Texas

Following the US Ignite delivery and presentation of the Harris County Broadband Roadmap: A Platform for Shared Investment and Public Engagement, the Harris County (TX) Commissioners Court voted unanimously to establish a Harris County Broadband Task Force. Responsible for guiding strategy, coordinating public-private partnerships, and tracking progress, the task force will comprise members appointed by the Court and representing County offices, community organizations, academia, and the private sector.

Harris County (TX) approaches a pivotal moment in addressing broadband access and digital opportunity. Since the County’s last major broadband roadmap in 2020, the context for Internet access has evolved dramatically. The post-pandemic era brought sweeping changes in how residents work, learn, and access essential services.

The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) published a Notice of Funding Availability requesting applications for the Building the Texas Broadband Workforce Grant Program. The program makes $25 million in grant funding available for successful applicants to build or expand accessible educational opportunities to grow a skilled and robust Texas broadband workforce. To learn more about the program, visit the Electronic State Business Daily posting. Clarifying questions will be accepted through June 30, and applications will be accepted no later than July 31.

A group of 23 internet service providers in Texas, backed by the industry group Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, sent a letter to two Senators with concerns about proposed changes to a widely used stretch of shared spectrum featured in the president’s budget bill. The letter notes several concerns about the spectrum policy proposals included in the Senate version of the budget reconciliation bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, championed by the Trump administration.

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.

The state of Texas has awarded Lyte Fiber LLC $57.8 million to provide broadband to 6,750 unserved and underserved homes and businesses in Marion and Navarro counties. The Navarro County grant—which represents $43.3 million of the total—was a recent award. The awards were made by the state’s Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas II Program, which is overseen by the Comptroller’s Broadband Development Office.

Texas' statewide broadband office announced grant applications are open for a new low Earth orbit satellite program that signals a shift in how the nation is developing its broadband infrastructure. Every state has receiving funding to expand broadband through the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, program, which was billed as a “bold” step toward universal high-speed internet access by 2

US Ignite is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Harris County (TX), the third-largest county in the United States. US Ignite will develop a comprehensive broadband plan for the county. The initiative ensures that Harris County’s Broadband Plan aligns with changes in technology, policies, and the county’s vision for connectivity. As part of this initiative, US Ignite will comprehensively evaluate Harris County’s existing broadband plan, ensuring it aligns with the field’s best practices and recent advancements in broadband strategy.

On March 4, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar wrote to Reps Craig Goldman (R-TX) and August Pfluger (R-TX) expressing his desire to quickly put Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment funds to work and return unallocated funds to the US Treasury. "As a passionate advocate for conservative financial management, I am committed to responsibly using taxpayer dollars and returning any unallocated funds back to the U.S. Treasury.