Overview
- A deal announced Thursday between state health officials and camp operators lets camps keep or obtain licenses without end-to-end fiber if they maintain a redundant internet link that meets Texas’s broadband standard.
- Acceptable backups include cellular, microwave, or satellite connections, so long as they provide reliable service during emergencies.
- The agreement pauses the camps’ lawsuit against the Texas Department of State Health Services until March 1, 2027.
- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows backed the flexibility, saying camps should qualify if they file a strong emergency action plan, meet all other safety rules, and prove their communications will work in a crisis.
- Camp leaders said the move keeps doors open for families this summer, citing rural fiber quotes topping $1 million and noting that only a small share of the roughly 300 camps had secured licenses under the mandate, while bill authors plan changes in the 2027 session.