Amarillo Deploys $24 Million Fiber Network, Reaching 22,000 Locations

Amarillo is quietly building one of the fastest broadband networks in Texas, and the money behind it is as much a story of public investment as it is private infrastructure.

The city's $24 million public-private partnership with AT&T, deploying fiber to more than 22,000 locations, has pushed median residential download speeds to between 366 and 406 Mbps-well above many comparable Texas cities, according to Ookla and Speedtest.net data. AT&T Fiber now covers roughly 67 to 68 percent of Amarillo, with the strongest coverage in ZIP codes 79101, 79106, 79107 and 79109. The service offers symmetrical speeds up to 5,000 Mbps, meaning uploads match downloads, a rarity even in major metro areas.

More Than One Fiber Player

AT&T isn't the only game in town. Vexus Fiber reaches about 60 percent of the city with symmetrical 1,000 Mbps service. MetroNet covers some 80.5 percent of homes, offering speeds up to 5,120 Mbps. EarthLink, meanwhile, is available to 79.2 percent of households with speeds up to 1,269 Mbps. The result is a competitive landscape that has driven down prices and pushed speeds higher across the board.

The fiber buildout is concentrated in underserved parts of northeast Amarillo, a deliberate move by the city and its partners. The $24 million initiative specifically targets gaps in coverage, aiming to bring high-speed connectivity to neighborhoods that have historically been left behind.

Closing the Digital Divide

Low-income households and students are the focus of a separate push. The Amarillo Connected program targets 10,000 residents with discounted broadband access. Federal subsidies under the Affordable Connectivity Program offer up to $50 per month in discounts on service, making the network affordable for families that would otherwise be priced out.

The city's investment in broadband is part of a broader technology push. Amarillo deployed Emma, the world's first public-facing municipal AI digital human, which answers roughly 5,000 questions a month in more than 60 languages-and saved the city $1.8 million in call-center costs. The city also approved a $27 million contract to install smart water meters across more than 70,000 locations, enabling real-time usage monitoring and more accurate billing.

Yet city officials have confirmed Amarillo has no plans to formally brand itself a "smart city" or join a smart cities organization. The infrastructure investments are happening without the label.

What happens next depends on continued adoption and subsidy funding. The Affordable Connectivity Program's future is uncertain at the federal level, and Amarillo Connected's goal of signing up 10,000 residents remains a work in progress. But the backbone-more than 22,000 fiber-connected locations, multiple competing providers, and a median download speed that rivals cities twice Amarillo's size-is already in place.

For residents shopping for internet, the choice is increasingly not whether fiber is available, but which provider offers the best deal.