Treviño: COVID showed we were woefully lacking in broadband infrastructure

A few years ago, you guys might remember we had a little incident called COVID. And right around this time four years ago is when this stuff really hit the fan. And we started realizing that this was not going to be an easy, solvable problem from one day or one week to the next. 

As we started realigning our lives and what we needed to do in order to keep working, and in our position continue to provide public services to our community, we realized that we were going to have to do it through a new means. That meant virtual meetings, and a new word, Zoom, Conferences wearing the face mask, trying to distance, socially distance. 

And it also happened that during spring break four years ago, we were trying to prepare what we were going to do in order to have the children return (to school). I met with all the superintendents from the county. And, again, that was something I never expected to deal with, especially in a situation where we were dealing with the beginning of a global pandemic.

But we discussed the fact that we probably needed a little bit of time to figure out how we were going to bring the kids back to school. And, and I said, hey, if we need to extend the break for a week or two, or a month, let’s do it. But they (the superintendents) made me realize well, hang on a second, judge, it’s not just about the school. It’s about the fact that these families, these kids, get their meals, breakfast and lunch (at school). And if they don’t come to school, guess what? They’re not going to eat. It was something I never really realized, the impact. 

And as we started working our way back, well, guess what happened? Kids were trying to do (their homework) virtual. But, if you lived out in the county you didn’t have access to broadband and internet access. We started realizing they were having a really tough time being able to do their work. They were having to drive to the Santa Maria parking lot in order to try to get broadband access. So we realized that we were woefully lacking in our broadband and internet infrastructure. 

So we asked for a feasibility study. And this confirmed all of our suspicions. That feasibility study then required us to look for an internet service provider that we could count on, that we could partner with, that would allow us to get the infrastructure, the resources, the money needed, in order to develop and implement that infrastructure so that our kids now and in the future would have the same resources that everyone else throughout the rest of the state and the rest of the country would have. 

So, through a competitive process, VTX1 proved to Cameron County that they were the best partner for us and we’re proud to stand with them here in order to expand reliable and affordable internet to the people of Cameron County. 

This project is the first of five is being fully funded by VTX1. That had a lot to do with our decision to select them as our partner. We want to thank them for this investment and with the four other projects that we’re going to be doing throughout the county. Let’s give VTX a big, big, round of applause.

Editor’s Note: The above commentary was provided by Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new fiber optic broadband service being introduced in the communities of Bluetown and Santa Maria by VTX1.

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