Community-serving institutions in a 19-county region of southwestTexas often face insufficient broadband connectivity and access speeds, making it difficult to provide critical educational, economic, and medical services. Region 18 Education Service Center’s Connect Southwest Texas project proposes to deploy new, high-speed middle-mile infrastructure across the area as part of a public-private collaboration with five regional broadband service providers. The project also aims to deploy or improve videoconferencing capabilities at local K-12 and higher-education institutions and work with the Texas Department of Public Safety to link its locations in Midland, Alpine, and Fort Stockton to the new network.