Upcoming Hearings to Watch: Broadband, Data Centers, Cybersecurity and AI

Texas lawmakers will turn their attention to broadband deployment, data centers, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence during a series of House committee hearings scheduled for Aug. 18 and 19.

The hearings begin Tuesday with the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Broadband and continue Wednesday with separate meetings focused on data center development and government technology oversight.

The Telecommunications and Broadband Subcommittee will meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, to review the state's broadband development efforts and the impact of pole attachments on broadband service. The hearing is scheduled for Room E2.030 of the Capitol extension.

Lawmakers will monitor the activities of the Broadband Development Office and examine awards through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program and the state's Broadband Infrastructure Fund. The subcommittee also plans to study whether pole attachment fees and other issues create impediments to broadband service, including whether Texas needs a standardized pricing model or other mechanisms to create greater consistency in those fees.

Two technology-related hearings are scheduled the following morning.

The House Committee on State Affairs will meet at 8 a.m. Aug. 19 in Room JHR 140 to examine data center development in Texas. The committee's interim charge covers the industry's role in global competitiveness and national security, its economic and workforce effects and the regulatory framework governing new development.

Lawmakers will also review implementation of Senate Bill 6 and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' Large Load Batch Study Process as they relate to data centers. The committee has been directed to consider how grid-connected data centers and co-located resources could support grid resilience and reliability.

An hour later, the House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency will convene in Room E2.012 for a hearing spanning cybersecurity, AI, data privacy and state technology oversight.

Among the committee's assignments is a review of House Bill 150, which established the Texas Cyber Command and transferred cybersecurity responsibilities from the Department of Information Resources (DIR). The hearing notice also calls for a review of State Auditor's Office cybersecurity recommendations for the Texas School for the Deaf and the school's implementation efforts.

The committee will separately examine methods for using technology, including AI, to detect fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer resources. It will also review implementation and effectiveness of the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act and conduct oversight of DIR, the Sunset Advisory Commission and the Texas Space Commission.

All three hearings will take invited and public testimony. Live video broadcasts are scheduled to be available through the Texas House.