Texas § SD.8503.032 - BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONNECTIVITY

§ SD.8503.032. BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONNECTIVITY

BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CONNECTIVITY. (a) In this section, "broadband service" means advanced telecommunications capability and Internet access. (b) The authority may provide fiber capacity or facilities for the purpose of facilitating broadband service connectivity. (c) The authority may not provide broadband service to a retail customer. (d) Notwithstanding any other law, Subtitle C, Title 2, Utilities Code, does not apply to the authority. (e) The authority may provide fiber capacity or facilities only on reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms and conditions. (f) The authority may not agree to lease fiber capacity or facilities to a municipality for the purpose of facilitating broadband service connectivity, other than for communications regarding utility operations, unless the authority: (1) posts on the authority's Internet website information concerning the proposal to lease the capacity or facilities to the municipality not less than 90 days before entering into the lease agreement with the municipality; and (2) for the 90-day period beginning on the date that the authority posts information under Subdivision (1), makes the capacity or facilities available for lease to any commercial broadband provider that provides broadband services in the municipality, on the authority's standard terms and conditions. Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 3 (S.B. 632 ), Sec. 1, eff. April 30, 2021.