Bill > HB3853

This bill aims to facilitate the leasing of excess fiber capacity on electric utility facilities to provide middle mile broadband service in unserved and underserved areas of Texas. The key provisions of the bill are: 1. It allows electric utilities to own, construct, or operate fiber facilities to support electric service and lease excess fiber capacity to Internet service providers for middle mile broadband service. The electric utility must provide access to the excess fiber capacity on reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms. 2. It establishes a process for electric utilities to submit a plan to the Public Utility Commission of Texas for the deployment of middle mile broadband infrastructure, which the Commission must review and approve. 3. It authorizes electric utilities to recover the investment and associated costs of providing middle mile broadband service through their rates, with any revenue received from leasing the excess fiber capacity being applied as a credit to customers. 4. It clarifies that electric utilities are not required to provide middle mile broadband service, but if they choose to do so, they cannot provide retail Internet service directly to end-users. Overall, the bill aims to leverage electric utilities' existing infrastructure to expand access to high-speed broadband in areas that are currently unserved or underserved.