Texas summer camps face closure over costly internet safety law
Texas summer camps are struggling to meet a new safety law that requires costly fiber optic internet connections. With only nine of around 300 camps approved for licences, lawmakers and officials are now pushing for changes to prevent widespread closures before the 2026 season begins. The main problem lies in the law’s demand for fiber optic internet, which many camps find too expensive to install. Some have taken legal action, filing a lawsuit to block the requirement entirely.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have proposed a temporary solution. They suggested camps could operate this summer if they submit an emergency action plan, meet other safety rules, and maintain a reliable communication system. State Sen. Charles Perry hopes a judge will delay or block the internet rule while he prepares a bill to update it in January’s legislative session. Meanwhile, State Rep. Wes Virdell and 11 other lawmakers have asked Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to ease the law’s burden. Virdell insists on a session unless the court grants an injunction in the camps’ lawsuit.
The dispute leaves hundreds of camps in limbo as the summer season approaches. If no changes are made, only a small fraction will meet the current law’s standards. Officials and lawmakers are now working on short-term fixes while preparing long-term adjustments for 2026.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
