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House Bill 1505 |
House Author: Paddie et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-21 |
Senate Sponsor: Hancock |
House Bill 1505 amends the Government Code and Utilities Code to establish a modernized pole attachment regime that applies to Texas' electric cooperatives and promotes consistency, transparency, and fairness in the deployment of broadband service while ensuring consistency with FCC rules and regulations for investor‑owned utilities through which a broadband provider may apply for and receive access to a pole owned and controlled by an electric cooperative for purposes of attaching an affixture of cables, strands, wires, and associated equipment used in the provision of a broadband provider's services. Among other provisions, the bill establishes the Texas Broadband Pole Replacement Program to speed the deployment of broadband services to individuals in rural areas by reimbursing a portion of eligible pole replacement costs incurred by pole owners or providers of qualifying broadband services. The bill creates the broadband pole replacement fund to be used solely to support the program and requires the comptroller of public accounts to make a one‑time transfer to the fund from money received by the state from the federal government from the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund.