A new national broadband map that will be used to allocate federal money to states for future high-speed internet projects overestimates the availability of broadband internet service in San Antonio, local download lagu officials say.
And the timeframe to correct the map — the deadline is Jan. 13 — means the city and county could miss out on crucial federal funding that could help expand broadband access.
In a joint letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications Information Administration Wednesday, Bexar County, the City of San Antonio and SA Digital Connects condemned the new map, saying it “unquestionably overestimates the availability of broadband internet service in our community.”
The letter notes that according to the digital inclusion survey conducted by the city and county in 2020, one-fifth of San Antonio households — approximately 130,000 homes — do not have access to reliable broadband internet. Most unconnected residents are concentrated in low-income areas on the city’s South, East and West sides, according to the letter.
Yet the map, officials noted, does not reflect “any difference in availability throughout our community.”