County administrator warns BEAD rule changes could delay Lee County broadband projects up to two years
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Summary
Lee County has the state’s largest count of underserved residences and stands to be affected by new BEAD processing rules from the U.S. Department of Commerce, which could delay project performance by one to two years, county administrator said.
Lee County Administrator Jeremy told the Finance Committee that recent rule changes by the U.S. Department of Commerce may delay Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) projects originating from the state application process.
Jeremy said the federal change affects how the state forwards applicants to federal review and could postpone project performance by "up to 1 to 2 years." He said Lee County has the most underserved residences in Illinois — a figure the county provided as "over 8,300" — and that multiple local Internet service providers had submitted projects that could be affected.
The administrator said the county is working with state and federal legislators and local Internet service partners to understand the impacts and timing. "We had a lot of work put into that from a county perspective as well as our Internet service provider partners," Jeremy said. He said the county expects more information as the state and federal agencies refine procedures.
What happens next: the county will monitor state and federal guidance and inform providers and stakeholders of any changes in project schedule or funding windows.