Rusty Moore, general manager and chief operating officer of Big Bend Telephone Company, testified before the Texas Senate Business and Commerce Committee this week as lawmakers examined broadband deployment, infrastructure investment and accountability measures affecting rural Texas.
Moore appeared as part of a stakeholder panel representing the Texas Telephone Association and discussed challenges facing telecommunications providers serving some of the state’s most remote communities.
The hearing focused on broadband funding, infrastructure development, transparency in grant programs and the ongoing effort to expand reliable service to rural Texans.
Big Bend Telephone Company serves communities across Far West Texas and has long been one of the region’s primary telecommunications providers. Following the hearing, the company highlighted Moore’s testimony in a social media post discussing the importance of rural broadband policy and infrastructure investment.
Editor’s Note
Some readers may recognize the initials “BBT” from a dispute that arose in 2024 between Big Bend Telephone Company and this publication when it operated under the name Big Bend Times.
Because Mr. Moore is a public-facing representative of Big Bend Telephone Company, and because the company continues to use the initials “BBT” prominently in public communications, Big Bend Reporter believes additional context is appropriate.
The dispute did not begin with a professional communication from Big Bend Telephone Company to Big Bend Times. Instead, it began when Mr. Moore publicly posted allegations on a local Alpine-area community discussion forum known more for gossip and public feuds than formal business communications. The forum’s name itself contains a profanity.
In those public posts, Mr. Moore accused publisher David Flash and Big Bend Times of improperly using the initials “BBT” and suggested Flash had “sat on” intellectual property belonging to Big Bend Telephone Company.
Flash denied those allegations and maintains they were false from the outset. According to Flash, he had no knowledge that Big Bend Telephone Company commonly used the initials “BBT” when the publication was launched and would have gladly discussed any concerns had they been raised directly.
Flash further contends that Big Bend Telephone Company did not possess exclusive ownership rights to the initials and that Mr. Moore’s public accusations unnecessarily inflamed the situation and damaged the publication’s reputation within the community.
Following requests from Flash, Mr. Moore ultimately removed the posts.
However, by that point, the allegations had already circulated publicly. Community members continued discussing and repeating claims that Flash had improperly used another organization’s intellectual property. Flash sought additional clarification and correction regarding those claims and attempted to resolve the matter publicly and amicably.
Among the proposals discussed was a friendly public meeting and photograph intended to demonstrate that no ongoing hostility existed between the organizations and to reduce lingering community friction. Big Bend Telephone Company declined.
The matter later escalated when attorneys with Naman Howell Smith & Lee PLLC sent Flash a cease-and-desist letter on behalf of Big Bend Telephone Company and its affiliates. The letter asserted that the telecommunications provider possessed superior rights to the initials “BBT,” directed Flash to cease contacting company employees and warned of potential legal action.
The letter also characterized Flash’s efforts to arrange a meeting as attempts to benefit from Big Bend Telephone Company’s reputation. Flash rejects that characterization, noting that his media properties were already reaching millions of readers and viewers at the time and maintaining that the purpose of the proposed meeting was simply to publicly put the controversy to rest.
Big Bend Times subsequently ceased using the initials “BBT” and later rebranded entirely as Big Bend Reporter.
No court ever ruled that Big Bend Times infringed any trademark or intellectual property rights. Likewise, no court adjudicated the competing claims made by either side. The matter concluded when Big Bend Times voluntarily abandoned use of the initials and eventually adopted a different name.
Big Bend Reporter includes this note solely to provide historical context for readers who may recognize references to “BBT” or Mr. Moore. The news article above concerns Moore’s testimony before the Texas Senate and is otherwise unrelated to the 2024 disagreement.
