AUSTIN — Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today announced an initial award of $5.6 million in grant funding to eight West Texas counties for broadband infrastructure projects as part of the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) program. This initial funding will support three broadband projects that will bring reliable, affordable internet service to 813 locations in the counties of Jeff Davis, Pecos, Ector, Brewster, Presidio, Culberson, Ward and Winkler.
“The distribution of these funds is just the beginning of a historic investment in Texas,” said Hegar, who is chair of the comptroller-run Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), which has been legislatively mandated to close the digital divide in this state. “Critical broadband infrastructure projects across the state are starting to get much-needed attention that will help us increase access to reliable, high-speed internet and close the availability gap in Texas.”
In 2021, Texas was allocated $500.5 million as part of the Capital Projects Fund (CPF), a $10 billion component of the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress in response to the pandemic. Texas received the second-largest allocation of any state.
In 2023, the BDO began accepting grant applications for the BOOT program, which is funded through CPF dollars. Eligible applicants included internet service providers, political subdivisions and public-private partnerships interested in developing broadband infrastructure to connect unserved and underserved locations.
Big Bend Telecom Ltd. (BBT), Net Ops Communications LLC and Resound Networks received funding for broadband infrastructure projects in West Texas counties. The awardees met a mandate that they could deliver, upon completion, broadband service that reliably meets or exceeds symmetrical speeds of 100 megabits per second. These also demonstrated they could provide a universally available low-cost option for locations being connected through the BOOT program.
The state Legislature established the BDO in 2021 and housed it within the Texas comptroller’s office to help close the digital divide in Texas. The BOOT program is the state’s first competitive broadband grant program focused on last-mile connectivity: connecting end-users to high-speed internet. The program supports broadband infrastructure projects in eligible areas that bring reliable, affordable internet service to communities in need.
For other funding opportunities that will further address the needs of Texans and close the digital divide, visit BroadbandForTexas.com.