[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6479210,"mediaKeyId","5706727-c2386a76ff9e4e4540f2bb6c515a0bbd","parentId",5706727,"title","County says Wireless Edge awarded cell‑tower work; ARPA funds and site reviews underway","audioSeconds",128,"startMs",2298000,"endMs",2426000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5706727-c2386a76ff9e4e4540f2bb6c515a0bbd&start=2298&end=2426","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5706727-c2386a76ff9e4e4540f2bb6c515a0bbd/thumbnail_2298000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6479210/New-Castle-County/Delaware/County-says-Wireless-Edge-awarded-celltower-work-ARPA-funds-and-site-reviews-underway","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479210-9335fd26d831cdea0e6d9e12ce92d51d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770493103&Signature=LGcMWSp8ndZYK0aMGOYc4bl~11Ntznf8fhnrPhKPVDPjvFyBRO5K1yDk3lLi1ZRdP78rkRmhZQopxSiO6HuvJ8wQt6-Fru1QkkxMDPHiCpvkuzeP8L4dEG-c1Hp4PvtDlOHgAMTnbK-~vTFxq0l0-iqT31k1YG44VgkzIw5AsBpPNzE5lnJJKV4Kp-nEkGAZGQxw-xJ9FlxZG696vLan8yAXneBIIMGG8IUyw131wK-j9e1kZduy74ooafYolhUDgW9aafnCWPFymnM72ydMwXWBQ17N8vYcPaVxJTyJbcxU10XqcHshzes~DlfK4X9a~6Sj6MN5E4M8yyeWbk4NKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Castle County","date","2025-09-02T00:00:00Z","article","John Yearley, acting chief of technology and administrative services, told the New Castle County Technology Subcommittee that a bid to build cell towers was awarded to Wireless Edge, with T‑Mobile as an anchor tenant, and that contract and ground‑lease documents are under outside legal review.

The county's discussion matters because improved cellular coverage affects emergency response and everyday connectivity. Yearley said the award \"was done in June '25\" and that the county had about \"$750,000 in the ARPA fund remaining\" to apply toward legal fees and tower construction. He listed two sites connected to the original Cellular Tower Committee survey: \"810 Old Corbett Road in Middletown\" and \"112, Back Creek Road in Middletown,\" and said the county furnished those two sites to the vendor for engineering review.

Yearley said ground leases and tower leases were supplied by Wireless Edge and that the firm has been connected with the county's outside counsel, which Yearley identified as the team the county used for Lancaster Pike. The outside counsel is reviewing documents, and county and vendor engineers were conducting site visits and markups. Yearley noted the county must be mindful of ARPA spending deadlines: \"We're trying to move as quick as possible because the ARPA funds... have to be expended by 12/31/2026.\"

Council members asked about a separate proposed tower in the Yorklyn area that had been turned down by a historic review board; Councilwoman Kilpatrick raised that item and Yearley said he had no new update on the Yorklyn application. The subcommittee discussed safety examples raised by members about coverage gaps, including an example where a child on park property was unreachable by cellphone and required someone to run to obtain phone access.

Yearley also referenced prior county experience: the Lancaster Pike site went live in May 2025 after a contract process; he said that despite extended legal negotiation on that project, construction proceeded quickly once contracts were signed. He told the committee that he would provide updates on the Wireless Edge sites as engineering and legal reviews progress.

The subcommittee did not take a new vote on tower contracts at this meeting; Yearley reported past award activity and described next steps of legal review, engineering/site surveys and coordination with Public Works.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","New Castle County - Technology Subcommittee","oneSentenceSummary","Technology staff told the subcommittee that a June 2025 award to Wireless Edge (anchored by T‑Mobile) is moving through ground-lease and engineering reviews, with roughly $750,000 of ARPA funds remaining for legal and construction; staff said site surveys and outside counsel review are in progress.","taxTitle","New Castle County, Delaware","taxId",12637,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6479215,"New Castle County pilots Microsoft M365 Copilot, council urged cautious rollout",636,79000,715000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5706727-c2386a76ff9e4e4540f2bb6c515a0bbd&start=79&end=715","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5706727-c2386a76ff9e4e4540f2bb6c515a0bbd/thumbnail_79000.jpg","/articles/6479215/New-Castle-County/Delaware/New-Castle-County-pilots-Microsoft-M365-Copilot-council-urged-cautious-rollout","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6479215-d8ad94684050ddea41be52692ef7edd3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770493103&Signature=XdazvfYVr~IYA8X9sq5H~Bp21SFc7ZfiHa~9ly28VtyNfdofkOOmAJNjeEVNy5xyLPAiCxVghB-udbBdAYArTZXi14AGp6TpZu1gWLqmENgKv~RTuZdGBxf4p5xuyhfn8sCTWJuraQJT9MRzCIoH6lRLyGfScNLW9f-MI5A~Yg-uZ686OsieJ-shr9LkhXj1XOENqs4GGPzxyzE~SKu6RK2KjYoBT3qnHz0Yc1CzTpdMbMflrPUlASDxRoV2yrRf0HXyX345r5GYUYzgPz6WEKmEozNDp2tGXVTO6NILjWUu3sdV6IZRbvD~56LRYTI0jR8Fw1bYTTGoOVPQf3aLmg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Technology Subcommittee meeting of the New Castle County Council, Co-Chair Dave Carter and John Yearley, acting chief of technology and administrative services, described a limited county pilot of Microsoft M365 Copilot and a near-final AI use policy.

The matter matters to county operations because staff and council members said the tools could speed routine work but pose data-security, bias and training risks that require guardrails. Carter said generative artificial intelligence \"has to be checked and checked well.\" Yearley said the county has \"purchased licenses for a model called Microsoft m 3 65 Copilot\" and has onboarded roughly \"about 10 to 15 users already with Copilot.\"

Yearley told the subcommittee the county chose the M365 Copilot platform because it is contained inside the county's Microsoft tenant and, he said, \"it uses a model that doesn't train other models out there in the real world\" and therefore will not export county data. He said the platform has helped him with email and task management during testing, but cautioned that generative AI produces varying answers and must be validated. \"I've put in a search in chat g p t. I've put in a search in Grok. I put in a search in Apple Intelligence, and I get 3 different values, 3 different answers,\" Yearley said.

Council members raised budget and training concerns. Councilmember Kevin Kaneko asked whether the initiative is an official pilot; Yearley replied, \"I would say it is an official pilot program.\" Kaneko asked how long the pilot would last and for a cost projection. Yearley and Co-Chair Carter described adoption uncertainty and said use, and therefore costs, depend on who finds the tool valuable. Yearley gave the current license cost as about \"$30 per user per month.\" He also said county-wide Microsoft expenditures in March were \"almost $600,000,\" and that broader deployment could increase that total depending on uptake.

The subcommittee heard that legal review and a formal county AI policy are nearly complete. Yearley said he planned to \"pass [the policy] off to law to get their eyes and ears on it, get a final review.\" Members asked for training tied to the pilot; Yearley said the county is building training and may reuse lessons from other counties and NACO (the National Association of Counties).

No formal broad deployment decision was made at the meeting. The committee recorded that a small group of early users from IT and procurement are testing the product; the county is keeping the pilot deliberately limited while finalizing policy, training and legal review. Staff said next steps include completing the legal review, rolling out training tied to the pilot, and returning to the council with timeline and budget projections.

The subcommittee briefly discussed disclosure and ethics. Carter said organizations using AI typically note AI assistance in published material and that the county's policy will require users to cite sources and disclose AI assistance when appropriate. \"There's an ethical use. Part of that is, yes, is is not plagiarizing. And part of our policy is saying you have to state where you've got this information from,\" Yearley said.

Members who asked questions or spoke about the pilot included the subcommittee chair and several council members; no final vote adopting countywide M365 Copilot licenses or a policy occurred during the meeting.","County IT staff told the Technology Subcommittee they have started a limited pilot of Microsoft M365 Copilot, have purchased 10–15 licenses, and are finalizing an AI policy and legal review. Council members pressed for cost, training and a timeline before a broader rollout.","actionData","errors"]

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County says Wireless Edge awarded cell‑tower work; ARPA funds and site reviews underway

New Castle County pilots Microsoft M365 Copilot, council urged cautious rollout