Grayson County outlines plan to expand broadband and 9-1-1 radio coverage; towers, grants and temporary fixes detailed

Tom, a county staff member, told the Grayson County Board of Supervisors that the county is moving forward with a combined broadband and 9‑1‑1 radio project intended to expand first‑responder radio and paging coverage and improve phone and internet service across much of the county. The presentation covered vendor negotiations, proposed tower sites, grant funding and a target schedule for equipment installation.

The project’s core goal is to install and operate a new 9‑1‑1 first‑responder radio and paging system and to improve wireless and internet service “in the western half of the county,” Tom said. The county intends to deploy new radio equipment on multiple towers and to work with broadband vendors to extend fiber and last‑mile service. Tom said the county is purchasing about $1.6 million in new radio equipment; tax‑exempt bonds previously approved will cover part of the equipment purchase.

Why it matters: improved 9‑1‑1 radio coverage and expanded broadband affect emergency response, public safety and everyday connectivity for rural households. County officials tied the tower and equipment work to both federal grants and local funds, and outlined interim steps where full buildout will take longer.

Key vendors and funding

Tom reported the county is working with several broadband providers. Citizens Co‑op (from Floyd County) has fiber down Main Street and is positioned to connect roughly 200 households in eastern portions of the county if customers sign up. SkyBest, a North Carolina cooperative, has backbone fiber that crosses the county near Rugby and the Wilson area but — because of prior federal restrictions — was until recently limited in where it could provide last‑mile service. The transcript referenced a private provider identified as GigaBeam that still maintains some customers in the county but whose broader rollout stalled after the storm; Tom said GigaBeam has about 550 customers in Grayson County compared with an estimated 3,000 households that could have been served under the earlier plan.

Tom said the state’s BEAD process (referred to in the meeting as “bead money”) and DHCD rules have constrained public disclosure: vendors applying for BEAD funds were reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements, and selections were expected to be announced in June or July. The county has provided letters of support to multiple vendors applying for state or federal funds.

Towers and coverage plan

County staff identified a set of tower sites that will host new equipment or be made ready to accept county radios: Pond Mountain, Walnut Knob (under negotiation), Point Lookout, Quillen Ridge, Park Road (Whitetop) and an existing Virginia Tech tower on the Smith–Grayson border. Tom said Pond Mountain, Walnut Knob, Point Lookout and the Virginia Tech site will carry the county’s 9‑1‑1 equipment; Quillen Ridge and Park Road are designed to accept equipment later if needed.

Tom described Walnut Knob as a likely linking tower for the western county and said the county is negotiating a lease that, if completed, would avoid a long access road and stay within budget. He projected that finishing all towers and equipment installations is targeted for August 2026, with individual tower construction typically requiring three to four months once permits and access are in place.

Permitting, setbacks and temporary fixes

The rollout was delayed by weather and access problems. Tom said the county lost roughly four to seven months because of a hurricane and subsequent ice damage that blocked access to tower sites. To address immediate radio shortfalls in the White Top–Rugby area, staff are arranging temporary measures: the county has located two mobile, telescoping radio towers (previously owned by Tazewell County) and staff expect to retrieve and deploy them as an interim relay solution until fixed towers come online.

COPS grant and other allocations

Tom outlined a regional federal law‑enforcement grant (identified in the meeting as the COPS grant) that covers radio and 9‑1‑1 related equipment for multiple agencies. The grant totals $3 million; the county’s allocation was described as $541,000 for microwave and other equipment, with Carroll County and the city of Galax receiving other shares (Carroll County $859,000 and Galax $263,000 as presented). The county must close out the COPS grant by April 2026, and Tom said much of the purchasing tied to that grant should be completed by June, with equipment deliveries following.

Budget and oversight

Tom said tax‑exempt bonds previously approved by the board (about $2.5 million referenced during the presentation) are being applied to buy 9‑1‑1 equipment, and a separate 1¢ tax levy has accumulated roughly $900,000 toward tower construction. He described invoicing and review procedures (two‑step invoice checks) and a guaranteed maximum price for tower construction through the chosen contractor. Tom said the county has already purchased roughly $813,000 in radio equipment and that two further payments of approximately $413,000 remain in the vendor schedule.

Timeline and next steps

Staff projected mid‑summer improvements in the White Top–Rugby area, with ProCom (the installer referenced during the meeting) expected to begin equipment installation in mid to late May for the first sites. Tom said the county will continue to support vendor outreach (letters, meetings) to help last‑mile providers secure BEAD funding and customer commitments. He also said the county will continue negotiating the Walnut Knob lease and expects further contract paperwork and permit filings in the coming weeks.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of previous meeting minutes: motion made, seconded and approved by voice vote (no individual vote tally recorded in the minutes). - Adjournment: motion made and approved by voice vote.

Ending

County staff urged residents with service problems to report them so the county can compile customer information for state and federal advocates. Tom said the project remains complex but that the county is now positioned to proceed with tower construction, grant expenditures and interim measures to improve emergency communications and broadband access.