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Council hears broadband grant timing; town exploring options to attract fiber providers
Summary
Councilmember Scott Larson reported on a statewide broadband meeting and warned of a Dec. 1 application deadline for grants; multiple parties expressed interest in bringing fiber to Walsburg and discussed permit and ownership models.
Councilmember Scott Larson briefed the council on Sept. 5 about a statewide broadband meeting and the upcoming grant-application schedule for fiber projects.
Larson said there is a December application deadline and that at least one party has applied to place backbone fiber into Walsburg outside the Utah Broadband consortium. He said multiple private parties had expressed interest in assisting the town and that permitting requirements are an important constraint. "One of the big issues with, with fiber is getting permits. And that's a major issue," Larson said.
Town options discussed: Larson said some attendees recommended municipal ownership of fiber infrastructure so the town could lease capacity to multiple internet service providers, preserving competition. He counseled that municipal ownership could be resource intensive and that the town should evaluate feasibility. The meeting also raised the question of route diversity—Walsburg currently would have a single route and losing that line would isolate service unless alternate paths are secured.
Next steps: Councilmembers agreed to monitor the December funding window and to seek partnerships; staff mentioned speaking with an experienced contractor (Carl Buchanan) who had helped earlier fiber work. The council did not take any procurement action at the Sept. 5 meeting.
