There's an old proverb I keep coming back to:
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
That idea sits at the heart of everything I want to share with you this month.
A couple months ago, I wrote about why connectivity is economic development. This month, I want to go a layer deeper and talk about how we are turning that vision into reality through partnerships that are bringing faster, more reliable, and more affordable internet access to homes and businesses across Brownsville.
Building infrastructure is important, but infrastructure alone doesn't create opportunity.
You can build a data center, but if it isn't connected to the right places, it's just another building. You can install technology, but without the network to support it, its impact remains limited.
That's the lesson behind everything we've built in Brownsville.
Fiber was never the end goal. It was the foundation.
That foundation now supports our city network, our data center modernization efforts, smart city initiatives, private 5G capabilities, and even our emerging artificial intelligence infrastructure. Every one of those investments depends on a strong, resilient fiber network underneath it all.
The real achievement isn't the fiber itself. It's the ecosystem that fiber makes possible.
Four years ago, the City of Brownsville invested approximately $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to build more than 100 miles of fiber infrastructure throughout our community.
This network serves as the city's "middle mile" infrastructure, the digital equivalent of a major roadway system that moves information throughout Brownsville.
But having roads isn't enough. You also need driveways that connect people to those roads.
That's where our partnership with Omni Fiber comes in.
Omni Fiber invested an additional $80~ million to build the "last mile" network that extends fiber directly to homes and businesses across the city.
This partnership allows Brownsville residents and businesses to gain access to world-class fiber connectivity while ensuring that the city's investment continues creating value for years to come.
In exchange for utilizing portions of the city's middle-mile infrastructure, Omni shares a portion of its revenue with the city for each customer connected through the network.
That means our initial investment isn't simply a one-time expense. It becomes a long-term asset that generates value while expanding connectivity throughout the community.
This is what successful public-private partnerships look like. The city creates the foundation, private industry expands upon it, and the community benefits from the results.
When done correctly, everyone wins.
This partnership is not about directing anyone to a particular provider. Residents and businesses remain free to choose the service provider that best meets their needs.
What we've done is create another option built on modern infrastructure.
For those who choose to connect through fiber, the benefits are substantial:
Most importantly, we're helping close the digital divide.
Last year, the city distributed computers to families who needed them. Expanding access to affordable, reliable broadband is the next step in ensuring that every resident has the opportunity to participate in today's digital economy.
For businesses, robust connectivity is no longer a luxury. It is a requirement.
Whether you're running a small business, attracting new investment, supporting remote workers, or leveraging advanced technologies, reliable broadband infrastructure has become as essential as roads, water, and electricity.
I'll be honest. I didn't just lead this project from a distance.
When fiber became available in my neighborhood, I was one of the first customers to sign up.
Before making the switch, I was paying approximately $140 per month for internet service that experienced frequent outages, often at the worst possible times.
Since moving to fiber, I've experienced no downtime, significantly faster speeds, and lower monthly costs.
While my experience is just one example, it represents exactly what this initiative was designed to achieve.
Technology projects are often discussed in terms of miles of fiber, dollars invested, or technical specifications.
What matters most is how they improve people's everyday lives.
You may have heard the terms "copper" and "fiber," but what do they actually mean?
Traditional internet providers have historically relied on copper-based infrastructure. While it served communities well for many years, copper is more vulnerable to weather conditions, signal degradation over distance, and network congestion.
Fiber optic networks operate differently.
Instead of transmitting information through electricity, fiber uses light. The result is significantly faster speeds, greater reliability, and better overall performance.
Another major advantage is symmetrical connectivity.
With fiber, upload speeds can match download speeds. That's increasingly important as remote work, video conferencing, cloud applications, online education, and connected devices become part of everyday life.
Simply put, fiber isn't just an upgrade. It's a new foundation for the future.
When people think about fiber, they often think about internet speeds.
But the real story is much bigger than that.
Connectivity creates opportunity.
It allows students to learn without barriers. It enables businesses to compete globally. It attracts investment. It supports public safety, healthcare, innovation, and the technologies that will drive the next generation of economic growth.
The fiber network we built wasn't simply a technology project.
It was an investment in Brownsville's future.
Today, that investment is connecting homes and businesses. Tomorrow, it will support advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, smart city technologies, and opportunities that we are only beginning to imagine.
The most important lesson from this project is that no city succeeds alone.
Success happens when government, private industry, educational institutions, and the community work together toward a common goal.
The city provided the foundation. Our partners expanded the reach. Together, we created something none of us could have accomplished alone.
As we continue building Brownsville's digital future, we will keep focusing on partnerships that create lasting value for our residents, businesses, and future generations.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Until next month,
Jorge Cardenas, Chief Information Officer, City of Brownsville
Editor’s Note: The above commentary was penned by Jorge Cardenas, chief information officer for the City of Brownsville. It first appeared on the author’s social media pages. The commentary appears in the RGG Business Journal with the permission of the author.
