Rural Texans, internet providers worry that federal broadband expansion plan will have a painfully slow rollout

A national coalition—including broadband providers and nonprofit organizations—noted that some recipients nationwide of previous broadband grant programs have failed to use their allocations to build out broadband networks. Texas Rural Funders, a nonprofit dedicated to rural philanthropy, took the lead in collecting signatures from Texans. They said the Federal Communications Commission should allow those recipients to relinquish their awards without penalty so those regions become eligible for Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program dollars. “The [FCC] should not permit these unserved rural communities to face this type of double whammy and be left behind once again,” read the letter, which has been signed by 32 organizations, which will be sent to the FCC. Kelty Garbee, executive director of Texas Rural Funders, pointed to the $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Of the $9.2 billion awarded through phase one of the project, over $2.8 billion has gone into default. The FCC has proposed fines against at least 95 of the program applicants, according to an FCC filing, including some in Texas. The commission was widely criticized for not properly screening internet service providers. The majority of defaults came from three internet providers who could not provide the level of service they promised.