Specifications include, but are not limited to: The proposed study region consists of Prosper and four additional communities to the north and northeast of the Town – Anna, Melissa, Gunter, and Van Alstyne. As development has surged north from the Dallas-Fort Worth region, these rural towns have been catapulted into deep infrastructure deficits as their land has been consumed with residential growth year after year. Prosper is by far the largest community in the group, with substantial commercial development at stake. Each community is growing faster than they can keep up with. The coronavirus pandemic exposed and compounded the “digital divide” in the subregion – as each community is marked by uneven levels of broadband access – newer developments have the best internet available, and older, more central areas, and all those in between, not only lack high-speed, but have been refused service by providers due to lack of revenue potential. As thousands turned to work and school from home, broadband capacity was insufficient to meet the need. Even before the crisis, storefronts in these booming rural towns remained empty due to lack of high-performing, highspeed internet. The proposed multi-jurisdictional assessment is vital to the economic success of the region.
