The following is a press release from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission:

The Library Digital Opportunity office (LDO) at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has a new Texas Public Libraries Speed Test Dashboard, available now. Texas public libraries and their patrons can see how their internet upload and download speeds stack up against the rest!

The dashboard allows users to filter results by region, population and income levels. Data is also visualized with a zoomable, interactive map. This new tool was recently completed by LDO Data and Project Coordinator Promise Madu.

“In today’s digital era, libraries need to be prepared to fulfill their patrons’ needs, Madu said. “A speed test dashboard empowers libraries to track their performance and strive towards meeting the standards required to offer dependable, high-speed internet access to everyone who depends on them, thereby bridging the digital divide.”

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) increased the standards for what constitutes “broadband” to 100 Mbps download. Through the State Library’s annual speed test tracking, LDO has determined that a significant number of Texas’ public libraries fail to reach the previously set minimum threshold of 25 Mbps download.  As federal legislation prioritizes fiber technology, LDO has set 1,000 Mbps, or 1 Gbps, as an aspirational goal for all libraries seeking to support their communities and support their own digital opportunity services and programming.

With LDO’s speed test results, individual libraries can determine if they are below the FCC’s minimum standards for households and for libraries their size, as well as raise awareness of the new benchmarks. This could assist them in requesting funding assistance to improve their connectivity and help them work towards providing a more consistent quality of service. 

Leading the charge on these new initiatives is LDO’s Digital Opportunity Program Coordinator, Henry Stokes. “Public libraries are often a community’s only source of free internet. They are also the best potential option for learning the necessary skills to make use of the technology required to access the internet,” he said. “Libraries have a long history of providing frontline support for their patrons’ digital opportunity needs—whether it’s publicly available computers, fast Internet access or digital literacy training.”

LDO intends to use the speed test data to inform our upcoming collaboration with the Texas State Broadband Development Office (BDO), supporting their statewide efforts to track outcomes in the categories of availability and affordability of fixed broadband technology to advance state policy priorities such as economic and workforce development, education access and advancement, health improvement, and civic engagement.

Texas public libraries are encouraged to contribute to this project by completing TSLAC’s annual Public Library Speed Test, running through May 31. Data will then be updated to reflect 2024 speeds. The test only takes a few minutes. More information is available at www.tsl.texas.gov/speedtest. 

View the Texas Public Libraries Speed Test Dashboard at https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/ldodashboards/viz/TestDataLib/Dashboard1. Learn more about TSLAC’s support of technology and digital opportunity in Texas public libraries by visiting the LDO website at www.tsl.texas.gov/ldn/tech.