2024 Key Dates and Upcoming Events (All times are Central Time.)

Monthly Roundtables

Oct. 29 – Industry Roundtable has been canceled to accommodate the BDO Board of Advisors meeting.
Nov. 7 – Local Government and Community Roundtable (via Teams), 10 a.m.
Nov. 26 – Industry Roundtable (via Teams), 3 p.m.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 29 – BDO Board of Advisors Meeting, 10 a.m.
Oct. 30 – Texas Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Challenge Process Webinar, 1 p.m.
Dec. 3 – Texas BEAD Challenge Process begins.

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Challenge Process

The Broadband Development Office (BDO) is pleased to announce the BEAD Challenge Process will be open Dec. 3-17, 2024. The challenge process is vital to ensuring the state accurately represents location-level funding eligibility for the BEAD Program.

Nonprofit and community organizations, local and tribal government entities, and internet service providers (ISPs) will be eligible to file challenges. Residents will also be encouraged to participate in the challenge process by submitting required documentation for their units of local government (e.g., councils of government) and nonprofit entities.

To ensure challengers are prepared, the BDO will host several webinars leading up to the Texas Availability Challenge Process, with the first scheduled for Oct. 30, 2024. These webinars will cover the process and inputs needed to successfully file a challenge.

Eligible challengers are encouraged to acquire their Tier D or Tier E license from CostQuest now. These licenses will be needed to file a challenge. Please visit BroadbandUSA for more information.

Bring Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) II Application Challenge Period Closes

The BDO has successfully completed an essential phase of its BOOT II program, with the application challenge period closing Sept. 30, 2024. The office received 39 challenges and is reviewing all submitted evidence to determine their validity. Applicants affected by upheld challenges were notified and granted 30 days to amend their applications.

BDO staff will continue to evaluate received applications and conduct evaluations. The office anticipates making awardee announcements in mid-November 2024.Further program details are available on the BOOT II webpage.