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The amendment allows $1.5 billion to be placed in the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund (BIF) and overseen by the Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA).
Introduced as House Joint Resolution 125 in March, this amendment authorizes the CPA to transfer money to the fund in January.
The fund will be codified under Article III, Section 49-d-16 of the Texas Constitution. The text reads that “the broadband infrastructure fund is created as a special fund in the state treasury outside the general revenue fund.”
The BIF will consist of “money transferred or deposited to the credit of the fund by this constitution, general law or the General Appropriations Act; revenue that the legislature by general law dedicates for deposit to the credit of the fund; investment earnings and interest earned on money in the fund; and gifts, grants and donations to the fund.”
Specifically, the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund (BIF) may be used for:
- Development, construction, reconstruction and expansion of infrastructure or services
- Operating broadband and telecommunications infrastructure
- Provisioning broadband and telecommunications services
- Reasonable fund administration and management
The fund will expire Sept. 1, 2035, when unused money will be returned to state coffers.
For context, 7 million Texans don’t have reliable Internet service or even access; there are some 3.6 million who don’t think it is affordable; and about 3.8 million need digital skills and literacy, said Broadband Development Office Outreach Coordinator Andrea Pacheco in August. She said that there was “monumental” work involved in expanding connectivity.
The CPA since November 2020 has supported the BDO, established under House Bill 5 during the 87th Legislature. The office is charged with creating an accurate broadband map, awarding grants and monies, setting the threshold speed for broadband, providing community outreach and addressing barriers to expansion.
