AUSTIN, Texas — Dozens of Texas youth camps will be able to open this summer after state health officials reached an agreement Thursday that temporarily waives a fiber optic internet requirement many rural camps had no way to meet.
The Texas Department of State Health Services agreed that camps with multiple broadband internet connections can operate this summer even without a fiber optic connection. The deal, which applies to all licensed youth camps statewide, lasts through March 1, 2027.
According to McCarty Law PLLC, 19 camps sued the state in an Austin district court, arguing a single sentence in last year’s youth camp safety legislation requiring end-to-end fiber optic broadband service made it impossible for many rural camps to open.
The legislation was passed during a special session of the Texas Legislature in response to the July 4, 2025, floods in Kerr County that killed 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors.
“This agreement keeps camp doors open for children and families across Texas,” said Brian Anderson, executive director of Camp Peniel.
The deal comes as the broader debate over the camp safety laws continues. State Rep. Wes Virdell (R-Brady) had called on Gov. Greg Abbott to convene another special session to fix the legislation. Camp Mystic, the Hill Country camp at the center of last summer’s tragedy, separately announced it is withdrawing its application to reopen this summer.