Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) has awarded a $29 million grant to the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities and strengthen flood-monitoring systems across Central Texas. The investment will help internet providers reach rural Texans more affordably, expand and harden flood-monitoring infrastructure, and extend fiber deeper into underserved areas, boosting local economies while improving access to education, health care, and emergency services. The project builds on authority granted by the Texas Legislature in 2021 thro

The Texas Broadband Development Office will soon submit its final proposal to the federal government to invest approximately $1.3 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program funds.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts issued a Notice of Funding Availability to solicit competitive applications from qualified applicants for the Texas Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program as described in Section III of the NOFA. CPA anticipates making grant awards to one or more provisional Grantees. CPA reserves the right not to award a grant for the performance of all or part of the grant activities.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced awards totaling $701.9 million for the second round of the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas Program (BOOT II), aimed at bridging the digital divide and enhancing broadband access for unserved and underserved communities across the state.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said his Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is piloting a competitive grant program to support the deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband service in rural, unserved areas of Texas, using $30 million from the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Fund. This initiative continues the Texas Legislature's directive to bridge the digital divide and ensure greater access to high-speed internet for all Texans.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced an initial award of about $18.5 million in grant funding benefiting 17 counties across the state as part of the Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program. This initial funding will support the deployment of broadband to rural, unserved areas by partially reimbursing grant awardees who’ve replaced more than 11,000 poles that support retail broadband services. Awardees include Bartlett Electric Cooperative, Charter Communications, United Electric Cooperative Services Inc. and MidSouth Electric Cooperative.

 Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar (R-TX) applauded the federal government’s decision to provide a waiver for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that will give potential applicants broader financing options. “I am pleased [the National Telecommunications and Information Administration] has agreed to allow alternative ways for providers to comply with this requirement of the [Notice of Funding Opportunity],” Comptroller Hegar said.

The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is asking the public for input on internet accessibility, affordability and usage. BDO will use the Digital Opportunity Plan: Public Survey to develop a Texas Digital Opportunity Plan, which is required to draw down federal funding for connecting Texans to reliable, high-speed internet. The survey is open for approximately two months. BDO expects to complete the plan this fall.