Access to the Internet varies, but is significantly lower in rural communities, among the elderly and disabled, and among minority communities. Moving Public Notices to the Internet will make it more difficult for many Texans to read, or even have access to those notices.

The current pandemic has put a spotlight on the lack of internet access in Texas households.

• According to an FCC report, approximately 19 million Americans—6 percent of the population—still lack access to fixed broadband service at threshold speeds.  In rural areas, nearly one-fourth of the population —14.5 million people—lack access to this service.  In tribal areas, nearly one-third of the population lacks access. Even in areas where broadband is available, approximately 100 million Americans still do not subscribe.
• At least 333,000 households (close to 1 million people) in Texas don’t have any intent access
• People who are less likely to have internet connectivity in Texas are poor, elderly, rural, speak English as a second language or have less education — and that hasn’t changed since the 1990s.  In Texas 1 in 4 people over 65 years old don’t have access to broadband internet
• A Pew Research study shows seniors are much more likely than younger adults to say they never go online. Although the share of non-internet users ages 65 and older has decreased by 7 percentage points since 2018, 27% still do not use the internet, compared with fewer than 10% of adults under the age of 65.
• One in three African Americans and Hispanics — 14 million and 17 million, respectively — still don’t have access to computer technology in their homes. Similar dismal numbers, 35 percent of black households and 29 percent of Hispanic households, do not have broadband.
• Disabled Americans are about three times as likely as those without a disability to say they never go online (23% vs. 8%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in the fall of 2016. When compared with those who do not have a disability, disabled adults are roughly 20 percentage points less likely to say they subscribe to home broadband and own a traditional computer, a smartphone or a tablet.

Laredo and Brownsville Texas top the list of the worst connected cities in 2017. These statistics bear out heavily in certain Texas cities that are among the lowest cities in the country for high-speed internet usage. In Laredo, Texas, a full 37% of individuals do not use the internet. In the greater McAllen area, 33% of individuals do not use the internet, and in the Brownsville-Harlingen area, 52% do not use the internet. The low internet usage in Texas is not limited to border cities—30% of individuals in Waco, and 34% of all individuals in Texarkana don’t use the internet.

Minority Access to Public Notice matters.

State and local agencies are required to make a good faith effort to utilize Historically Underutilized Businesses (“HUB”s) in contracts. Proposed Texas State HUB goals range from 11% to 32%, depending on the procurement category. In the most recent disparity study, none of these goals were achieved. v

As noted, public notice is principally about transparency, not procurement. Minorities, the elderly and disabled, and all other Texans have a right to know how their government is spending their tax dollars, and reducing public notice will disenfranchise many. Opponents of printed newspaper notice argue that libraries have Internet. But libraries also have newspapers, which are easier to navigate than dozens of different websites.