BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville City Manager Helen Ramirez has criticized Charter Communications, otherwise known as Spectrum, for a commercial in which the giant cable operator attacked the city’s new fiber network, BTX.
Ramirez took a jab at Spectrum when delivering the keynote address at Brownsville Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 State of the Chamber luncheon. The event was held at Brownsville Events Center.
This is what Ramirez said:
“You might have seen a commercial. My son, Ian, is 11. And he says, Mom… he is on a soccer app and all of a sudden he sees a commercial and it's BTX Fiber, but not in a good light. It’s Spectrum (in the commercial) is showing a waterline break and saying that BTX was the cause of that. I told my son, don’t worry, Charter Communications has 32 million customers in this nation. I can't believe it's taking a jab at little Brownsville and BTX Fiber, we must be doing something right, I told him, and that he should be proud of what the city is going to accomplish. It is those types of things, you know, it's a David vs Goliath, but it's for all the right reasons. I would ask Spectrum, when's the last time you built 600 miles of fiber in any city in this nation, much less as city such as Brownsville? They probably won't answer that question.”
The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service has reached out to Charter Communications for a response. We will bring it as soon as it is available.
In another part of her speech, Ramirez said that with BTX Fiber, Brownsville is looking at becoming a 5 Gigabyte City. “Las Vegas is the only other 5G city that really is recognized in the nation,” she said.
Ramirez said those in the audience have probably seen “these orange things climbing up from the bottom of the earth.” She said those were the cables for BTX Fiber. She described the network as “resilient fiber connectivity.”
She said: “It’s actually buried 48 inches below grade. That is done purposely so if we have any bad weather, inclement weather, we will still have a reliable (internet) service. That’s very important.”
Ramirez explained that BTX is a public-private partnership, with the City of Brownsville working with Lit Communities. “We put in $19.5 of federal funding and that was matched with $70 million of private funding. So that's like a $90 million investment in the city of Brownsville.”
In a later interview with the Guardian, Ramirez said the City of Brownsville will be opening a Demonstration Office to show residents the benefits of BTX.
“We're going to build a Demo Center, like a demonstration center, by the end of the year in downtown Brownsville so people will be able to experience what it mean to live in a 5G city. What does this mean for our kids for education? This will be something where the community can go and see kind of our future, what we are going to be able to achieve. So, we’re really excited about BTX Fiber.
In her keynote address, Ramirez also spoke about the importance of partnership and collaboration. One example is the collaboration the City of Brownsville is developing with UT-Rio Grande Valley, she said. She called it the “One City” model.
Ramirez also spoke about revitalizing downtown Brownsville. She said the city’s downtown is experiencing a “renaissance.”
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of Ramirez’s remarks at the State of the Chamber luncheon, courtesy of the City of Brownsville's Communications Department.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2L3z6t9n7s
