MOUNT PLEASANT — Spectrum, the top rural internet provider in the country, recently teamed up with state Sen. Bryan Hughes and state Rep. Cole Hefner in Titus County to announce an investment plan aimed at providing broadband services to remote communities across the state of Texas.
The expansion will primarily take place in East Texas, which is one of the most underserved regions in the country when it comes to internet access.
“East Texas is a land of opportunity, but in today’s digital world, fully realizing that opportunity hinges on a reliable internet connection,” Sen. Hughes said. “We’re celebrating significant advancements to bring high-speed internet to unserved East Texas homes and businesses in partnership with Spectrum and community stakeholders – this is a win for Texas’ most rural areas.”
Spectrum officials outlined an accelerated rural construction plan for Texas, focused on connecting approximately 133,000 homes and small businesses through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). Spectrum is investing $400 million in RDOF projects in Texas, offset by $186 million won in the FCC’s RDOF auction.
With just over two years into its rural expansion plan, Spectrum has activated service for more than 66,000 rural homes and small businesses in Texas, expanding their network more than 6,100 miles.
Across East Texas, the company’s construction efforts are well underway and more than 9,700 homes and small businesses in Titus, Franklin, Red River and Hopkins counties have already been connected, with additional work continuing in these areas. Expansion projects are also planned to bring services to thousands more addresses in parts of Camp, Morris, and Wood counties.
“We are in the midst of an unprecedented effort to build out our network to reach some of the most hard-to-serve locations in Texas,” said Mike Matson, Texas Regional Vice President of Field Operations, for Charter Communications, Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand of connectivity products and services. “Because the need is so clear, and the urgency is there, Spectrum has doubled down to put more resources and focus on connecting rural areas across Texas, especially in the eastern portion of the state.”
Matson explained how timely execution of Spectrum’s accelerated rural deployment plan is dependent on several external factors, such as expedited permitting processes from local and state government, and cooperation from local utility companies so Spectrum can attach fiber-optic cables to local utility poles.
“It takes a village to deliver internet service to these rural areas,” Matson said. “With more distance between homes, construction teams must access several poles just to reach one homeowner.”
Government officials echoed the importance of coordination and partnership to support Spectrum’s accelerated buildout plan.
“Texas communities, regardless of location or ZIP code, deserve ubiquitous access to high-speed internet, which is important for our kids, their opportunities, our local economies and keeping people here,” said U.S. Rep. Nathanial Moran. “I encourage Spectrum and its stakeholders to work together efficiently to see this RDOF expansion to fruition as quickly as possible.”
“Expanding broadband infrastructure to rural communities requires extensive coordination and resources,” said Rep. Hefner. “Spectrum’s connectivity services will open new doors for East Texas families and businesses, and we look forward to internet access for all East Texans – and quickly.”
Local residents and business owners should visit spectrumruralexpansion.com to learn more about when their home or business may be able to receive Spectrum services.
Spectrum Internet delivers speeds up to 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) and Advanced WiFi for residential and small business customers, featuring starting speeds of 300 Mbps (Megabits per second), with no modem fees, data caps or contracts. Spectrum Business Internet offers customers 1 Gbps download speeds, with 300 Mbps and 600 Mbps options.
The company has also begun a network evolution that will provide gigabit upstream speeds and multiple gigabit download speeds across its entire 41-state service area.
According to the FCC's "Measuring Broadband America Fixed Broadband Report" released in January 2023, Spectrum Internet surpassed the advertised download and upload speeds across all tiers, even during peak weeknight usage from 7 to 11 p.m.