Trey Mendez, Mayor (Brownsville, TX)

Middle Mile Broadband Initiative Advances

Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez campaigned on making broadband more “accessible and affordable” for his constituency, and he is delivering, with his city’s commission approving a public-private partnership to construct a fiber network in the latest step in his Middle Mile Broadband Initiative. Brownsville, which ranked as one of the least connected communities in 2018 and 2019, is now on the edge of a broadband breakthrough. The project will create a 93-mile long  “middle-mile backbone” that will connect “32 anchor institutions” like fire stations, police stations, and medical centers, helping to increase the overall quality of life within the city. The Initiative will use $19.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand the city’s online infrastructure. To learn more about digital-equity pioneers like Mayor Mendez and their exciting broadband initiatives, see the NewDEAL Forum Broadband Task Force’s report, Bridging the Digital Divide, or check out how Mendez and others are using ARP funding in innovative ways in the NewDEAL report The American Rescue Plan – One Year Later.