Almost 200 Applications Requesting $180M in BOOT Money

The Texas Comptroller for Public Accounts (CPA) has published the applicant list for the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) Program, the competitive grant application program overseen by the state’s Broadband Development Office.

More than 191 applications are asking for $180 million in funding, which originated with federal grant monies for broadband expansion across the U.S.

The program aims to connect 152,000 homes and businesses by funding last-mile broadband infrastructure projects within eligible areas across the state. To determine these areas, the comptroller’s office said it would rely on the state’s recently published broadband development map.

The applications must be posted for public review on the comptroller’s website for at least 30 days before funding decisions are made.

In the meantime, the Broadband Development Office (BDO) will accept written protests for any application relating to whether the applicant or proposed project is ineligible for an award based on the criteria prescribed by the office. The last day to submit application protests is Aug. 21.

To qualify for funding, proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

• The project will address a critical need resulting from, made apparent by or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• The project is in a designated area considered eligible by BDO for funding.
• The project invests in capital assets designed to directly enable work, education and health monitoring.
• The project is designed to address a critical need in the community to be served by it.