Cooke Co. to vote Monday on broadband grant

Cooke County’s pursuit of better internet access could take a step forward Monday.

The Cooke County Commissioners’ Court will vote on whether or not to have County Auditor Shelly Atteberry apply for state grant money to improve broadband coverage.

The court appointed an advisory panel last year to assess the county’s broadband needs and make recommendations on how to proceed. That panel has given written guidance to the court in the last several months, but Monday’s vote would be the court’s first move towards finding money to fund the necessary expansion work.

Texas state Comptroller Glenn Hegar oversees a $600 million pot intended to help local communities expand high-speed web access — called the Bringing Online Opportunity to Texas Grant for Broadband Infrastructure. More federal dollars for rural broadband are slated to become available over the next few years; in addition, it’s possible the Texas Legislature could dedicate some of the state’s $32 billion surplus toward rural broadband as well.

The court meets at 10 a.m. at Cooke County Courthouse.