Texas Senator Resigns to Lead Comptroller’s Office, Citing Broadband as Key Priority
Kelly Hancock to replace Glenn Hegar, who clashed with NTIA and floated returning $1B in broadband funds
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2025 – Texas Sen. Kelly Hancock, a Republican lawmaker with ties to broadband expansion policy, has resigned from the Legislature to lead the Comptroller’s Office – just as the state prepares to distribute billions in federal and state broadband funds.
Hancock replaces outgoing Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who is leaving the post to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Hancock was sworn in Thursday at the Comptroller’s Office in Austin and will officially assume his new role on July 1.
A Republican from North Richland Hills, Hancock previously represented parts of Fort Worth and Arlington in the Texas Senate. In a statement, Hancock said he would continue the office’s work “safeguarding tax dollars, ensuring transparency,” and implementing “forward-thinking initiatives like education savings accounts and broadband expansion.”
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
The Texas Comptroller’s Office oversees the state’s Broadband Development Office, which administers both the state’s $3.3 billion allocation under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program and an additional $500 million in state funding through the Texas Match Assistance Program. Together, the two sources comprise a $3.8 billion broadband grant window.
Outgoing Comptroller Glenn Hegar took a combative stance toward key BEAD rules — many of which have since been softened.
Hegar urged members of Congress in February to eliminate the low-cost broadband requirement, calling it a form of “rate regulation,” to relax the program’s preference for fiber in favor of satellite and wireless in hard-to-reach areas, and to roll back labor, permitting, and cybersecurity mandates. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has since revised its guidance on several of these fronts.
In March, Hegar signaled that Texas might return up to $1 billion in unneeded BEAD funding, citing private-sector growth and the state’s own broadband investments. He also pushed to repurpose some of the money for non-deployment uses, such as workforce development and healthcare.
The Comptroller’s Office and BDO opened the state’s $3.8 billion broadband grant window in May, but have since withdrawn their initial funding notice to realign with updated NTIA guidance.
Hancock has not yet indicated whether he shares Hegar’s appetite for returning a portion of the state’s broadband funds.
