For Dallas County residents who have little or no access to the Internet, there may be some relief in the next few years.

On Tuesday, officials announced a new project that will use American Rescue Plan Act funds to improve internet access in up to 10 Dallas County zip codes. Zayo, an infrastructure provider, has received about $27.8 million in federal funding to carry out the project.

“Broadband access can no longer be considered a luxury,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins at a media event on Tuesday. “In 2024, access to the internet will be a basic need like electricity, heat and water.”

Lewis Jenkins said the internet access gaps are greatest in South Dallas, where the majority of the “target zip codes” are located. If southern Dallas County were its own city, “it would be one of the top 10 worst connected cities” in the country. According to a Zayo press release, about 24,000 Dallas households currently lack internet access at home.

Zayo plans to build more than 60 miles of network infrastructure throughout Dallas County. This would make it more affordable for internet service providers to connect homes, Jenkins said, because they wouldn’t have to lay their own cable.

Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman, whose district stretches north of downtown Dallas, said most residents in his district have internet access, but there are some areas without. The project will help fill that gap, he said.

“We need equality because without equality on the Internet, we don’t have access to commerce, education and materials necessary for daily life in the modern world,” Sommerman said.

Zayo plans to complete construction by December 2026, said spokeswoman Kayla Bodel The Dallas Morning News.