie’s major thoroughfares, Nelson Street, was reopened Thursday after one busy block has been closed since August 2021 when a section of the street failed.
Construction finally came to an end on Thursday when the street, including the Nelson and Mill intersection were reopened. Mayor Gaylynn Burris, City Manager Bert Cunningham, Councilors TJay McEwen and Stephanie Post, Engineer Mike Tibbetts and Public Works Director Stony Lowrance met at the site Thursday morning and removed the barricades. It only took a few minutes for vehicles to start arriving and drivers were excited to go through on the new roadway.
This section of Bowie has endured flooding and drainage problems for many years and in the summer of 2023 the city council finally bit the bullet and sought bids for the repair work expected to top $3 million. In August 2021 a one block section of Nelson was closed when a large sinkhole appeared on the north side of the street. Traffic had to be diverted including all the school traffic flowing from the nearby junior high and intermediate.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo – (Left) Mike Tibbetts, engineer with Hayter Engineering, talks with Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham as they look over the massive drainage project on Nelson Street.
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