Texas

Texas’ Broadband Development Office Director Greg Conte explains why $3.3 billion in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding might not be as appealing as it sounds. “Receiving $3.3 billion is great, but with that comes a lot of responsibility, said Conte. “There’s a lot of attention on Texas as we have a significant amount of unserved and under-served homes, businesses, community anchor institutions.

The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), under the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, developed the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan to guide non-infrastructure-related digital opportunity investments. Another aim is to position the BDO to receive State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA).

Charter celebrated the $1.3 billion that the company is investing in rural areas of Texas. Charter will invest $700 million of the money to cover the full cost of network upgrades. The remaining $420 million will cover some of the cost of fiber deployment. The remainder of the cost of fiber deployment will come partially from money Charter won in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program in 2020, and partially from public-private partnerships with counties and cities.

Jonesboro, Arkansas-based Ritter Communications continues to build on its legacy of serving underserved communities by aggressively deploying fiber in its four-state footprint across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. This rapid deployment has been funded by a variety of sources, including support from private equity partner Grain Management and the Ritter family, bank loans, and American Rescue Plan Act-funded state grants for broadband deployment.

Bluepeak is expanding its fiber-to-the-home service to Texas. The operator will invest about $15 million into a new network in the city of Denison (TX) to deliver fiber to 10,000-15,000 homes and businesses, making it the first fiber provider in the city. The company is in the initial stages of development and aims to launch service in Denison in 2024. Bluepeak currently provides fiber-to-the-home services to 18 markers in Oklahoma, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota. 

Henderson County (TX) Commissioners approved an agreement with Brightspeed LLC to enhance broadband services within the county. The project will combine $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds with other state money to connect all of Henderson County to high-speed broadband internet when the projects are completed. Ultimately, the projects are expected to total $8 million and combine federal and state money. Brightspeed will deliver 114.7 miles of fiber and connect nearly 5,000 locations within Henderson County.

Regional operator Vexus Fiber is expanding its network across Louisiana, New Mexico, and its home state of Texas, and it’s planning to roll out multi-gig service by the start of 2024. CEO Jim Gleason said Vexus is constructing fiber on a pace of around 12,000 new homes passed per month, spanning roughly a dozen markets in Texas, three in Louisiana, and three in New Mexico.

Texas voters approved Proposition Eight, which will create a broadband infrastructure fund in the state. About 80 percent of voters favored passage of the state constitutional amendment. With the passage of this resolution, $1.5 billion will be allocated to expand internet availability in Texas, where some 7 million people currently lack access. These dollars will help pay to develop and finance broadband and telecommunications services as well as 911 services. The fund will also provide matching funds with federal money from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program.

More reliable and higher quality internet could be coming to Fort Worth’s (TX) underserved areas. The Fort Worth City Council approved a $7.5 million, 34-year contract with Dallas-based Sprocket Networks for broadband infrastructure. The contract authorizes the installation of an approximately 300-mile network to connect residents and businesses with internet in locations designated as underserved. Around 17 percent of residents in Fort Worth don’t have access to high-speed internet and 8 percent have no internet access at all.