Jayme Lozano Carver

The Texas Broadband Development Office placed a temporary hold on August 12 on all disbursements of billions of dollars in federal funds related to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) and House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-TX) called for an audit of the Texas Broadband Development Office after the office faced allegations of favoring satellite companies when it came to distributing more than $5 billion in state and federal dollars. In a joint statement, the lawmakers said concerns were raised during a Senate hearing about the award process.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R-TX) recommended federal officials change requirements for billions of dollars in broadband funding, including eliminating the low-cost requirement. Hegar suggested the change in a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is the chairman for the Senate committee that oversees the federal agency responsible for allocating federal broadband funds. In the letter, Comptroller Hegar says removing the requirement may increase provider participation.

The goal of expanding broadband availability in Texas has been a long time coming. Depending on the day, the finish line either looks closer than ever or so very far away. Recently, Texas won final approval to use billions of federal money to help connect every corner of the sprawling state. The news came about 17 months after the $3.3 billion was first pledged for Texas — part of the bipartisan infrastructure deal signed by President Joe Biden.

When Texas was awarded $3.3 billion in federal money toward expanding broadband infrastructure across the state, government leaders and telecommunication companies celebrated the news. With the federal funds, coupled with $1.5 billion from the state’s wallet, rural and underserved Texas communities finally saw a chance to catch up with technology in the rest of the country.