Texas Launches Broadband Development Office

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced the creation of a Broadband Development Office (BDO), which will award grants and loans and provide other incentives in the interest of expanding access to broadband in underserved areas. The office will be tasked with numerous broadband-related efforts like creating a statewide broadband plan, to be updated annually. The BDO will also be responsible for creating a broadband map that reveals which areas are eligible for financial support, setting an established threshold speed for underserved areas, participating in community outreach and acting as the subject matter expert to support local governments with funding opportunities. This new office builds on previous state broadband efforts, including the 2019 creation of the Governor’s Broadband Development Council which brought attention to the 900,000 Texas residents without broadband access at home. Also announced by Texas was the Broadband Pole Replacement Fund, established through separate legislation and using federal funding, to serve a related purpose by offering partial reimbursement to service providers for pole replacement costs in underserved areas.