He is the most up to speed on current policy with COVID, etc. 

I'm wanting to start investing in real estate at the first of the year, and I have a few questions.I live 15 mins from the DFW area in Texas.I'm mainly wanting to focus on 1-4 unit rentals, but I am considering other things to speed up the process and to also have  diversity.

If you are looking to off-set your W2 income in the next few years, 20% down will probably speed that up a bit and give you a little bit of equity in the property at the same time. 

Speeding and no drivers license. 

There are a lot of great investors here in Baltimore, especially on BP, so don't hesitate to ask questions as you get up to speed.

At the speed they are going, if your tenant just applied for money, you should get an answer in about 18 months.

Instead, ViaSat seems one (or perhaps the only) satellite internet provider and from what I can tell, they have serious data cap rates on their high-speed data (even with their platinum plan)Does anyone have experience with ViaSat (or alternatives) and can provide insight on how viable this is for STR properties (we fortunately plan on cable TV with DIRECTV via AT&T)?

Before you do anything, you better be up to speed on Texas' LL/T law (Chpt. 91 & 92) and evictions (Chpt. 24) of Texas Property Code. 

Does anyone have particular tips on getting up to speed on this from a REI perspective? 

The investor has a clock ticking on costs whereas in the case of the homeowner client, they only want the speed out of convenience to "bring their toothbrush" moreover than worrying about holding costs so this penalty/bonus works much better with flipper clients.Where were you when I needed a good contractor Bruce?!