The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) has updated their Texas Digital Opportunity Hub. The improved website is a powerful tool for libraries looking to strengthen their broadband capabilities, expand services for patrons, and close the digital divide in Texas. More data and information have been added, and features have been enhanced. The BDO created this interactive tool to track progress to invite participation in the advancement of digital opportunity for all Texans.

Cindy Fisher, Digital Opportunity Supervisor of the BDO, said, “As libraries look to justify programs that will immediately impact Texans and their communities, we’re excited to provide the DO Hub as a resource that can be used to drive local decision-making.”

Data:

These interactive maps and charts provide insights into the current state of digital opportunity in Texas. They contain the latest information on state and county statistics for groups most affected by the digital divide, including immigrants, low-income households, veterans, and others. This data can be invaluable to libraries looking to tailor their collections and offer services specific to the populations in their county. 

The BDO has gathered and analyzed data from Texas communities as well as national, public datasets to gain evidence-driven insights into the state of digital opportunity, and to set goals for the next five years and beyond. The insights and data were used to create the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan (TDOP), which shares a vision for digital opportunity in Texas over the next five years in which every Texan has access to:

• High-quality, affordable high-speed internet service
• High-quality, affordable internet-enabled devices
• Digital skills training
• Cybersecurity resources

Resource Finder:

The Texas Digital Opportunity Resource Hub can help anyone find digital opportunity resources like free Wi-Fi access, digital skills classes, or connected devices from local governments or organizations. It is a work in progress that will expand as people interested in advancing digital opportunity add information. The Resource Finder is a unique, crowdsourced dataset that helps the BDO deliver on its commitment to maintaining a living digital opportunity plan for all Texans.

The enhanced search feature allows users to filter queries by county, services, organizations, and populations served. It’s a great way to find out what’s happening in your area and creates the potential for community partnerships. 

The information in the Resource Finder comes from a survey that the BDO circulated to Texas agencies, non-profits, private sector companies, faith-based groups, and local councils of government. Because this information is crowdsourced, it may not be 100% complete. The BDO invites others to help keep the information up to date and as comprehensive as possible. If you are aware of a digital opportunity resource that is not listed on the site, you are welcome to submit it to the BDO for review.