RTC says county now 80% served by fiber, asks commissioners to extend IDZ abatement

An RTC representative reporting to the Davies County commissioners said the county now has about 14,861 serviceable rooftops and that RTC serves roughly 80% of Davies County with fiber. The presenter said RTC has invested about $47 million of its own funds in the service area over several years and that year‑to‑date the company recorded about $184,000 in benefits from the county’s infrastructure development zone (IDZ) tax exemption. He asked commissioners to consider extending the IDZ period beyond the current schedule to help fill remaining service gaps. RTC said projects recently completed include West Boggs and town of Crane builds and that the company expects to serve 215 additional county rooftops through a RDOF (Rural Digital Opportunity Fund) project by 2027. The presenter said RTC has resubmitted a BEAD application for North Davies and expects a decision soon; the BEAD award, if received, could add roughly $6 million of build to the county and push service toward about 90%. The RTC representative said household sign‑up interest is used to target edge‑out builds and that the company is engaging competitive processes as the federal BEAD program implements new rules for awards. He closed by thanking the county for creating the IDZ and noted RTC’s plan for a soft building opening downtown imminently and a customer‑appreciation event Oct. 4. Commissioners did not vote on the request during the meeting; the presenter asked them to consider extending the IDZ to continue the county‑level incentive.