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Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the BEAD Program will provide states funding that will help expand high-speed internet access and use. Texas was allocated $3.3 billion to support infrastructure deployment, mapping and adoption, including planning and capacity-building. The Broadband Development Office (BDO) has created a competitive process for potential subrecipients to apply for funding.
All program information, planning documents and deadlines will be available here. Check back often.
SUBGRANTEE SELECTION PROCESS
The Texas BEAD Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) was published on the Electronic State Business Daily within TXSmartBuy. Additional information and guidance are provided on the Subgrantee Selection registration page.
Applications for round one of the Texas BEAD Program can be submitted via the Texas BEAD Application portal from June 12 through Aug. 1. New applicants can register anytime until the application window closes.
Prospective applicants who experience technical issues can contact the BDO’s technical support helpline by calling 855-TEX-BEAD (855-839-2323) Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by emailing the BEAD helpdesk. Please be advised that the BDO can only address technical questions outside of the public comment process, which ended on May 29.
To ensure potential applicants are prepared, the BDO hosted an eight-part webinar series. All webinar recordings are available below.
Texas BEAD Subgrantee Selection Webinar Series
| Date | Topic/Recording | |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 12 | End-to-end Process for Subgrantee Selection* | |
| Feb. 19 | Project Area Unit Division Inputs | |
| March 12 | Preliminary Registration | |
| March 28 | Texas BEAD Notice of Funding Availability* | |
| April 9 | Project Cost (Part 1)** | |
| April 23 | Project Cost (Part 2) | |
| May 7 | Subgrantee Portal Walkthrough | |
| May 14 | Federal and State Compliance | |
| *Please note, the severability information from this webinar is not current. For the latest updates, refer to the May 7 webinar. **Please note, the reimbursement information from this webinar is not current. For the latest updates, refer to the May 7 webinar. | ||
CHALLENGE PROCESS
APPROVED BY NTIA ON MAY 8, 2025
The BEAD Challenge Process is vital to ensuring the state accurately represents location-level funding eligibility for the BEAD Program.
Additional Information
The BDO accepted service availability challenges from internet service providers (ISPs), units of local government and nonprofit organizations from Dec. 3-17, 2024. The submitted challenges were reviewed by the BDO to determine validity. ISPs and community anchor institutions affected by a challenge had the opportunity to submit rebuttals from Jan. 10-24, 2025.
To ensure challengers were prepared, the BDO hosted several webinars throughout the Texas Availability Challenge Process. The following webinars covered the process and inputs needed to successfully file challenges and rebuttals:
- Oct. 30, 2024 – Webinar recording
- Nov. 13, 2024 – Webinar recording
- Dec. 4, 2024 – Webinar recording
- Jan. 8, 2025 - Webinar recording
All challenged location IDs, challenge types and challengers are listed in the BEAD Challenge Submission Data spreadsheet.
The BDO submitted challenges and rebuttal evidence to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on April 1 and was approved on May 8, 2025. The BDO’s Final Determinations for all submitted challenges and the approved list of BEAD-eligible locations are provided on the Subgrantee Selection registration page.
INITIAL PROPOSAL
States were required to submit a comprehensive two-volume Initial Proposal for the BEAD Program that detailed the steps they planned to take in pursuit of universal service.
Details
The BDO posted a draft of Texas’ Initial Proposal and invited feedback from the state’s residents and stakeholders. Following public comments and related revisions, the Initial Proposal was submitted to NTIA on Dec. 23, 2023. Volume I of the Initial Proposal was approved on April 11, 2024. Volume II was approved on Nov. 19, 2024.
Five-Year Action Plan
APPROVED BY NTIA ON OCT. 19, 2023
States and territories planning to access funding through the BEAD Program were required to develop and submit a Five-Year Action Plan to NTIA outlining broadband objectives, goals and priorities for ensuring unserved and underserved locations gain access to reliable broadband. The plan served as a needs assessment and informed how the BDO developed a Texas-specific grant program with funding from the BEAD Program.
- Email us to request a copy of the BDO’s Five-Year Action Plan.
Need assistance?
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