Commentary Roundup: What newspapers around the state are saying
Lufkin Daily News
July 9 editorial, "Expanding Access: Texas must establish broadband as a universal utility, rather than a ‘special thing that some people have.’"
Broadband in Texas today is a haphazard web of lines and connections in dozens of rural counties across the state. And reporting is often disingenuous. For example, an entire census tract is counted as having broadband even if just one house in that tract is serviced. Sometimes, residents on one side of the road have internet service while their neighbors do not. It's called the "last mile" challenge and is a key component of the Federal Communication Commission's commitment to universal service.
The work moving forward — mapping, for instance — will have to be done in small, incremental steps. It's critical the state gets this done correctly, the first time, because it is the only way Texas is going to close the digital divide and facilitate greater access to technology for residents.
That's why the broadband office is working on statewide options — such as creating the grant program to help with affordability — that rely less on spot fixes community by community.
Still, advocates worry one-time investments — without an eye toward sustainability — could mean the gap will eventually widen again as this yet-to-be-established infrastructure becomes outdated.
San Antonio Express-News
July 14 editorial, "Gov. Abbott again puts politics above border solutions."
On July 5, a week after dozens of migrants — the toll would reach 53 — died horrifically in a tractor-trailer on San Antonio’s Southwest Side, a handful of Texas counties declared an “invasion” by migrants and demanded more state resources.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar blasted the misleading and dangerous terminology as “political rhetoric” that is “dead wrong” and creates a “monetary incentive” for smugglers.
The next day, Abbott bragged about committing another $30 million to the controversial border security mission that’s mobilized 10,000 national and state guardsmen and troopers, producing a $4 billion price tag, negligible results and a long list of problems.
Unsurprisingly, Abbott did not acknowledge a Department of Justice investigation into Operation Lone Star for alleged civil rights violations that nonprofit newsrooms ProPublica and the Texas Tribune reported the same day.
— San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board
Dallas Morning News
July 12 editorial, "Memo to all Texans: We must conserve energy."
There aren’t many ways to say this: Texans have to do a better job of conserving energy, something we don’t always do well.
Whether it is the extreme cold that shut down critical power sources across the state two winters ago or the blistering 100-degree-plus summer days we’re enduring now, the bottom line is that Texas has an energy problem, a real irony in a state known as an energy-producing capital. But it is also a wake-up call for a growing state that is adding new energy users by the day and needs energy resources to meet burgeoning demand.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s power grid traffic cop, is reminding Texas homes and businesses to conserve power from 2 to 8 p.m. and reduce the risk of rolling blackouts. The reason, ERCOT warns, is that the state faces a “potential reserve capacity shortage with no market solution available.” That’s a way of saying the demand for electricity, such as air conditioners running full blast in 100-degree temperatures, is consuming more power than generators can produce.
As a state, we need to get better at creating incentives to make sure that reliable, affordable power is available from fossil fuel, solar, wind, nuclear or other energy sources in a functioning competitive market. Increasing supply isn’t the only way to increase energy resources. Energy efficiency is a resource, too.
— Dallas Morning News Editorial Board
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
July 12 editorial, "There's only one word for what new video of Uvalde shooting response reveals: cowardice."
Immediately following the tragedy, school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo said he had treated the situation as a barricaded subject, which calls for a slower response, rather than an active shooter situation, wherein police would attempt to do whatever necessary, to stop the shooter.The video refutes this: When the initial group of men arrived, the gunman can be heard shooting; it's clearly still an active-shooter situation.The video shows in real time what law enforcement in Uvalde had initially denied and obfuscated: What had taken so long for law enforcement to do anything? The truth is more brutal and stark than any parent could imagine: Law enforcement officers were there, within minutes. Had they summoned their courage and executed their training immediately, lives could have been saved.The release of this video, however shocking, demonstrates the need for all the other documents and video related to this shooting to be released as well: 911 call transcripts, body camera footage and more. If Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks truth and justice, he must not stand in the way.
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram Editorial Board
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Commentary Roundup: July 17, 2022
