Broadband grants paused as Texas officials face favoritism claims tied to Starlink
- The Texas Broadband Development Office temporarily paused all disbursements of federal BEAD broadband funds, according to an email sent to subgrantees.
- The pause followed accusations that the grant process favored certain companies, including Elon Musk’s Starlink, prompting lawmakers to launch an audit.
- The office did not say why the payments were halted and told subgrantees that no further action was needed for now.
- State lawmakers had already raised questions about how more than $3 billion in BEAD funds were being distributed, including changes to upfront payment rules for low-Earth-orbit satellite providers.
- Officials said the audit is underway, and legislative action is expected in the next session in January.
Texas officials have temporarily paused disbursements from the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, after criticism that the grant process favored certain companies, including Elon Musk’s Starlink. The Texas Broadband Development Office told subgrantees the hold took effect Monday and will remain in place until further notice.
The office did not give a reason for the pause. In its email, it said subgrantees did not need to take any action for now and that further guidance would follow as available.
The move comes after lawmakers questioned how more than $3 billion in BEAD funding was awarded. At a Senate hearing, concerns were raised about changes to the upfront payment structure for low-Earth-orbit satellite providers, with a state broadband official saying the change came from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have called for an audit of the broadband office. The development is likely neutral to slightly negative for telecom and satellite-related stocks in the near term because it delays public broadband funding decisions, while the broader market impact is limited.
德州在偏袒星链质疑下暂停宽带补助拨款
在外界质疑拨款流程偏向包括埃隆·马斯克旗下Starlink在内的部分公司后，德州官员已临时暂停联邦“宽带公平、接入与部署计划”（BEAD）下的资金拨付。德州宽带发展办公室已通知分包方，暂停自周一起生效，直至另行通知。
该办公室没有说明暂停的具体原因。邮件中表示，分包方目前无需采取进一步行动，后续会在有新信息时提供指导。
此举发生在州议员对超过30亿美元BEAD资金的分配方式提出质疑之后。州参议院听证会上，有人对近地轨道卫星服务商的预付款安排变化提出担忧，而一名州宽带官员表示，这一变化来自州长格雷格·阿博特办公室的指示。
德州副州长丹·帕特里克和众议长达斯汀·伯罗斯已要求对该办公室进行审计。从市场角度看，这一事件对电信和卫星相关股票的短期影响偏中性到略偏空，因为它会推迟公共宽带资金的落地，而对更广泛市场的直接影响有限。