$75M Available for Pole Replacements Facilitating Rural Broadband

Vendors or entities that have replaced utility poles for rural broadband connectivity may now apply for up to $5 million in reimbursement from the Broadband Development Office (BDO), according to a notice of funding availability (NOFA) released this week.

The Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program has $75 million “to reimburse eligible applicants for a portion of eligible pole replacement costs,” which must have been incurred between Aug. 31, 2021, and July 29, 2024, according to the documents. This funding only covers completed replacements, and replacements must have been in a designated area.

Potential applicants may recover costs for:

• Removal or disposal of an existing pole
• Purchase or installation of a new replacement pole
• Transferring any existing facilities to the replacement pole

Points of note:

• $200,000 is the minimum reimbursement
• $5 million is the maximum reimbursement
• Poles must have accommodated attachment by eligible broadband facilities
• Applicants must submit separate applications for multiple counties
• Documentation will be required

Questions regarding the funds are due before 2 p.m. Aug. 9 via email to Jesse Troublefield. Responses are due at 5 p.m. Sept. 10.

The Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) has published a detailed NOFA with a rubric and detailed examples on the Texas SmartBuy website. The comptroller oversees the BDO.