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Comcast seeks county endorsement for BEAD broadband application to expand fiber to rural Manitowoc County
Summary
Comcast asked the board for a letter of endorsement for a BEAD broadband application that would extend fiber service to several Manitowoc County communities and roughly 1,500 additional homes if the company wins state funding.
A representative of Comcast’s government affairs team asked the Manitowoc County Board for a letter of endorsement supporting the company’s application to Wisconsin’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Comcast said county endorsement does not preclude other providers from being endorsed and that the state will run a competitive process.
Andrea Keier, government affairs (Midwest Region) for Comcast, told the board the company proposes to deliver gigabit symmetrical fiber service to communities listed in its packet, including Newton, Maple Grove, Rockland, Schleswig and Cooperstown, and to connect an estimated additional 1,500 homes if awarded BEAD funds. Keier described Comcast’s network-monitoring capabilities, existing local investments and community programs as reasons the county should endorse the application. “We kindly ask for your endorsement this evening,” she said.
Nut graf: The request was informational; supervisors did not take a formal vote during the meeting. Keier noted the county has already provided endorsements to other applicants in the past and that the Wisconsin Office of Broadband expects multiple endorsed providers to support competition and stronger applications.
Comcast emphasized statewide investment figures and community programs: Keier said Comcast has invested more than $17 million in Wisconsin fiber and operates 1,600 public Wi‑Fi hotspots across the state. She also mentioned Comcast’s Internet Essentials program serving about 5,000 Wisconsin families and cited local community partnerships, including contributions to the Boys & Girls Clubs and STEM programming.
Ending: The company requested a nonexclusive letter of endorsement should Comcast’s BEAD application be competitive; county staff and supervisors did not take action on the request at the meeting. The Office of Broadband’s competitive process will determine which projects receive BEAD funding.
