DALLAS (AP) _ The Texas Department of Agriculture is hoping its first map detailing high-speed Internet access around the state will be a boost for unserved rural areas.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples unveiled the map Wednesday in Austin.
The interactive map allows computer users to pinpoint availability in small areas, even down to a specific rural home. Staples says the tool could lead service providers to target future investment.
Staples says 96 percent of Texas households have high-speed, or broadband, Internet access. But he says that doesn’t mean much to the roughly 250,000 homes without it. He says he wants to “bridge the digital divide for rural communities.”
State officials are asking Texans to provide input to keep the map relevant.