Region 16 Infrastructure

 Region 16 is working on a fiber project to bring seamless digital learning through high-speed broadband access to rural areas in the Texas Panhandle.

Fiberlight proposes a groundbreaking wide-area network (WAN) project to revolutionize Region 16′s educational connectivity.

The Chief Technology Officer of Region 16 says they plan on putting in 500 mles of brand new fiber construction in the ground between our location and their location, then we’ll use 500 miles of existing fiber infrastructure to build a more cohesive connectivity model.

Region 16 received $28 million from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to bring affordable high-speed fiber internet to school districts in the rural Panhandle.

A local organization, Regional Accelerator & New Growth Engine (RANGE), is also working with Region 16 because the infrastructure that will bring broadband access to schools will benefit agricultural providers like cattle feeders, dairies, family farms and other businesses.

The new infrastructure will provide cattle tracking, crop health, weather monitoring and water conservation through broadband access. 

The full cost of the fiber project is $38 million, and the market cost of the fiber project would be around $80 million to accomplish outside of educational pricing and e-rate.

The completion time of the project would take 3-4 years