Comptroller: Texas could see as much as $4 billion in fed broadband funding

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar recently reached out to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to inform them of Texas’ plans to participate in that agency’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program soon. 

Readers likely recall that Connected Nation, a nonprofit, helped lead some basic fact-finding surveys regarding local broadband accessibility (or lack of). Many of you likely participated here in Lavaca and DeWitt counties. 

County Judges Mark Myers and Daryl Fowler, in partnership with Connected Nation, spearheaded the survey efforts locally, together with several partnership agencies across both counties, who were well represented when the survey findings and recommendations were released. They included the City of Yoakum, City of Hallettsville, Yoakum Chamber of Commerce, City of Cuero, Cuero ISD, Cuero Chamber of Commerce, Cuero Economic Development Corp. 

Much of the publicity work that went into those surveys was coordinated between Emergency Management Coordinator Egon Barthels, using social media and the local CODE RED reverse 911 alert system to spread word about internet surveys and approaching deadlines. 

His efforts were complemented here at newspapers via our social media pages for each of our four county newspapers and regular stories in our print publications.

As the stories about those findings were published some months back now and some of that data could prove beneficial as we look to secure grant funding from state and federal sources, we've added those stories to our new website. Results from the surveys taken in DeWitt and Lavaca counties can be found here.

Again, good bad or otherwise, these initial surveys simply created a baseline record, combining the data the feds keep on our respective counties and what Connected Nation was able to determine by means of its survey methodology. 

Simply search our website for the words for the words “broadband surveys” to find data simplest. Look for it soon.

The Comptroller’s Broadband Development Office (BDO) also submitted to NTIA its application for the Digital Equity Act planning grants program. Submission of this application enables Texas to tap into funds that will be used specifically to promote digital equity, support digital inclusion activities and increase adoption of broadband by Texans.

Established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the BEAD program will allocate a minimum of $100 million to each participating state, with Texas expecting to receive between $1 billion and $4 billion in funds. 

By participating in the BEAD Program, the BDO will craft a five-year plan for broadband deployment across Texas. This process will incorporate extensive coordination with local governments and other entities focused on closing the digital divide in Texas to ensure alignment and priorities.

“Texas faces a huge challenge: Connecting more than 1 million households to high-speed broadband, improving connectivity for over 5.6 million households, improving affordability of broadband for 3.6 million households and assisting 3.8 million Texans with digital literacy challenges,” Hegar said. “Sending the letter of intent is the first of many steps in which our office is working with stakeholders to close the digital divide in Texas.”

Last month, Hegar sent a letter to the Texas Congressional Delegation expressing his concerns about the NTIA’s Notice of Funding Opportunity for the BEAD program, which appears to indicate that states need to prioritize end-to-end fiber connectivity. 

His main concern with this stipulation is that, in many rural areas of Texas, fiber technology is not financially feasible. Further, the NTIA’s new rules run counter to Texas’ — and the IIJA’s — legislative intent of being technology-neutral with respect to broadband programs. 

NTIA has since met with Hegar and assured him it will provide further guidance to ensure all Texans are connected.

As the Comptroller continues to work with the federal government on policies to safeguard universal connectivity for Texans, the BDO is looking forward to participating in the IIJA’s BEAD and Digital Equity programs, which will provide the state with an unprecedented amount of federal dollars necessary for the deployment of high-speed internet service and adoption across Texas.