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Funding
The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) was established by the state Legislature in 2021 to award grants, low-interest loans and other financial incentives to applicants seeking to expand access to and adoption of broadband service in designated areas determined to be eligible by the office.
Below are current and upcoming funding opportunities for applicants seeking to expand broadband in their territories.
Broadband Infrastructure Fund (BIF)
In November 2023, Texas voters passed Proposition 8, which created the BIF to improve broadband access and services in the state. With an initial investment of $1.5 billion, the BIF will fund 9-1-1 services and upgrades, support the Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program and provide matching funds for the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Other uses of the fund being considered include establishing a Texas middle mile program, supporting new and existing workforce development programs, tackling broadband and digital opportunity issues by building regional capacity, and connecting locations such as community anchor institutions and multi-dwelling units. The fund will be in effect from 2024 to 2035.
Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program
The Pole Replacement Program is supported by $75 million in BIF funding. The program aims to speed up rural broadband deployment by reimbursing a portion of eligible pole replacement costs. Eligible participants can receive reimbursements per pole, ranging from 50 percent of eligible costs to $5,000, whichever is less.
Texas Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Broadband Program
The LEO Satellite Program, supported by up to $30 million in BIF funding, is a competitive grant designed to award qualified LEO network providers resources to provide high-speed, low latency, satellite-based internet access to rural, unserved areas. The LEO program awardees will also provide eligible subscribers with the necessary equipment and hardware to access their satellite-based network at no cost.
American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund (CPF)
Texas has been allocated $500.5 million through CPF to fund critical capital projects that enable work, education and health monitoring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Administered by the U.S. Treasury with funding directed to the BDO, CPF is intended to address many challenges stemming from the pandemic, especially in rural and low- to moderate-income communities, and help ensure all communities have access to the high-quality modern infrastructure, including broadband, needed to access critical services.
The BDO will develop and publish an annual report detailing the progress of CPF funding in Texas each year.
Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) Program
The BOOT Program is funded by $634.8 million in CPF and BIF funds. The program will ensure Texans have the connectivity they need by funding critical broadband infrastructure projects that bring last-mile connectivity to homes and businesses across the state.
Technical Assistance Program (TAP)
The BDO used $6 million in CPF funding to establish TAP, which augments local government and community capacities to prepare for forthcoming state and federal broadband funds.
Any county in Texas seeking technical assistance was eligible to apply to TAP. Those awarded are being provided with direct access to broadband planning and consulting services at no cost.
BDO State Agency Partnerships
To further serve community needs for accessing high-quality internet, the BDO has partnered with three state agencies to expand broadband access across the state. The office is using CPF funding to support broadband expansion through the following state agency-driven broadband projects.
- The Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s Infrastructure and Facility Access Improvement Grant Program, which was approved by the U.S. Treasury in June 2023, was awarded $7.8 million to expand broadband access to libraries throughout the state.
- The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texas Rural Hospital Broadband Program, which was approved in September 2023, was awarded $22.9 million to build the digital capacity of rural hospitals in Texas.
- The Texas Department of Transportation’s El Paso District Safety Rest Area Broadband Infrastructure Project, which was approved in January 2024, was awarded $6 million to add to six safety rest areas in West Texas.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Programs
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Authorized by the IIJA, the BEAD Program will use $3.3 billion in federal funds to support projects that help expand high-speed internet access and use. It supports infrastructure deployment, mapping and adoption, including planning and capacity-building in state offices. The program is designed to expand internet access to these priority areas:
- Unserved locations (speeds less than 25/3 Mbps).
- Underserved locations (speeds greater than 25/3 Mbps but less than 100/20 Mbps).
Digital Equity Act (DEA) of 2021
Authorized by the IIJA, the DEA of 2021 was designed to fund projects that help ensure Texans and Texas communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy by promoting a diverse array of digital advancement projects such as digital literacy and skills training, computer and device access, improving accessibility to online services, and integrating internet adoption and affordability strategies into preexisting programs.
The BDO used $3.1 million in State Digital Equity Planning Grant funds to develop the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan (TDOP).
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration allocated Texas $55.6 allocation from the federal State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program to implement initiatives laid out in the TDOP. While currently paused to ensure alignment with the priorities of the federal government and new administration, the program will implement TDOP goals through partnering with and funding both statewide organizations and local partners, promoting internet adoption, and maintaining a living digital opportunity plan.
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