Newsweek: Texas Candidate Files as Republican After Raising Money Off Democrats
Dec. 10 — A Texas politician has come under scrutiny for filing as a Republican after raising money from Democrats.
https://www.newsweek.com/texas-candidate-files-republican-raising-money-democrats-11188015
Inside Climate News: ERCOT’s Market is Transitioning Toward Storage and Solar
Dec. 10 — Battery storage facilities and solar farms powered virtually all capacity growth in Texas’ electric grid throughout 2025, as the home of the nation’s oil and gas industry created almost twice as much new solar power as California.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10122025/texas-electric-grid-transitioning-to-battery-storage-solar/
KHOU 11: ERCOT weighs how growing data center industry could impact Texas power grid
Dec. 9 — ERCOT is speaking up about the growth in data centers across the state. They said they’re seeing applications for the large load centers come in at record rates.
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/ercot-texas-data-centers-power-grid-impact/285-561a7c06-6bc8-482a-a46a-8a3acb0e3fcb
CBS Austin: ERCOT approves $9 billion project to meet Texas electricity demands
Dec. 9 — The board of directors has greenlit the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan, which aims to enhance reliability and improve the efficiency of power distribution across the state. The plan involves the construction of 765-kilovolt transmission lines, described as a “superhighway” for electricity, to facilitate power movement throughout Texas.
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/ercot-approves-9-billion-project-to-meet-texas-electricity-demands
Reuters: Texas makes clean power breakthrough as solar output overtakes coal
Dec. 9 — For the first time, Texas’ main power system looks set to generate more power from solar farms than coal plants during a calendar year in 2025, marking a key new energy transition milestone for the largest power network in the U.S.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/texas-makes-clean-power-breakthrough-solar-output-overtakes-coal-2025-12-09/
KTRH: Katy battery plant decision delayed; ERCOT says city’s denial affects grid authority
Dec. 8 — The project, rejected by Katy City Council after months of homeowner opposition, is now tied up in a regulatory battle before the Public Utility Commission. Ochoa Energy Storage LLC, the developer, is asking the PUC to overturn the city’s denial and declare its zoning decisions invalid.
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/12/08/katy-battery-plant-decision-delayed-ercot-says-citys-denial-affects-grid-authority/
Utility Dive: With antitrust settlement, Constellation set to become largest US wholesale power provider
Dec. 8 — Constellation Energy has agreed to sell six power plants and a minority stake in a seventh power plant to settle an antitrust complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Texas, clearing the way for the company’s $26.6 billion deal to buy Calpine, the parties said Friday.
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/antitrust-constellation-calpine-ferc-ercot-pjm/807252/
KHOU 11: How data centers could impact Texas’ power grid this winter
Dec. 7 — KHOU 11 energy expert Ed Hirs says ERCOT’s winter outlook has improved significantly compared to previous years.
https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/texas/how-data-centers-could-impact-texas-power-grid-this-winter/285-009263aa-904e-44d7-940a-a2f3975fa53d
ERCOT News Release: ERCOT Goes Live with Real-Time Co-optimization Plus Batteries
Dec. 5 — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) today announced the successful implementation of the first operating day of Real-Time Co-optimization Plus Batteries (RTC+B) in the ERCOT market.
https://www.ercot.com/news/release/12052025-ercot-goes-live
KTSM: El Paso mayor urges Texas Railroad Commission to reconsider Texas Gas Service’s proposed rate hike
Dec. 4 — El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson is urging the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC) to reconsider and reduce the proposed rate increase by the Texas Gas Service, as it would “disproportionately” impact El Paso families, he wrote in an official letter on Thursday, Dec. 4.
https://www.ktsm.com/news/el-paso-mayor-urges-texas-railroad-commission-to-reconsider-texas-gar-services-proposed-rate-hike/
Austin American-Statesman: Winter is here, the most perilous period for the Texas electric grid. It’s struggling to keep up.
Dec. 4 — ERCOT has bolstered the grid, but the nonprofit system operator will struggle to keep up with outside forces. Texas may be adding new generation faster than any other state, but electricity demand is growing even faster.
https://www.statesman.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/texas-electric-grid-vulnerable-winter-21217242.php
TELECOM NEWS
Broadband Communities: 9 more states get BEAD plan approvals from NTIA
Dec. 9 — Nine more states have been added to the list of eligible entities to win National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approval for their BEAD final proposals.
https://bbcmag.com/9-more-states-get-bead-plan-approvals-from-ntia/
Broadband Breakfast: Will FCC Pull the Plug on Amazon Leo for Failing to Meet Launch Goals?
Dec. 9 —Amazon Leo: Would FCC Chairman Brendan Carr put Amazon LEO out of business by denying it a crucial operational waiver by next July? Highly unlikely, because the FCC would not want to deepen Starlink’s dominance in the low Earth orbit satellite Internet service sector. “Regulators are expected to grant the accommodation to avoid entrenching a SpaceX/[Starlink] monopoly,” said Roger Entner, Analyst & Founder of Recon Analytics, in a new 64-page report on U.S. satellite Internet competition.
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/will-fcc-pull-the-plug-on-amazon-leo-for-failing-to-meet-launch-goals/
KXII: Texas receives $1.3 billion for rural broadband expansion, less than expected
Dec. 8 — The federal government has approved $1.3 billion to enhance broadband access in rural Texas, a significant reduction from the $3.3 billion initially anticipated.
https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/texas-receives-13-billion-for-rural-broadband-expansion-less-than-expected-trump-administration-senator-ted-cruz-kelly-hancock-internet-access
Dallas Morning News: Starlink Set for Windfall under Broadband Changes
Dec. 8 — A change by the Trump administration to the federal government’s $43 billion plan to bring high-speed internet to rural communities stands to deliver a windfall for Texas billionaire Elon Musk.
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/houston-chronicle/20251208/281513642473847
Reuters: FCC approves AT&T $1 billion purchase of spectrum from US Cellular
Dec. 4 — The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday it has approved AT&T’s deal to buy some wireless spectrum licenses from U.S. Cellular in a $1.02 billion deal after the Texas-based carrier committed to end DEI programs.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fcc-approves-t-1-billion-174018482.html
ERCOT Launches Realtime Co-optimization Market Overhaul after Years of Preparation
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s primary grid operator, has announced the launch this month of Real-Time Co-optimization Plus Batteries (RTC+B), a market redesign intended to provide a more efficient way to procure energy and energy capacity.
https://tccfui.org/ercot-launches-realtime-market-overhaul-after-years-of-preparation
So Far, Approved BEAD Plans Largely in Line with Public Drafts
Dec. 10 — The Commerce Department has approved broadband spending plans for 29 states under its $42.45 billion broadband expansion plan. So far, most of the approved plans don’t differ much from the draft results released by state broadband office.
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/so-far-approved-bead-plans-largely-in-line-with-public-drafts/
Industry Insider: Musk’s Starlink to Benefit Under Trump Broadband Changes
Dec. 9 — A change by the Trump administration to the federal government’s $43 billion plan to bring high-speed Internet to rural communities across the country stands to deliver a windfall for Texas billionaire Elon Musk.
https://insider.govtech.com/texas/news/musks-starlink-to-benefit-under-trump-broadband-changes