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Council hears broadband grant timeline; town exploring options to bring fiber in and manage access
Summary
Councilmember Scott reported on a statewide broadband meeting and said December is a key application deadline; the town discussed possible applicants, permitting challenges and whether the town should own infrastructure or lease it to ISPs.
A council update on broadband and fiber grant opportunities noted a December application deadline for a statewide program and described permitting and routing challenges to bring fiber into Wallsburg.
Councilmember Scott said he attended a statewide broadband meeting and learned the first application deadline is in December, with funds available for builds through 2026. He reported that a private entity has already submitted a build plan to bring fiber into Wallsburg and that others have offered to help set up local systems.
Discussion touched on two technical issues: a single point of fiber entry leaves the town vulnerable to outages if that route is cut, and permits for pole and right‑of‑way work are a major obstacle to deployment. Councilmembers raised the possibility of town ownership of backbone fiber so the infrastructure could be leased to multiple ISPs to promote competition, but they noted the town may lack the in‑house resources to manage a muni‑style open access network.
Staff said they will track application timelines, pursue contacts who offered technical assistance and continue exploring whether town management of infrastructure is feasible. The council asked staff to compile permitting requirements and to report back with a recommended next step before the December application date.
No formal vote was taken; staff will continue coordination and report at upcoming meetings.
