Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced the initial distribution of approximately $18.5 million in grant funding to boost broadband connectivity in rural, unserved regions across 17 counties. The funds, part of the Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program, will reimburse awardees who have replaced over 11,000 utility poles supporting retail broadband services.
“Our agency is awarding this critical funding under our legislative directive to connect every Texan to broadband service,” Hegar stated. The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), under Hegar’s administration, is tasked with overseeing the state’s broadband initiatives to ensure high-speed internet access statewide.
Initiated in 2021 by the Texas Legislature, the Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program is backed by Proposition 8, which Texas voters passed in 2023, dedicating $75 million to the Broadband Infrastructure Fund’s Pole Replacement Fund. Key recipients of this initial grant include Bartlett Electric Cooperative, Charter Communications, United Electric Cooperative Services Inc., and MidSouth Electric Cooperative. Counties benefiting from these grants include Anderson, Bell, Bowie, Delta, Erath, Franklin, Grimes, Henderson, Hopkins, Hunt, Kaufman, Madison, Milam, Sabine, San Augustine, Van Zandt, and Walker.
Awardees qualified for the grant by demonstrating eligible costs incurred for replacing poles to support broadband speeds of at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. The new poles are designed to support symmetrical speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second and are situated in areas where about 18 percent of locations lack reliable broadband.
Additionally, Hegar’s office has announced a second funding round through the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) program, with $729 million available to support broadband infrastructure in the state’s most disconnected regions. The initiative, combining federal and state funds, aims to improve internet access for over 95,000 locations across 24 Texas counties, potentially connecting up to 20 percent of Texans currently without reliable broadband.
The Texas Broadband Development Office, established in 2021, will continue administering these funds until the allocated resources have been fully expended to enhance broadband access throughout the state.
For other funding opportunities that will further address the needs of Texans and close the digital divide, visit BroadbandForTexas.com.
