Providers tell subcommittee: update maps, publish progress dashboard, and protect long-term maintenance

Industry trade groups and rural funders told the subcommittee that mapping inaccuracies, inconsistent project reporting and unclear compliance expectations have undermined local confidence in grant-funded broadband projects.

Wes Robinson (Eastex Telephone Cooperative) highlighted data distinctions in program reporting, explaining that federal and state programs use "locations," which can represent households or multifamily units, and said Boot 1 reached roughly 14,688 residential locations. Tina Ojibwe (Texas Broadband Association) recommended a public process and strategic plan for remaining Broadband Infrastructure Fund dollars and urged the BDO to prioritize monitoring to ensure BEAD's 10-year performance obligations are met. "We really are entering a new phase and a very critical phase to ensure that Texas delivers on the promise that we made to taxpayers and to Texans," Ojibwe said.

Speakers asked for a public progress dashboard with build-out milestones, subscription data, proof-of-speed metrics and funds-tracking so communities and legislators can see what has been built and whether projects are meeting goals. Industry representatives said better data would reduce duplication, allow rapid rebidding of locations that become ineligible and make it easier to hold awardees to long-term obligations.

Why it matters: Multiple witnesses described private sector deployment alongside state and federal grants and cautioned that mapping and reporting gaps make it harder to target remaining funds to genuinely unserved households.