Texas Rural Funders Plays an Essential Role in State Broadband Efforts

In 2019, Texas Rural Funders, a statewide philanthropic collaborative of 39 funders focused on bringing attention and resources to rural Texas, learned that Texas was one of six states in the United States that had neither a statewide broadband plan nor a broadband office. This put Texas communities at a disadvantage; federal agencies deducted points when scoring broadband grant applications, lowering communities’ chances of receiving the critical funding needed. This is crucial in a state where 83 percent of the land mass is rural and state and federal funds and policy solutions are required to achieve the scale needed to reach as many rural Texans as possible. Texas Rural Funders sprang into action to gather data, engage in marketing and communications efforts, form coalitions, create resources, and support rural leaders to affirm the need for a statewide broadband office. House Bill 5, forming the Broadband Development Office at the Texas Comptroller’s office, passed in 2021.