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Edgar County broadband meeting hears NextLink fixed‑wireless proposal; board discusses tower contract evergreen clause
Summary
County broadband committee talked with NextLink about a fixed‑wireless proposal; county missed round 1 funding due to mapping and will consider supporting NextLink in round 2. Separately, board members discussed a tower contract’s evergreen renewal terms and agreed to take steps to provide notice if they choose to terminate.
Members of the Edgar County Board and the county broadband committee discussed broadband expansion options and a county tower contract during the meeting.
Jeff, a county board member who also serves on the broadband committee, said the committee met remotely with a NextLink representative to discuss fixed‑wireless service proposals after the county failed to qualify for the state’s round‑1 fiber funding because the mapping did not meet the state’s 10% hard-to-reach threshold. "We did not get awarded round 1 for broadband expansion because we did not have the 10% hard to reach that was required," Jeff said. He said the county will consider a letter of support for NextLink in the next application round, expected to open in about three months.
Jeff described NextLink’s proposed service as fixed‑wireless with a low-end plan of about 100 megabits per second for roughly $50 per month and a higher tier up to 1 gigabit for about $100 per month in private-use configurations. Jeff said NextLink expressed interest in using the county tower as either an in‑kind contribution to strengthen an application or a revenue source for the county.
The board also discussed the county's communications‑tower contract and a potential deadline to provide notice to the company. One member recalled the contract contains an evergreen provision that renews for multi‑year terms and then annually unless notice is provided. "That contract had an evergreen provision that it would constantly renew itself," a board member said, noting the board needs to provide the notice if it intends to end the agreement.
Board members agreed to follow up with the state's attorney and to provide the required notice if they decide not to renew. Jeff said he would send the relevant text to the group and pursue coordination with NextLink for the next application window.
No formal votes on broadband grants or tower termination were taken at the meeting; the board discussed next steps and possible letters of support.
