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State Announces Initial Broadband Grant Offer

The State Comptroller of Public Accounts has published a notice of $120 million in funding availability, which kicks off the distribution of federal COVID-19 monies.

A ground-level view of a fiber-optic cable being laid beneath a street.
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In an initial grant offering to help connect all of Texas with broadband infrastructure, the state comptroller’s office is taking applications for BOOT funds — the Bringing Online Opportunities for Texas program.

The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for an initial $120 million was published Monday, with questions being taken until March 17. The application period is listed as March 6 through May 5. Award announcements are expected by fall.

The BOOT program is a competitive grant application program overseen by the state’s Broadband Development Office (BDO) and aims to connect 152,000 homes and businesses through last-mile broadband infrastructure.

This offering is for a portion of $363.8 million allocated from the federal Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. All funds will be distributed through the BDO.

To be considered for grants, proposed projects must:
  • Be located in designated eligible areas (unserved, underserved).
  • Invest capital assets designed to directly enable work, education and health monitoring.
  • Address critical community needs, including those made apparent during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The BDO’s goals for ubiquitous Internet for Texans include opportunities to have a connected workforce, distance education options and telehealth for underserved and unserved areas as determined by the state’s broadband map. Unserved areas don’t have access to broadband; underserved lack broadband service of more than 100Mbps/20Mbps.

The detailed Request for Applications (RFA) is numbered BDO-NOFA-001. The BDO sits within the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA), and they post all opportunities at the SmartBuy site. The agency search number is 304.

Those seeking a deep dive into the rules and governance of BDO grant applications and awards can find a discussion and final rules in the Feb. 10 edition of the Texas Register.
Rae D. DeShong is a Dallas-based staff writer and has written for The Dallas Morning News and worked as a community college administrator.