Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is advocating for fewer restrictions on how Texas can use its $3.3 billion in federal broadband funding, according to the Palestine Herald-Press. In a letter to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) he argues that requiring broadband providers to offer a low-cost plan could discourage participation and add an administrative burden on the state. Hegar said he wants more flexibility in broadband expansion, including allowing alternatives to fiber-optic networks, which can be challenging in rural areas.
His letter to Cruz, who chairs the Senate committee overseeing federal broadband funding, says removing the requirement may increase provider participation. The net effect, he says, would reduce the administrative burden on state broadband offices to identify which households the low-cost option could apply to.
“I believe certain ‘nonessential’ requirements exceed the program’s original intent and unnecessarily complicate its implementation,” Hegar wrote in the letter.
Reader Interactions