Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows on Tuesday requested that the State Auditor’s Office conduct a performance audit of the Texas Broadband Development Office’s administration of its grant program, citing concerns about how the office is distributing billions of dollars in state and federal funds for internet expansion.
In a joint statement, the two Republican leaders, who serve as joint chairs of the Legislative Audit Committee, said the office’s mission must be carried out “transparently and responsibly, with a full accounting of the state and federal funds dedicated to this effort.” Its grant award process, they said, “should be open to the public, accountable to the stakeholders, informed by the most accurate mapping and data available, and focused on the responsible use of taxpayer dollars.”
Patrick and Burrows tied the request to concerns raised about the award process, including those discussed during the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce hearing on June 24, 2026. Upon receiving the audit’s findings, they said, the Legislature “will be prepared to take appropriate action during the 90th Legislative Session,” which convenes in 2027.
The request follows allegations that the office favored satellite providers in awarding more than $5 billion in state and federal broadband dollars, according to The Texas Tribune. During the June hearing, lawmakers suggested the office gave special treatment to companies offering service through low-earth orbit satellites, the Tribune reported, and Gov. Greg Abbott’s office was accused during testimony of suggesting rule changes to favor satellites.
The scrutiny centers on the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, which awarded Texas $3.3 billion in 2023, the largest share of any state, to extend service to rural and underserved areas, the Tribune reported. The office, housed within the Texas Comptroller’s office, submitted a final $1.3 billion proposal in October 2025 to distribute grants statewide. Federal officials in 2025 shifted the program to a technology-neutral standard, dropping an earlier preference for fiber-optic lines and opening the door to satellite companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Some in the industry welcomed the review. Rusty Moore, chief operating officer of Big Bend Telephone Company, whose company did not receive program funding, told the Tribune that “audit processes are responsible and should be welcomed.” Patrick and Burrows said the audit would help ensure the office’s performance and operations “meet the expectations of the Texas Legislature and the people of this state.”