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The 12 Regions of Texas
Outreach
To streamline broadband expansion across the state and allow every Texan to provide feedback about connectivity needs, the Broadband Development Office (BDO) has established a robust external engagement process that fosters collaboration with local, regional and tribal entities. The process goes beyond federal coordination requirements by including outreach to resource-strained communities, in addition to workforce development organizations, institutions of higher education and other state agencies. The information below illustrates how the BDO is engaging with communities and describes how individuals and organizations can participate.
To learn more about the BDO or provide input related to your community’s unique needs, please take advantage of these engagement opportunities. Your insight is essential to close the digital divide in Texas.
Roundtables
Local Government and Community Roundtables
These roundtables are for local elected officials and their staff, nonprofit organizations, and other community-based organizations that want to ensure their constituents have access to reliable, affordable internet. These meetings are held virtually on the first Thursday of every month at 10 a.m. CT. Join the Local Government and Community Roundtable.
Industry Roundtables
These roundtables are for broadband providers, engineering firms, consultants and other entities seeking opportunities to expand broadband across the state. These meetings are held virtually on the last Tuesday of every month at 3 p.m. CT. Join the Industry Roundtable.
Surveys
The BDO developed the Texas Digital Opportunity Public Survey to identify the barriers affecting Texas households, such as the lack of infrastructure, digital literacy, affordable service and access to devices.
We also sought input from organizations about existing digital opportunity programs throughout the state to develop a comprehensive understanding of how organizations are supporting broadband accessibility, affordability and adoption.
Internet service providers (ISPs) provided feedback through an industry survey.
The data collected from these surveys were used to develop the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan (TDOP) and the Digital Opportunity Hub, which both address the digital opportunity needs of all Texans.
Public Meetings
During summer 2023, the BDO hosted public meetings across Texas to hear directly from local communities about their broadband internet needs and priorities. Among the participants were residents, elected state and county officials, local government representatives, ISPs and nonprofit groups. We used feedback from these meetings to develop the TDOP to support the administration of federal funding dedicated to advancing broadband access and usage across the state. The TDOP will serve as a roadmap for achieving affordable and reliable broadband internet, high-quality device access, digital skills training and cybersecurity awareness to expand digital opportunities for all Texans.
Working Groups
The statewide working group advised the task forces and regional working groups, and it helped gather data for the TDOP. The BDO also used feedback from this group to inform the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program 5-Year Action Plan submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in August 2023.
Regional working groups functioned as “boots on the ground” to coordinate events, meetings, listening sessions and roundtables with local communities in conjunction with the BDO.
Statewide
- Chair: Greg Conte, Broadband Development Office
- Mitrah Avini, Texas 2036
- Jordana Barton-García, Connect Humanity
- Dawn Cronin, Texas Workforce Commission
- Robert Dole, Texas Health and Human Services
- Shawn Deabay, Texas Veterans Commission
- Michael DeYoung, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
- Sarah Jacobson, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
- Sean Jackson, Disability Rights Texas
- Chief Nim Kidd, Texas Department of Emergency Management
- Ginny Lewis Ford, Texas Association of Regional
Councils - Kelty Garbee, Texas Rural Funders
- Glenn Hamer, Texas Association of Business
- Lori Henning, Texas Association of Goodwills
- John Hoffman, Texas Department of Information Resources
- Rudy Metayer, Texas Black Caucus Foundation
- Cat Milner, Texas Department of Transportation
- Karen Reichek, Texas Department of Agriculture
- Gaby Rowe, Operation Connectivity
- Bennett Sandlin, Texas Municipal League
- Julia Schacherl, Texas Education Agency
- Darren Schauer, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC)
- Jarred Shaffer, Texas Office of the Governor
- Sonny Snyder, Kickapoo Traditional
Tribe of Texas - Barbara Witte-Howell, AARP Texas
Alamo Region
- Co-chair: Michael Ada, Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission
- Co-chair: Claudia Mora, Alamo Area Council of Governments
- Mike Bennett, The Arc of San Antonio
- Mark Bethune, Community Action Committee of Victoria
- William Blanchard, VSTDC President
- Debbie Bresette, Bastrop County Cares
- Gary Broz, City of Edna
- Nina Campos, Infinium Broadband
- Jennifer Carter, Goodwill Central Texas
- Roger Castillo, FiberLight
- Bethany Castro, United Way of the Crossroads
- Craig Cook, Hill Country Telephone Cooperative
- Tim Crow, City of Gonzales
- Angie Cuellar, Cuero Chamber of Commerce
- Brian Cunningham, Jackson Electric Cooperative
- Laura Deiss, ESC Region 3
- Commissioner Shelby Dupnik, Karnes County
- Darrek Farrell, City of Victoria
- Catherine Franklin, Goliad County Rural Transit
- Ann Graham, Texans for the Arts
- Jason Hassay, UTSA
- Maria Hernandez, City of Saint Hedwig
- Patti Holub, ESC Region 20
- Robert Hunt, Guadalupe Valley Telephone Cooperative
- Donald Jirkovsky, University of Houston - Victoria
- Robin Knipling, Victoria County
- Shannon Longoria, Texas General Land Office
- Cristina Martinez, San Antonio Food Bank
- Michael Milson, Workforce Solutions Golden Crescent
- Louis Morales, Golden Crescent Area Agency on Aging
- Tonya McDill, Sparklight
- Terri Parker, La Ward Telephone Exchange
- Rhia Pape, SA Digital Connects
- Susan Sankey, City of Gonzales
- Chelsea Steffek, Hallettsville Economic Development Corporation
- Nicki Stohr, Wilson County Public Libraries
- Jessica Strom, San Antonio Housing Authority
- Dan Williams-Capone, Meals on Wheels Victoria
- Eric Whiting, City of Fredericksburg
––
Capital Region
- Chair: Charles Simon, Capital Area Council of Governments
- Tom Chapman, Heritage Broadband
- Catherine Crago, HACA
- Dr. Phillip Eaglin, Changing Expectations
- Rene Gonzalez, Lit Communities Broadband, Inc.
- Karen Gunkel, Colorado Valley Communications
- Khotan Harmon, City of Austin
- Harrison Hiner, Communications Workers of America
- Peter Jones, Llano County
- Adena Lewis, Bastrop
- Carsi Mitzner, Brightspeed
- Chloe Mun, City of Austin
- Hilory Parker, Nexstream
- Nehemiah Pitts, City of Austin
- Matthew Russell, Texas Computer Education Association
- Emily Steinberg, Lead for America - American Connection Corps
- Kevin Unger, Bastrop
––
Central Texas Region
- Co-chair: Michael Parks, Brazos Valley Council of Governments
- Co-chair: Uryan Nelson, Central Texas Council of Governments
- Anna Barge, Central Texas Council of Governments
- Jim Bouse, Brazos WiFi
- Peggi Goss, United Way of Brazos Valley
- Dorthy Jackson, Heart of Texas Council of Governments
- Jennifer Prather, Nortex Communications
- Rene Ochoa, City of Gatesville
- Judge Byron Ryder, Leon County
- Matt Wolfe, Brazos County
––
Gulf Coast Region
- Chair: Onyinye Akujuo, Houston-Galveston Area Council
- Laura Alexander, Greater Houston Partnership
- Brooke Bacuetes, Waller County
- Andrew Van Chau, Fort Bend County
- Omar Fortune, Houston-Galveston Area Council
- Stephanie Loving, Comcast
- Mike Price, Vaquero River Estates
- John Speirs, Harris County Broadband Office
- Charlene Stubblefield, Prairie View A&M University
- Jahan Tolliver, Fort Bend County
––
High Plains Region
- Co-chair: Alex Guerrero, Panhandle Regional Planning Commission
- Co-chair: Kelly Davila, South Plains Association of Governments
- Riley Abbott, Caprock Tele Coop
- Keralee Clay, Amarillo Area Foundation
- Rich Gagnon, City of Amarillo
- Allen Hyer, XIT Rural Telephone Coop
- Rich Kendrick, West Texas Rural Telephone Cooperative
- Michael Keough, ESC Region 16
- Wade Maner, South Plains Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Kay McDowell, Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
- Andrew Monroe, Plains Internet, LLC
- Marie Rieger, Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
- Patrick Sherrill, Poka Lambro Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Mark Washington, Five Area Tele Coop
- Brooke Witcher, Lubbock Public Library
––
Metroplex Region
- Co-chair: Prit Patel, North Central Texas Council of Governments
- Co-chair: Eric M. Bridges, Texoma Council of Governments
- Kelly Baggett, City of Fort Worth Economic Development
- Kristin Bankhead, United Way Metro Dallas
- Jesse Borries, Oso Electric
- Nicole Brown, City Of Terrell
- Armando Cantu, CARDBoard Project
- Stephanie Chandler, United Way Grayson County
- Dianne Connery, Pottsboro Area Public Library
- Britni Cuington, CWA
- Debi Darter, Quinlan Economic Development Corp
- Genesis Gavino, City of Dallas
- Kevin Gunn, City of Fort Worth
- Liz Harling, Family Literacy Coalition
- Lisa Harrison, ESC Region 11
- Tucker Hickey, Brightspeed
- Dr. Rupa Iyer, Tarleton State University
- Michael Joy, City of Grand Prairie
- Wes Jurey, South Dallas Employment Project
- Warren Ketterman, City of Waxahachie
- Cathy Lee, United Way Metro Dallas
- Kristin Linscott, City of Plano Library
- Judge Todd Little, Ellis County
- Stephanie Mace, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
- Ben Magill, Dallas College
- Trevor Minyard, City of McKinney
- Stephanie Ramirez, City of Dallas
- Connor Sandro, North Central Texas Council of Governments
- Pamela Sherwood, Brightspeed
- Donna Simmons, Kaufman County
- Ken Smith, Revitalize South Dallas Coalition
- Sallie Trotter, City of Fort Worth IT
- Bill Webb, Associated Industries of Texas
––
Northwest Region
- Chair: Terra New, West Central Texas Council of Governments
- Judge Mike Campbell, Clay County Judge
- Will Carroll, Mayor of Throckmorton, TX
- Judge Dan Hicks, Scurry County
- Ron Kitchens, Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce (CEO)
- Ricky Martinez, Taylor Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Judge Dale Spurgin, Jones County Judge
- Robyn Wertheim, State Representative Stan Lambert's Office
- Brandon Wright, Cable One
––
Southeast Region
- Co-chair: Shanna Burke, South East Texas Regional Planning Commission
- Co-chair: Lonnie Hunt, Deep East Texas Council of Governments
- Sherry Brecheen, City of Onalaska Public Library
- Mercedes Franks, Judy B McDonald Public Library
- Eddie Hopkins, Jasper EDC
- Wayne McDaniel, Hardin County
- Wynn Rosser, T.L.L. Temple Foundation
- Mickey Slimp, Deep East Texas Council of Governments
- Nancy Windham, Texas Forest Country Partnership
––
South Texas Region
- Co-chair: Manuel Cruz, Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council
- Co-chair: Emily Martinez, Coastal Bend Council of Governments
- Sandra Barba, City of Brownsville
- Lillie Blanchard, Cameron County
- Jorge Cardenas, City of Brownsville
- Wyatt Ciomperlik, Bluebonnet Fiber
- Veronica Gonzales, UTRGV
- Roberto Haddad, DHR Health
- Ron Hall, RGV 911
- Patrick McDonnell, Valley Telephone Coop
- Dennis Moreno, RGV 911
- Olga Moya, City of Brownsville
- Judy Quisenberry, Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation
- Helen Ramirez, City of Brownsville
- Daniel Vera, City of Edinburg
––
Upper East Region
- Co-chair: Chuck Vanderbilt, East Texas Council of Governments
- Co-chair: Chris Brown, Ark-Tex Council of Governments
- Thurman Bartie, City of Port Arthur
- Charlie Cano, ETEX Fiber
- Lynda David, East Texas Council of Governments
- Dr. Evan Dolive, Greater Longview United Way
- Rusty Dorman, Eastex Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Rebecca Gage, East Texas Council of Governments
- Lance Hall, Bowie County
- Keith Lloyd, Conterra Networks
- Larry Montgomery, ETEX Fiber
- Daniel Patterson, East Texas Council of Governments
- Brandon Prince, Atlanta ISD
- Dr. Todd Schneider, ESC Region 7
- Lee Sleeper, Bullard ISD
––
Upper Rio Grande Region
- Chair: Peggy O'Brien, Rio Grande Council of Governments
- Stephanie Acosta, El Paso Community Foundation
- Alma Aranda, Borderplex Jobs
- Ken Baugh, Van Horn Education Foundation
- Lynette Brehm, Big Bend Regional Hospital District
- Kelly Boydstun, West Texas Food Bank
- Michael DeYoung, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
- Odette Flores-Ruiz, Workforce Solutions Borderplex
- Pema Garcia, Texas A&M Univ|Colonias Program|Dept Engmt for Sustainability
- Gilda Gil, Hudspeth Community Resource Coordination Group (Region 10)
- Angie Haro, ESC Region 19
- Horacio Hernandez, San Elizario ISD
- KC Huhn, Borderplex Connect
- Luis Hernandez, UTEP
- Andrea Hutchins, El Paso Chamber President
- Todd Jagger, Jeff Davis County & Rio Grande Council of Governments
- Judge Mackenzie, Hudspeth County
- Cristian Martinez, El Paso County
- Rusty Moore, Big Bend Telecom
- Joel Muniz, Dell Telephone Cooperative
- Laura Ponce, El Paso Community Action Program Project BRAVO
- Roberto Ransom, El Paso County
- Bill Schlesinger, Project Vida
- Andrea Tirres, Sacred Heart
- Don Wetterauer, Alpine Public Library
––
West Texas Region
- Co-chair: John Austin Stokes, Concho Valley Council of Governments
- Co-chair: Rick Bacon, Tom Green County Commissioner
- Mitchell Block, Net Ops Comms
- Miranda Boler, Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission
- Teresa Burnet, Monihans Chamber of Commerce
- Brandon Corbin, Menard County
- Jonathan Cutrer, Concho Valley Electric Cooperative
- Debbie Dodds, Greenwood ISD
- Paul Donovan, PMD RE Consulting Services, LLC
- Clifton Jones, Angelo State University
- Kathy Keane, Rural consultant
- Randon Lance, ESC Region 15
- Casey Ritchie, ESC Region 18
- Laura Sanders, Big Bend Telephone Company
- Patrick Sherrill, Poka Lambro Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Matt Snowden, Poka Lambro Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
- Kellie Wilks, Ector County ISD
––
Task Forces
Task forces brought experts together to address barriers to broadband access, affordability and adoption. They helped develop strategies in line with Texas' digital adoption and advancement priorities.
Economy and Workforce
- Chair: Courtney Arbour, Texas Workforce Commission
- Laura Alexander, Greater Houston Partnership
- Dr. Rick Avery, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service
- Kseniya Benderskaya, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
- Kasey Coker, The High Ground of Texas
- Warren Cude, Texas Farm Bureau
- Lori Dodd, Texas Midwest Community Network
- Servando Esparza, TechNet
- Ron Garza, UTRGV
- Lori Henning, Goodwill
- Wes Jurey, The South Dallas Employment Project
- Dr. Sharon Strover, Technology and Policy Information Institute
- Michael Ward, Jr., AUTMHQ
Education
- Chair: Julia Schacherl, Texas Education Agency
- Kevin Brown, Texas Association of School Administrators
- Dale Bundy, Texas State Technical College
- Dee Carney, Texas School Alliance
- Jacob Cottingham, Texas Association of Community Colleges
- Amy Dodson, Raise Your Hand Texas
- Laurel Garcia, Texas Public Charter Schools Assoication
- Dr. Kizuwanda Grant, Paul Quinn College
- Kristina Hartman, Windham School District
- Dr. Tina Jackson, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Dr. Daniel King, Region 1
- Drex Owusu, Dallas Foundation
- Gaby Rowe, Operation Connectivity
- Michele Vick, Distance Education Professional Development Center (at Texas A&M)
- Dr. Crytal White, Texas Association of Community Schools
Business and Telecom
- Chair: Travis Ralls, LCRA
- Erik Andersen, LCRA
- Lori Andrade, Rock Solid Internet a Vtx1 Company
- Walt Baum, Texas Cable Association
- Thomas Barnett, MSEC Communications, LLC
- Melissa Beaudry, Cobb Fendley
- Jim Bellina, AMA Communications
- Tony Bennett, Texas Association of Manufacturers
- Mitchell Block, Net Ops Communications, LLC
- Matt Carpenter, AW Broadband
- Wyatt Ciomperlik, Bluebonnet Fiber
- Ebony Cooksey, Nextlink Internet
- Velma Cruz, Comcast
- Scott Dalrymple, Crown Castle
- Tim Detwiler, Congruex
- Daniel Gibson, Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative, Inc., TSTCI
- Heather Gold, Mears Broadband
- Rene Gonzalez, Lit Communities
- Julia Harvey, Texas Electric Cooperative Association
- Stephen Lash, SIGNALNET BROADBAND, INC
- Matt Leach, Fiberlight
- Dr. Walt Magnussen, Internet2 Techonology Evaluation Center (Texas A&M)
- Ginger McCullough, HC Wireless, LLC
- JJ McGrath, Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, WISPA - Texas
- Cat Milner, Texas Department of Transportation
- Erica Myers, Space Exploration Technologies
- Paul Narro, TekWav
- Hilory Parker, Nexstream
- Tushar Patel, Electronic Corporate Pages, Inc (Western Broadband)
- Dell Purdy, AMA TechTel
- Wes Robinson, Texas Telephone Association, TTA
- Heidi Shook, Victoria Electric Coop/Infinium Broadband
- Eddie Shamp, Greybar
- Cindy Sovine, Highline
- Michael Tuck, Texas Area Telecom
- Leslie Ward, AT&T
Health
- Chair: Robert Dole, Texas Health and Human Services
- Tom Banning, Texas Academy of Family Physicians
- Nora Belcher, Texas e-Health Alliance
- Kelly Cheek, Texas Rural Health Association
- Shawn Deabay, Texas Veterans Commission
- David Gruber, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Sean Hanna, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
- Greg Hansch, National Alliance on Mental Illiness Texas
- John Henderson, Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals
- Lee Johnson, Texas Association of Community Clinics
- Dr. Carly McCord, Texas A&M College of Medicine
- Jennifer O'Reilly, Texas Association of Rural Health Clinics
- Michelle Romero, Texas Medical Association
- Mari Robinson, UTMB
- Shelby Tracy, Texas Association of Community Health Centers
Civic and Social
- Co-chair: Susan Redford, Texas Association of Counties
- Co-chair: Ginny Lewis Ford, Texas Association of Regional Councils
- Dr. Monica Cruz, Texas Demographic Center
- Chris Bugbee, OneStar Foundation
- Fedora Galasso, Texas Network of Youth Services
- Kelty Garbee, Texas Rural Funders
- Kami Griffins, Community Tech Network
- Gary Henderson, United Way Denton County
- John Hoffman, Texas Department of Information Resources
- Sarah Jacobson, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
- Serita Lacasse, Senior Access (Capital Region)
- Michael Martin, Texas Municipal League
- Edward Melton, Harris County Public Library
- Tim Morstad, Texas AARP
- Wynn Rosser, TLL Temple
- Jennifer Sanders, Dalllas Innovation Alliance
- Eddy Smith , Abilene Library Consortium
- Wendy Woodland, Texas Library Association
Essential Services
- Chair: Kelli Merriweather, Commission on State Emergency Communications
- Ryan Brown, Feeding Texas
- Tina Clark, TDCJ
- Michael DeYoung, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
- Mike Hutchings, Combined Arms
- Chief Nim Kidd, Texas Department of Emergency Management
- Anna Mallett, Texas ABLE
- Angela Standridge, Texas Technology Access Program (at UT)
- Greg Shigemasa, Texans Veterans Commission
- April Zamora, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Board of Advisors
Learn more about the BDO Board of Advisors.
The Board meets biannually. The most recent meeting was held on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Subsequent meeting details will be posted here when available.
Need assistance?
If your question is not addressed here, email us.