Texas Broadband Fund Prepares to Award $730 Million for Rural Networks

The state of Texas has begun accepting applications for nearly $730 million in broadband funding. Applications are due by August 26, 2024. Applicants can request funding for any of 24 counties. Funding targets the two neediest counties in each of the state’s 12 economic regions. Network operators winning funding will be required to make service available to all unserved and underserved locations in the county. Awardees will be required to deploy symmetrical gigabit service unless “it would be impractical because of geography, topography, or excessive cost”, in which case symmetrical 100 Mbps capability will be required. Awards will be made by the Texas Broadband Development Office through the state’s Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) II program.