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Legislation88th Legislature, Regular Session
Summary of Senate Bill (SB) 1238
SB 1238 (Sen. Nichols) amends the Government Code to build on the Broadband Development Program established by HB 5 (87R). This legislation provides updated policy and guidance for the BDO (PDF) to administer the program more efficiently. More specifically, the bill:
- Updates the definition of “broadband service” to include latency.
- Pivots the state broadband map from depicting areas eligible for available funding to an analysis tool depicting unserved and underserved locations.
- Mirrors the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program’s fiber preference and provides an exception in high-cost areas.
- Clarifies that only existing federal funding commitments to expand broadband will disqualify locations from funding.
- Removes the prohibition on internet service providers that don't submit data to the BDO from applying for funding.
- Requires awardees to submit deployment plans for prior awarded federal funds to the BDO.
Summary of House Joint Resolution (HJR) 125
HJR 125 (Rep. Ashby) amends the constitution to create the Broadband Infrastructure Fund (BIF) (PDF) which, if approved by voters on the November 2023 ballot, will provide $1.5 billion in state dollars to fund broadband and emergency telecommunications infrastructure projects in Texas.
If approved by voters, the BIF will expire on Sept. 1, 2035, and any unexpended or unobligated funds will be transferred to the General Revenue Fund immediately before the expiration date.
Summary of HB 9
HB 9 (Rep. Ashby et al.) dedicates $1.5 billion to the BIF (PDF), if approved by voters in November 2023. Use of the BIF is limited to the following categories:
- Administering the Broadband Development Program.
- Providing a state match to BEAD funds.
- Funding 9-1-1 services and upgrades, providing a one-time transfer of $155,200,000 to the NextGen 9-1-1 Service Fund.
- Funding the Broadband Pole Replacement Program created by HB 1505 (87R), providing a one-time transfer of $75 million.
Summary of SB 1243
SB 1243 (Sen. Huffman) excludes federal grants (PDF) received under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the purpose of broadband deployment in Texas from the calculation of total revenue used to determine franchise tax liability.
Summary of SB 2119
SB 2119 (Sen. Schwertner) tasks the BDO with providing broadband data to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PDF) to assist the commission in creating a map displaying areas in the state receiving broadband and Universal Service Funds.
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