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Berrien County plans letters of support to help five ISPs seek broadband grant funding
Summary
County commissioners agreed to prepare formal letters of support — not a resolution or local funding — to help five internet service providers secure state and federal broadband grants for roughly 2,000 remaining unserved parcels in the county.
Berrien County commissioners agreed to draft formal letters of support for five internet service providers competing for state and federal broadband funds, county officials said during the meeting.
The move, discussed at length by members of the Berrien County Broadband Task Force (BC BIT), would provide localized statements of support to give ISPs application points in a competitive grant process; commissioners said no county funds or local match are being requested. Commissioner Curran said the letters are intended to help ISPs win awards that will close the remaining gap of roughly 2,000 unserved parcels across the county.
Why it matters: The county’s broadband task force and participating ISPs are pursuing federal dollars that flow to the state and then to providers. County staff described the planned letters as a final push to reach addresses that remain without high-speed service. County staff and commissioners emphasized that the letters are not a request for county appropriations or in-kind contributions, and therefore the board will not adopt a formal resolution for this purpose.
At the meeting, county staff said five ISPs attended a BC BIT meeting and indicated they will apply for funding. Staff also noted a template letter of support and dashboards for mapping unserved parcels are available on the county’s website through the Community Development Office. Commissioners encouraged municipalities and residents to submit letters to help ISPs meet the application requirement of at least 10 local support letters.
Discussion and next steps: Commissioners said BC BIT will prepare a formal letter for the board’s consideration and circulate it to the full board for signature. One commissioner said BC BIT will ask municipalities and township supervisors for support letters to ensure ISPs can meet application thresholds. No roll-call vote was recorded on the floor for this direction; it was described as an operational next step by the task force.
