TCA NEWSLETTER
Latest industry news in Texas and around the country.
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BUILDING TEXAS
BROADBAND
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STAYING CONNECTED
DURING THE PANDEMIC
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Broadband expansion has been the talk of Texas this spring, as the Comptroller of Public Accounts has been traveling to a dozen cities on a listening tour to collect public input to help draft the state’s first broadband plan through the newly created Broadband Development Office (BDO). The BDO will use the comments collected to build out strategies to develop the office’s programs and processes.
Both the office and the plan were authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2021 through House Bill 5, relating to the expansion of broadband services to rural areas.
Representatives of the Texas Cable Association (TCA) and of cable providers – as the largest providers of broadband in both the state and nation – are attending and participating in the listening tour as it moves throughout the state.
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This year’s theme for Earth Day 2022, Invest in Our Planet, is one that the cable industry has long taken to heart, recognizing that it has a role to play every day in reducing the impact of growing technology on our environment. In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, here’s a look at just same of the ways cable benefits our planet. |
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HOUSTON MOTHER GIVES ‘INSIDE LOOK’ AT STAYING CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET DURING THE PANDEMIC |
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Jamila Byrd, a Houston mother of two, is one of the millions of low-income Americans who will now be able to get free, fast and reliable broadband service, thanks to the new federally funded Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). She tells Comcast, her new internet provider, that now having broadband is a lifeline and a family unifier, and she describes difficulties of not having internet service during the pandemic. “It was kind of like, do I want to pay this bill so they have access to their school work, or do a want to feed them for the next two weeks,” Byrd recalls. More.
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CABLE CONTINUES TO CONNECT
In cities and towns across Texas, local cable operators and their employees make their communities a better place to live. Cable companies not only make financial and in-kind donations to numerous civic and charitable organizations, but employees volunteer thousands of hours of their time each year. Check out the latest cable industry community initiatives below.
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Texas students win prizes in C-SPAN video documentary competition
Students in Mansfield, Justin, Austin and San Antonio, Texas – all in the Charter Spectrum service areas – are winners in C-SPAN’s national 2022 StudentCam competition. The competition, now in its 18th year, invited all middle and high school students to enter by producing a short documentary. C-SPAN, in cooperation with its cable television partners, asked students to explore a federal policy or program and address the theme: “How does the federal government impact your life?” Read more.
Altice USA and Discovery, Inc. roll out the red carpet to help students get ready for prom
Altice USA, the provider of Optimum and Suddenlink internet, TV, home and mobile service, helped local students get prom ready with Say Yes to the Prom events presented in partnership with TLC and Discovery, Inc on March 19 and March 26 at select Optimum and Suddenlink stores, including those in Tyler and Midland. The events mirrored the experience of TLC’s hit show, Say Yes to the Dress, with hundreds of dresses provided by Macy’s for students to choose from, a dressing room area, photo ops and more. Read more.
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Charter Communications joins the Boys & Girls Club of Harlingen to promote low-cost, high-speed broadband service for families and seniors
Representatives of Charter Communications, Inc. have joined with the Boys & Girls Club of Harlingen, a non-profit that combats learning loss and provides educational enrichment opportunities to local children, to promote the availability of Spectrum Internet Assist in Harlingen. Spectrum made a donation of $5,000, as well as 10 new Chromebooks, to support the Boys & Girls Club of Harlingen with its community outreach and with its Summer Brain Game Program which includes math, reading and STEM camps, essay and public speaking contests, job training, and other activities to keep young minds active and focused until they return to school. Read more.
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Charter continues with Ovation TV to support the arts in 2021 and 2022
Dallas Black Dance Theater is one of 15 arts centers, theaters and other organizations to be honored for 2021 and 2022 with an award from Stand for The Arts (SFTA, a partnership between Charter Communications and Ovation TV. Each SFTA recipient is awarded $10,000 to assist in their ongoing support of artistic communities, their commitment to accessibility and equity in the arts, or their advocacy on behalf of underserved populations in their communities. Read more.
Charter opens two new Spectrum stores in Texas
Charter Communications, Inc. has opened new Spectrum Store in Hurst and San Juan, Texas. The Spectrum store gives consumers a convenient option for adding or managing their internet, TV, mobile or voice services.
Charter’s $30 Million philanthropic program will invest in 100 community centers and local job training programs over five years
Charter Communications, Inc. announced it will launch Spectrum Community Assist programs in 20 new markets this year, including Dallas and San Antonio in Texas, adding momentum to the company’s $30 million, five-year philanthropic initiative to revitalize 100 community centers and invest in job training programs in underserved communities across its 41-state footprint. Read more.
Comcast and Telemundo Houston donate laptops to UH Hispanic Alumni Association
In partnership with Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, Telemundo Houston donated 20 laptops with free internet connection for one year to the University of Houston Hispanic Alumni Association, UHHAA. The free laptops will benefit UHHAA scholarship recipients this Spring. The scholarships are awarded annually to Hispanic undergraduates or incoming undergraduates. Read more.
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Sparklight to open spplications for Charitable Giving Fund to support local nonprofit organizations
Sparklight, along with the other Cable One family of brands, will open spring applications for the company’s Charitable Giving Fund, which annually awards more than $200,000 in grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, from April 1 through April 30. Grants will concentrate support in the following priority areas: education and digital literacy; hunger relief and food insecurity; and community development. Read more.
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Charter Spectrum
Comcast
Sparklight (Cable One)
Suddenlink (Altice USA)
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