The LCRA will use the money to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities and to strengthen flood-monitoring systems.
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The Lower Colorado River Authority, the nonprofit public power utility that manages the lower Colorado River, has been awarded a $29 million grant from the state’s Broadband Development Office, the Texas Comptroller has announced.
The LCRA will use the money to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities it serves and to strengthen flood-monitoring systems across Central Texas, according to the comptroller.
“This is exactly what smart infrastructure investment looks like,” Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock stated in a Jan. 20 release. “The July 4, 2025, floods were a sobering reminder that real-time data and reliable communications save lives. This project will both strengthen those capabilities and deliver daily broadband access to communities along the Lower Colorado.”
Bipartisan Senate Bill 632
According to information provided by Hancock’s office, the grant funds stem from Senate Bill 632, adopted by the Texas Legislature in 2021. SB 632 was bipartisan legislation authored by Sen. Dawn Buckingham authorizing the LCRA to develop and operate broadband infrastructure for rural Texans underserved by broadband providers. The specific source of the grant money is the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Fund, which is one of several tranches of state and federal dollars employed by the Broadband Development Office to expand broadband service in Texas.
The LCRA will have responsibility for building and operating the core fiber network, while private internet service provider will connect to it and deliver service directly to homes, businesses, and institutions, according to the Comptroller’s office.
“This grant helps us do two important things at once,” said Phil Wilson, LCRA’s general manager. “We can make LCRA’s fiber network accessible to internet providers who want to serve rural customers, and we can expand connectivity for flood monitoring systems across the region. We already have the infrastructure in place that can be expanded to meet the growing demand. Now we’re putting it to work for both broadband access and public safety.”
Interconnected Missions
According to the Comptroller’s office, the $29 million BDO grant will support three interconnected missions:
- It will improve network access points so ISPs can more easily and affordably connect to LCRA’s fiber backbone.
- It will upgrade and expand tower sites and connectivity for flood-monitoring stations.
- It will extend fiber capacity into rural areas where coverage gaps remain.