AS BROWNSVILLE INSTALLS BROADBAND, SPECTRUM YELLS "FOUL"; COB, PHARR ESPOUSE "MIDDLE MILE" APPROACH

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

As the City of Brownsville starts to implement it's $90 million broadband plan to bring the Internet communications to its residents, Spectrum and AT&T executives charge that the plan will result in "over-billing" and say that the city should allow private companies to deliver the service.

In a series of discussions which included Gov. Greg Abbot, Todd Baxter, vice president for state government affairs of telecom giant Charter Communications, known to many as Spectrum, and his AT & T counterpart  J.D. Salinas said they does not like the City of Brownsville’s new multi-million broadband network project.

Baxter made his views known during a July 5 press conference hosted by Connect the Future Texas. Charter Communications are co-founders of Connect the Future Texas. The press conference, held at the College of Health Care Professions in McAllen, was staged to present Abbott with a “Broadband Champion” Award.

"Brownsville is very well served and ubiquitously served by the private sector right now," The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service reported.

"So, I think a really good question that should be asked is, should government money be being used to over-bill the private sector to build redundant networks when, in fact, local governments should be looking to partner with the private sector, who already has networks in those towns. And so I would question whether that is actually a good use of taxpayer dollars. I think that is the question that should be asked,” Baxter told reporters.

AT & T's Salinas added: “What’s important to know is patching together a network with multiple providers presents operational risk, cybersecurity risk, and continuity issues. AT&T is committed to building, operating, maintaining and upgrading our networks so that our customers have high quality and secure experiences. We cannot maintain that standard of excellence when utilizing a middle mile network maintained by another provider. Quality and security may be compromised when a network is pieced together in a middle mile scenario.”

The question of private versus public implementation of the broadband system was defended by then-City of Brownsville manager Noel Bernal mayor, who argued that Spectrum had not shown any interest in implementing the fiber optic equipment needed for its operation.

Bernal said: “When market failures occur, typically, government steps in to provide a public good. So, imagine the state without TxDOT. Imagine the state without having the Texas Water Development Board. Where you provide essential utilities, for highway, water, and wastewater.”

Broadband should be considered in the same light, he argued, according to the The Guardian.

“So, here we are, early part of the 21st Century, doing the same with one of the largest (broadband) projects in the state. Here in a couple of months we break ground in a $90 million dollar network. Twenty million in public investments, $70 million in private equity,” Bernal said.

“We have learned a lot more of ourselves than what the federal government understood about us because of misleading and inaccurate FCC mapping. But, we have also learned a lot about the private sector. We have learned that the private sector did not and does not have any intentions of investing in fiber and broadband in our community.”

Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez also defended the municipally-initiated broadband plan, saying that neither Spectrum nor AT & T had shown little interest in participating in the plan.

 
“I think the City of Brownsville’s broadband plan is the model partnership. It is a public-private partnership,” Mendez told The Guardian. 

“The City is contributing almost $20 million to build out the middle mile infrastructure. We have partnered with a third party entity that is going to put in about $70 million for the last mile.”

And while Charter Communications and AT&T argue that as an urban community, Brownsville has good broadband infrastructure thanks to the private sector and therefore does not need to put its own system in place, Mendez disagreed. 

Salinas said that “some local officials in the RGV are pushing to spend federal funds to build government-owned networks that would connect only public and government buildings – not households.”

Asked by The Guardian which local officials AT&T were referring to, Salinas told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service: “Government-owned options for middle mile networks have been discussed in Brownsville and Pharr.”

Asked to respond to Baxter and Salinas’ comments, Mendez said: “AT&T had their chance. Spectrum had their chance. All they did was try to prevent us from connecting ourselves as a community. We did not find they were willing to come to the table with any sort of solution. It was more about trying to convince us that everything was okay when obviously it was not. So, we are moving forward.”

Mendez said he is hopeful that a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will partner with the City of Brownsville at some point.

“But for now we have got to look at what is best for our community. Historically, we have had to do it on our own and we are going to do it on our own again,” Mendez said."

In a statement made defending the city's "middle mile" approach, Mendez wrote that:

"It was time to push back against corporate interests that have criticized us for investing in our city and investing in our future.

"For decades, companies like AT&T and Spectrum (and their predecessors) refused to invest in communities like ours because it was not profitable. One unfortunate result of this was the digital divide, which left cities like Brownsville unable to compete with more affluent communities around the country. As time went by, the problem only got worse. This was simply not acceptable...

"I will continue to be attacked for doing the right thing, for investing in our community, and for leading this initiative. AT&T and Spectrum were given an opportunity to provide solutions and to partner with us for almost two years, but they refused," he wrote.

"The irony is that the companies who created the digital divide will now likely profit from it by obtaining federal dollars to build infrastructure in communities that were historically left behind. They will fight hard and they will hire the best lobbyists to keep their grip on the industry. In the end, we will do our best to stay ahead of the curve and keep moving forward. On the Border, by the Sea and Beyond!"