Technology
Fort Worth Invests $4.5M to Expand Fiber Coverage Beyond 74 Percent
The city’s $4.5 million ARPA-funded fiber project with Sprocket Networks targets gaps in the 74 percent fiber coverage now reported across Fort Worth.
How we reported this
The City of Fort Worth has directed $4.5 million in ARPA funds to Sprocket Networks for construction of more than 300 miles of new municipal fiber infrastructure.
The project focuses on underserved neighborhoods and government sites where private providers have left service shortfalls. Fort Worth currently shows 74 percent fiber-optic coverage citywide, according to broadband mapping data. AT&T Fiber reaches between 74 and 93 percent of residents and supplies speeds up to 5,000 Mbps. Spectrum cable service covers 86 to 93 percent of homes with plans up to 2 Gbps starting at $30 a month. Starlink satellite reaches every address in the city with service from $55 a month.
Why the municipal build matters now
Median download speeds in Fort Worth stood at 364.22 Mbps in January 2026, with AT&T Fiber recording the highest average at 370.58 Mbps. Upload speeds averaged 252.48 Mbps and latency measured 8 milliseconds. These figures place the city ahead of many peers yet still leave pockets without competitive fiber options. The Sprocket Networks lines will add public infrastructure that can serve both residents and city operations in areas the commercial market has bypassed.
Current provider landscape
Nextlink Internet supplies fixed wireless and fiber to about 90 percent of addresses with speeds up to 5 Gbps. Frontier offers a 7,000 Mbps symmetric fiber plan that posts the top speed-test scores in local rankings. The new municipal network will run alongside these options rather than replace them, giving the city direct ownership of routes that can later expand or lease capacity.
Residents in zones already reached by AT&T Fiber or Spectrum can compare the forthcoming public lines once construction maps are released. Those outside current footprints may gain a new wired choice once the 300-mile build reaches their blocks. The city has published the recovery-plan document detailing the Sprocket Networks contract at home.treasury.gov for anyone seeking exact route information.