Willmar Council votes to proceed with citywide Connect Wilmar fiber plan amid competing proposal from Charter Spectrum

Willmar City Council voted 4-3 on Feb. 25 to continue the city-led Connect Wilmar open-access fiber initiative rather than suspend the project to allow Charter Communications (Spectrum) time to complete a partial industrial-park fiber build and upgrades.

The vote followed nearly two hours of testimony from residents and businesses urging the council to keep developing a municipally owned, open-access fiber network that would let multiple internet service providers offer competing retail service on the same city-owned infrastructure.

Supporters said the network would create competition and long-term capacity the community lacks. “Fiber to the home is the future,” resident Jim Miller told the council, adding that he has experienced frequent outages with his current provider. Aaron Larson, who lives in Wilmar, said the city project offers “the possibility of multiple Internet providers” and would prevent a single company from remaining the only option for many customers. David Fice, representing TPI Hospitality and several local hotels, urged the council to “stay the course with Connect Wilmar” and said the project could spur economic development.

City staff and the broadband committee presented an updated pro forma, outlining conservative subscriber-take assumptions and three construction cycles. Operations director Kyle Box told the council the current construction estimate across all phases is “just over $24,000,000 in construction costs,” and that the pro forma assumes a staged take rate that reaches a 40% subscription level only over many years. Box said the financing strategy would aim to avoid increasing the city’s general levy by phasing debt payments and using lease/usage fees paid by ISPs to repay bonds.

Charter Communications proposed a different path: a fiber buildout in portions of the industrial park, a citywide “high-split” coax upgrade that could deliver near‑gigabit symmetrical speeds on existing cable, and a fiber-on-demand option for individual customers who request direct fiber. The company’s proposal, as described by city staff, would not be a binding agreement and would leave Charter free to proceed on its own timetable.

City Attorney Robert Scott told the council the draft resolution to suspend the project would give the city time to reassess whether a municipal build remains necessary if Charter follows through with its commitments. He emphasized that Charter’s proposal, as presented, is not legally binding on the city.

Council members who supported continuing the Connect Wilmar initiative pointed to the benefits of guaranteed open access, potential long-term revenue to offset debt, and expanded competition. Council members who opposed continuing said they wanted more time to evaluate Charter’s offer and to reduce financial risk to taxpayers and ratepayers.

The council’s action does not authorize construction or bond sales. City staff said the vote preserves the city-led program and allows staff and the broadband committee to move forward with outreach, marketing and additional due diligence; future council votes will be required to authorize bond issues, approve construction bids and accept contracts. Kyle Box and the broadband committee also said ISPs had tools ready to start marketing the planned network and that early sign-up portals could give the council market feedback before any final contract awards.

Council members asked staff to pursue additional market outreach and to keep the council informed as Charter or other providers advance their proposals. The council’s majority decided that continuing the municipal project would provide the city more options and maintain the open-access model under discussion.

Public comment before the vote included residents who urged the council not to cede infrastructure control to a single large provider, and business representatives who said fiber could support hotels and attract employers. Albert Reyes delivered a prayer during public comment; his remarks were a personal invocation and not part of the technical debate.

Next steps identified by staff include targeted marketing to measure early customer interest, continuing pro forma updates, and additional legal and technical review before any final authorization of construction or bonding.