Governor Greg Abbott Directs $210 Million for Rural Broadband Fiber Expansion in 45 Texas Counties

AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) announced on Monday the distribution of $210 million in state capital grants from the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund to deploy gigabit-capable fiber-to-the-home broadband infrastructure across 45 rural counties in West Texas, the Panhandle, and the Rio Grande Valley.

The grants, matched by $145 million in private telecommunications provider capital, will construct more than 4,800 miles of underground and aerial fiber-optic cabling, delivering high-speed symmetrical internet to 65,000 previously unserved rural households, agricultural ranches, and rural community health clinics.

Bridging the Digital Divide for Texas Agriculture and Education High-speed connectivity has become essential for precision agriculture, remote livestock telemetry, online higher education, and specialized rural telemedicine consults.

"In a state as vast as Texas, fast and reliable internet is not a luxury—it is an absolute economic necessity," Governor Abbott said during an announcement at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. "For too long, rural Texans, agricultural producers, and small business owners were left behind by outdated satellite and copper connections. This $210 million investment will lay thousands of miles of modern fiber-optic cable, connecting our rural families to world-class educational opportunities, remote healthcare, and global markets."

County-Level Fiber Ring Deployments Funded project packages include:

• West Texas and Panhandle Corridors: $85 million to construct redundant fiber rings across Lubbock, Potter, Randall, and Moore Counties.
• Rio Grande Valley Rural Communities: $65 million for last-mile residential fiber drops in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr Counties.
• Central Texas Hill Country & Edwards Plateau: $60 million for high-capacity middle-mile backhaul networks.

County judges, rural school superintendents, and agricultural federations praised the state funding, pointing out that reliable fiber broadband allows multi-generational farm families to maintain modern digital business operations.