Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Broadband Bead topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County update: BEAD broadband awards under review; final announcements expected after multiple rounds
Summary
Communications staff told the committee that the FCC/PSC BEAD broadband program awards are being processed in multiple rounds, with a second round currently under review; some projects will start quickly while others may be years away.
Communications staff told the committee that the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) awards process is underway at the state level and that the Public Service Commission is conducting multiple rounds of awards. “They've actually awarded the first round and the awardees know, but they are not making them public,” the staff member said.
The update explained that award rounds are being staged: early rounds covered lower‑cost fiber projects that were financially feasible; later rounds will consider higher‑cost and alternative technologies for harder‑to‑serve areas. The staffer said some awarded projects will begin within a year while other projects could be three to four years out before construction begins.
Committee members asked whether competition would allow one provider to encroach on another provider’s area; the staff answer noted that, while competition is permitted, building noncontiguous fiber into another provider’s territory is often cost‑prohibitive.
The conversation identified a particular focus north of Wheeler for BEAD coverage in Dunn County; the rest of the county is covered by other broadband projects. No formal county action was recorded on BEAD; the update was informational.
