Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2964 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R8611 CS-F
2	2	By: Landgraf H.B. No. 2964
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the provision of broadband service in certain rural
10	10	counties.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 490I.0103(c), Government Code, is
13	13	amended to read as follows:
14	14	(c) This chapter does not grant the comptroller authority to
15	15	regulate broadband services or broadband service providers or,
16	16	except as required of an applicant or recipient under Section
17	17	490I.0106 or 490I.01063, to require broadband service providers to
18	18	submit information to the comptroller.
19	19	SECTION 2. Section 490I.0106(b), Government Code, is
20	20	amended to read as follows:
21	21	(b) The office shall establish eligibility and award
22	22	criteria for making awards under this section [chapter] for each
23	23	applicable notice of funds availability. The comptroller by rule
24	24	may prescribe the manner in which the office shall provide notice to
25	25	applicants of the applicable criteria. In establishing eligibility
26	26	and award criteria, the office shall:
27	27	(1) take into consideration grants and other financial
28	28	incentives awarded by the federal government for the deployment of
29	29	broadband service;
30	30	(2) prioritize the applications of applicants that
31	31	will expand access to and adoption of broadband service in
32	32	designated areas in which the highest percentage of broadband
33	33	serviceable locations are unserved or underserved locations;
34	34	(3) prioritize the applications of applicants that
35	35	will expand access to broadband service in public and private
36	36	primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education;
37	37	(4) give preference to an applicant that provided the
38	38	information requested by the office under Section 490I.0105 or
39	39	490I.01061; and
40	40	(5) take into consideration whether an applicant has
41	41	forfeited federal funding for defaulting on a project to deploy
42	42	qualifying broadband service.
43	43	SECTION 3. Chapter 490I, Government Code, is amended by
44	44	adding Section 490I.01063 to read as follows:
45	45	Sec. 490I.01063. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN RURAL COUNTIES. (a)
46	46	In this section:
47	47	(1) "Eligible county" means a county with a county
48	48	seat that has a population of 5,000 or more but not more than 25,000
49	49	that was not selected for the Bringing Online Opportunities to
50	50	Texas II program by the broadband development office, and in which
51	51	no broadband infrastructure development project has received state
52	52	or federal funds.
53	53	(2) "Fiber-to-the-premises" means the delivery of
54	54	broadband services directly to an individual residential or
55	55	commercial premises using fiber-optic cables.
56	56	(b) The comptroller shall allocate an amount, not to exceed
57	57	$750 million, in the broadband infrastructure fund to be used by the
58	58	office to provide grants, low-interest loans, and other financial
59	59	incentives for the planning, design, construction, and deployment
60	60	of broadband networks in eligible counties to provide
61	61	fiber-to-the-premises service to residential or commercial
62	62	addresses that are not served by fiber-to-the-premises service
63	63	according to the United States Federal Communications Commission's
64	64	Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric Data.
65	65	(c) The office shall establish guidelines for:
66	66	(1) applying for funds;
67	67	(2) project approval; and
68	68	(3) monitoring broadband deployment.
69	69	(d) The office shall prioritize projects that demonstrate:
70	70	(1) a plan for providing reliable broadband service to
71	71	underserved or unserved areas by deploying a fiber-optic network
72	72	with gigabit passive optical network technology;
73	73	(2) potential for collaborating with a local
74	74	government or private entity that can expedite the construction
75	75	process; or
76	76	(3) a commitment from a county or private entity to
77	77	provide financial or in-kind contributions for a project.
78	78	(e) The office shall report to the legislature not later
79	79	than December 31 each year:
80	80	(1) the total amount of funds distributed under this
81	81	section;
82	82	(2) a list of eligible counties and projects funded;
83	83	(3) the number of eligible addresses that have been
84	84	provided fiber-to-the-premises service through funds awarded under
85	85	this section; and
86	86	(4) any challenges or delays in implementing the
87	87	provisions of this section.
88	88	(f) The office shall conduct a comprehensive review of the
89	89	program established under this section not later than September 1,
90	90	2030, to evaluate the program's effectiveness at closing the
91	91	broadband access gap in rural counties.
92	92	SECTION 4. Section 490I.0108(d), Government Code, is
93	93	amended to read as follows:
94	94	(d) Money in the account may be appropriated only to the
95	95	broadband development office for purposes of:
96	96	(1) creating or updating the map described by Section
97	97	490I.0105;
98	98	(2) administering a [the] broadband development
99	99	program under Section 490I.0106 or 490I.01063;
100	100	(3) creating or updating the state broadband plan
101	101	under Section 490I.0107; or
102	102	(4) engaging in outreach to communities regarding the
103	103	expansion, adoption, affordability, and use of broadband service
104	104	and the programs administered by the office and equipment.
105	105	SECTION 5. Section 490I.0110(i), Government Code, is
106	106	amended to read as follows:
107	107	(i) A person who is professionally affiliated with a person
108	108	serving as a member of the board of advisors is not eligible for
109	109	funding from a [the] broadband development program under Section
110	110	490I.0106 or 490I.01063 if the member is involved in decisions
111	111	regarding the award of grants, loans, or other financial incentives
112	112	under those sections [that section].
113	113	SECTION 6. The broadband development office shall establish
114	114	the guidelines required by Section 490I.01063, Government Code, as
115	115	added by this Act, not later than April 1, 2026.
116	116	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.