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Outreach: News and Events
Monthly Roundtables
(All times are in Central Time.)
- Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. – Industry Roundtable (Teams)
- March 6 at 10 a.m. – Local Government and Community Roundtable (Teams)
Upcoming Events
- Feb. 12 – May 14 at 1 p.m. – Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Subgrantee Selection Webinar Series (Webinar series information and registration).
- Feb. 18 – The BDO will request information on project area units (PAUs) for the BEAD Program.
Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) II Program Connects More Than 90,000 Locations
The BOOT II initiative has secured a total investment of $701.9 million, funded through the Capital Projects Fund and voter-approved state revenue. To date, $560.4 million has been awarded, connecting more than 70,000 locations across 19 of the 24 selected counties. The deployment strategy includes fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology in 13 counties, offering symmetrical speeds of 1 Gbps, while six counties utilize a combination of FTTH and wireless technology offering symmetrical speeds of at least 100 Mbps. Additional awards are in the finalization process for three counties, which will connect more than 23,000 more locations. Although the BDO did not receive acceptable project proposals in Jeff Davis and Hudspeth counties, locations in these counties will be eligible for future grant opportunities, including the BEAD and Low Earth Orbit Satellite Grant programs.
A list of BOOT II awardees is available on the BDO’s website.
Texas BEAD Challenge Rebuttal Phase Receives 97 Rebuttals; Subgrantee Selection Process Webinars Begin
Following the receipt of more than 3,000 challenge submissions, the BDO initiated the rebuttal process for internet service providers (ISPs) to submit additional documentation on the service status of specific locations. The BDO is reviewing the 97 submitted rebuttals and will soon make final determinations. The office will also release a public-facing map of all BEAD eligible locations following conclusion of the challenge and rebuttal phases.
Starting Feb. 12 and continuing through May, the BDO will host webinars on the subgrantee selection process. For webinar recordings, registration links and more information, please visit the BEAD Program webpage.
The BDO has pre-defined PAUs along Census tracts for the subgrantee selection process. Due to Texas’ unique geography and varying broadband needs, some Census tracts may require further subdivision. Prospective applicants and interested parties are invited to propose subdivisions to selected Census tracts through a request for information process starting Feb. 19.
Coming Soon: Digital Opportunity Grant Program
The BDO is preparing to publish a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) seeking applications to competitively award proposals that expand digital opportunity in the state. This initiative earmarks $44.6 million of funding from the state’s allocation of the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, a $1.4 billion component of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Eligible applicants may submit applications to demonstrate how their proposed projects align with one or more of the digital opportunity goals outlined in the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan, which includes broadband availability and affordability, device availability and technical support, digital literacy, online privacy and cybersecurity, and online accessibility and utilization of public resources. Project proposals must be focused on five key impact areas, including education access and advancement, health improvement, accessibility of essential services, civic and social engagement, and economic and workforce development.
More information about the competitive grant program, along with application guidelines and timelines will be provided in the NOFA. Visit the Texas Digital Opportunity Hub for more information on Texas’ digital opportunity goals, data and resources.
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