SINCE
SINCE AUGUST-- BUT SOME STUDENTS ARE STILL HAVING TROUBLE CONNECTING.
HERE IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS-- ONE
DISTRICT RETURNED IN- PERSON
BECAUSE THE TECHNICAL
DIFFICULTIES WERE TOO MUCH. FOR
THE DISTRICTS HOLDING OUT-- IT'S
BEEN QUITE THE JOURNEY.
SEE-- ONE OF EVERY SIX PUBLIC
SCHOOL STUDENTS DON'T HAVE
ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET.
MORE THAN 420- MILLION DOLLARS
WAS GIVEN TO DISTRICTS ACROSS
THE STATE-- TO HELP BRIDGE THAT
DIGITAL DIVIDE. BUT AS
ERICA PROFFER REPORTS-- IT'S
JUST NOT ENOUGH.
1:211:29 1:461:51 2:112:18
2:442:49
"IT'S A BUTTERFLY STICKER SOO
MY MOM CAN NOW THIS IS MY
LAPTOP" THIS ISN'T WHERE DIANA
URIBE WANTS HER DAUGHTER TO
ATTEND SCHOOL. "THESE ARE WHERE
ALL THE WIFI'S ARE." IT'S ALL
SHE'S GOT. THE GIRL'S CLASSROOM
IS THE FRONT PORCH. DESK --- THE
PICNIC TABLE. CONNECTING IT ALL
BACK TO CAMPUS.
HARD.
HARD. URIBE HAS FIVE CHILDREN AT SOUTHSIDE I-S-D. SOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO. THEY USE TWO HOTSPOTS
AND AT ONE TIME THIS SCHOOL BUS
WIFI.
"GIRL: BUT IT JUST DOESN'T LET
ME LOG ON. LET'S CLOSE IT REAL
QUICK. ONE, TWO THREE, FOUR,
FIVE. MOM: IS THAT HOW YOUR
TEACHER TOLD YOU? GIRL: YEAH, I
WAS TOLD I NEED TO RESTART MY
DEVICE BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT
DOESN'T WORK URIBE ASKED US TO
HIDE HER LITTLE GIRL'S FACE. BUT
LET US SEE THE PROBLEMS FOR
STUDENTS WITH LITTLE TO NO
INTERNET ACCESS. THIS WRITING
CLASS STARTED TEN MINUTES LATE.
ADD IN TECHNICAL ISSUES WITH
OTHERS. NOT AS MUCH TIME SPENT
FOR INSTRUCTION. "AND IF YOU CAN
IMAGINE HAVING MULTIPLE KIDS IN
ONE HOUSEHOLD. IT'S A LOT."
MISS, I MISSED MY INTERNET,
KEEPS KICKING ME OUT. PRISCILLA
MONTA TEACHES U-S HISTORY AT
SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL. SHE SAYS
HER STUDENTS OFTEN HAVE
CONNECTION ISSUES. AND ALERT
HER THROUGH EMAILS WHEN THEY GET
SERVICE BACK. MY HOTSPOT IS NOT
WORKING. I'M SORRY. I DON'T MEAN
TO BE DISRESPECTFUL TO YOU MISS.
I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE WITH
ME. IT KEEPS KICKING ME OUT OF
MY CLASS.
THIS IS THREE AND JUST THIS LAST
SESSION THEN.. CAME ANOTHER.. MY
WIFI KICKED ME OFF CAN I PLEASE
STILL SUBMIT MY WORK? OF COURSE
I'M SAYING YES. AND THEN, WE'LL
MOVE ON.
A 2020 STATE BROADBAND REPORT
SHOWS TEXAS IS ONE OF SIX STATES
THAT WITHOUT A BROADBAND PLAN.
IT SHOWS THE STATE ALSO HAS
PROBLEMS WITH REGULATIONS.
COORDINATION. TRANSPARENCY.
AND PURCHASED TECHNOLOGY.
IT JUST ADDS UP FROM DAY TO DAY
ROLANDO RAMIREZ IS THE
SOUTHSIDE I-S-D SUPERINTENDENT.
BUT THIS ISSUE OF CONNECTIVITY.
IT BECOMES A PROBLEM.
THE DISTRICT ROLLED OUT
THOUSANDS OF HOTSPOTS AND
COMPUTERS. IT'S A BANDAID.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON THAT TOWER AND
WE CAN PROVIDE THE HOTSPOTS, BUT
IF THAT SIGNAL IS NOT THERE,
THEN THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO.
"IF
"IF SOMEONE IS CONNECTED, IT SAYS IT WILL CONNECT THREE OR FOUR, BUT THE CONNECTION IS
BAD."
IT'S REALLY OVERWHELMING AND
STRESSFUL. AND FRUSTRATING. AND
IT'S SOMETIMES DEVASTATING
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL BY
YOURSELF THIS IS WHERE FOLKS
LIKE GABY ROWE COME IN. TEXAS
PAID HER COMPANY TO STUDY WHERE
BROADBAND FALLS SHORT. SHE
HELPED GET A 30-PERCENT
DISCOUNT FOR SCHOOLS TO BUY
EQUIPMENT LIKE HOTSPOTS. GABY
ROWE, PROJECT LEAD FOR
OPERATION CONNECTIVITY:
A HOTSPOT CAN WORK ON ONE SIDE
OF THE STREET AND NOT WORK ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET.
IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR US
TO KNOW ABOUT SPECIFIC ADDRESSES
SO SHE'S BUILDING A MAP. A
DATABASE. SHE NEEDS PRIVATE
COMPANIES. TO TELL HER WHERE
THEY CAN REACH AND WHERE THEY
CANNOT.
WITHOUT ANY ONE COMPETITOR BEING
ABLE TO ACCESS THE DATA OF
ANYBODY ELSE. ALL OF THIS COMES
AT A COST.
THE GOVERNOR'S BROADBAND
DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL CLAIMS THE
"TEXAS UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND"
IS UNABLE TO PAY FOR PROGRAMS
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
THAT'S THE TAX YOU GET ON YOUR
PHONE BILL EACH MONTH.
"SO IT'S 5 WEEKS" SCHOOL
DISTRICTS LIKE SOUTHSIDE I-S-D
HAVE A PLAN FOR STUDENTS WHO
ATTEND SCHOOL AT HOME. BUT CAN'T
GET BROADBAND... TEACHERS GIVE
PAPER PACKETS. "EVERY TEACHER IS
DIFFERENT" PRINTED LESSONS AND
ASSIGNMENTS.
THEY HAVE QR SCANNERS, WHICH IS
A SCAN TO SEE VIDEOS FOR THE
CLASSROOMS. ERICA: SO YOU STILL
NEED THE INTERNET? URIBE: YES.
SO THEY LOG ON TO YOUTUBE TO
WATCH THOSE VIDEOS AND THEN
THEY'LL DISCUSS WITH THE
STUDENTS. THE NEED FOR
CONNECTIVITY REMAINS. I'M ERICA
PROFFER.