The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) has received $29 million to pursue resilient, accessible broadband access and flood-monitoring systems across the region.
The funding will be used to expand high-speed internet access across the rural Central Texas region, providing historically underserved and disconnected residents with reliable connectivity. Additional work will cover extending fiber deeper into underserved areas and expanding and hardening flood-monitoring infrastructure.
Through the Broadband Development Office’s (BDO) support, the LCRA will kickstart the project, conducted through three components:
- Enhancing network access points so internet service providers (ISPs) can easily and affordably connect to the LCRA’s fiber network and pass savings onto customers.
- Upgrading and expanding tower sites and connectivity for flood-monitoring stations.
- Extending fiber capacity into rural areas where coverage gaps remain, boosting local economies and improving access to essential services.
The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 632 in 2021, affording the LCRA to develop and operate middle-mile broadband infrastructure and close the digital divide in rural Texas. The $29 million project advances the authority’s goals to elevate the region’s safety and quality-of-life, operating the core fiber network while enabling ISPs to provide the critical connections for internet access.
As Central Texas continues to experience heavy rainfall and flash flooding events, the region demonstrates its need for effective, reliable warning systems. The LCRA’s efforts to expand and harden flood-monitoring systems will go a long way toward protecting public health and the well-being of the region’s residents.
Photo by Dmitry Sidorov from Pexels
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