The Camp Longhorn lawsuit is a 2026 Travis County district court case in which Camp Longhorn and 18 other Texas youth camps challenged a state law requiring every licensed camp to install end-to-end fiber optic internet as a condition of its operating license. Camp Longhorn, which had received an AT&T quote above $1.2 million to run fiber to its three locations on Inks Lake, argued the mandate was financially impossible for rural camps and did nothing to improve safety. The case settled in May 2026 under an agreement that lets camps satisfy the requirement with alternative broadband such as Starlink, cellular, or microwave service for the 2026 summer season, with court proceedings stayed until March 1, 2027.1Texas Tribune. Texas Kerr County Summer Camps Lawsuit State Law Broadband2Fox 7 Austin. Texas Youth Camps Reach Agreement Relax Fiber Optic Requirements
Why Camp Longhorn Sued
Camp Longhorn operates three campuses in Burnet and Llano Counties and serves more than 7,000 campers a year. When the state’s new fiber optic mandate took effect, AT&T quoted the camp over $1.2 million just to run the physical fiber to its facilities.1Texas Tribune. Texas Kerr County Summer Camps Lawsuit State Law Broadband
That was not an outlier. Camp Liberty in Oakwood was quoted $1 million upfront plus $3,500 a month over five years. Camp Oak Haven, a 112-acre facility near Columbus that served roughly 100 children from low-income and rural communities, was told by multiple providers that installation simply was not feasible; it closed permanently on March 30, 2026, and sold its property.3ABC13. Texas Summer Camps Sue to Block New Internet Rule4Texas Tribune. Texas Summer Camps Closing State Regulations Across the state, more than 150 camps reported they either had no access to fiber or could not afford the installation, and the Texas Department of State Health Services could not issue or renew a camp’s license without compliance.5KXAN. Lawsuits Special Sessions Texas Camps Weigh How to Open This Summer
The Law Behind the Mandate
The fiber requirement came out of the state’s response to the July 4, 2025 flash flood along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. Twenty-seven campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic, along with 70-year-old director Richard “Dick” Eastland. At least 120 people died across the region, and investigators found that downed phones and unavailable cell service at the camp had directly impeded rescue efforts.6CNN. Victims of Texas Flash Flooding7AP News. Texas Floods Camp Mystic Timeline
During the second special session of the 89th Legislature, lawmakers passed House Bill 1 (the Youth CAMPER Act) and Senate Bill 1 (the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act). Governor Greg Abbott signed both on September 5, 2025.8KSAT. Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Camp Safety Bills Into Law Among many new obligations for the roughly 300 licensed youth camps in Texas, Health and Safety Code § 141.0092 required camps to maintain internet service through “end-to-end fiber optic facilities” plus a second, distinct broadband connection. The statute contained no exceptions for camps where fiber was unavailable or unaffordable.
The Claims Filed in Travis County
In April 2026, nineteen camps filed suit in Travis County district court under case number D-1-GN-26-002503. The lead plaintiff was Camp Doublecreek of Georgetown, joined by Camp Longhorn, Camp Champions, Camp Liberty, Tejas Ministries, Camp Peniel, and thirteen other camps and faith-based retreat centers. The defendants were the Department of State Health Services, the Health and Human Services Commission, and Attorney General Ken Paxton.9KXAN. Travis County District Court Filing D-1-GN-26-002503
The petition attacked the fiber mandate on four grounds:
- Economic infeasibility. Installation quotes ranged from roughly $56,000 to over $1.4 million, and many providers declined to bid at all.
- Vagueness. The term “end-to-end” had no established technical definition, and providers could not confirm whether their service would satisfy it.
- No safety benefit. The camps argued fiber lines are more vulnerable to physical damage from floods, wildfires, and tornadoes than wireless alternatives such as satellite and cellular service.
- Constitutional violations. The petition alleged the rule violated due process protections under Article I, § 19 of the Texas Constitution and the Texas Private Real Property Rights Preservation Act, in part because DSHS had not prepared a required Takings Impact Assessment before adopting it.
The plaintiffs sought a temporary injunction blocking enforcement while the case proceeded, and asked the court to invalidate the mandate.10Broadband Breakfast. Texas Camps Sue to Block State Fiber Internet Mandate
The May 2026 Settlement
Before the court ruled on the injunction request, the camps’ attorneys at McCarty Law, PLLC and DSHS reached an agreement. Under its terms, a camp will not be denied a license for failing to install fiber optic service if it meets three conditions:11CBS News Texas. Texas Youth Camps Fiber Optic Rule Agreement Lawsuit
- Maintaining redundant internet service through alternative broadband, meaning cellular, microwave, or satellite technology that meets the state’s broadband definition.
- Submitting a sufficient emergency action plan.
- Complying with all other safety requirements in the new laws.
Camp Longhorn plans to use Starlink alongside multiple other broadband providers.12NBC DFW. Texas Officials Address Camp Safety Law Concerns Ahead of Summer Season DSHS is applying the settlement terms not just to the 19 plaintiff camps but to every youth camp seeking license renewal for the 2026 season.13Texas DSHS. Youth Camp Program
On May 5, 2026, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows jointly backed the deal, acknowledging that “there may be means other than fiber to provide reliable, redundant internet access, which would satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law.”14Texas Tribune. Texas Summer Camps Internet Floods Regulations
What Happens After the 2026 Season
The settlement resolves the licensing problem for one summer. It does not repeal the fiber mandate, which remains in Health and Safety Code § 141.0092. Court proceedings in the Travis County case are stayed until March 1, 2027. Patrick and Burrows have both signaled that the 90th Texas Legislature, convening in 2027, will craft a permanent legislative fix.14Texas Tribune. Texas Summer Camps Internet Floods Regulations
The settlement addresses only the fiber requirement. Other pieces of the 2025 laws remain in force, including floodplain restrictions on cabin locations, mandatory emergency warning systems and weather radios, posted evacuation routes and rooftop ladders in cabins, and the state-approved emergency action plan process. Camps also face increased licensing fees, running from $750 a year for small day camps up to $3,500 for larger operations.15Click2Houston. Most Texas Camps Await License Approval
About Camp Longhorn
Camp Longhorn was founded in 1939 by Julian “Tex” Robertson, the first swim coach at the University of Texas, and his wife Pat, with a single paying camper on the shores of Inks Lake. It now operates three sites in Burnet and Llano Counties: the original Inks Lake campus, Camp Longhorn Indian Springs (opened in 1975), and C3 on Inks Lake (opened in 2016). The camp remains family-owned and operated by the Robertson family.16Camp Longhorn. History17Texas Hill Country. Camp Longhorn a Camp Like No Other on the Shores of Inks Lake
Camp Longhorn is not a party to any of the wrongful death lawsuits filed against Camp Mystic and the Eastland family over the July 2025 Guadalupe River flood. Those cases are separate litigation with different plaintiffs, different defendants, and different legal theories from the fiber optic challenge Camp Longhorn joined.