Lancaster County Broadband Authority elects officers, reviews APB VADI closeout and remaining service gaps

The Lancaster County Broadband Authority elected its officers and reviewed the status of local broadband projects, including the technical closeout of APB’s VADI grant and outstanding unserved or serviceable addresses.

The authority unanimously elected Mr. Kidd as chair; Kevin Beam was elected treasurer; Carolyn was elected secretary; and Russell was elected vice chair. Michelle was absent from the meeting, and members agreed to defer approval of minutes until she could participate.

Members spent the bulk of the meeting on project status and customer complaints related to APB’s build and state/federal grant interactions. Authority members reported APB had indicated the VADI grant work was being closed out and that paperwork was submitted in November 2024. The board discussed that APB’s build included 2,165 addresses associated with the VADI project and that, because of that inclusion, those addresses may not show as “homes passed” on some public dashboards that use older data sets.

Board members noted several areas of continuing confusion for residents: (1) federal and industry maps give different “homes passed” or percent-broadband-ready figures; (2) addresses categorized as “serviceable” under the VADI process may still require a customer-paid drop or extension to reach the residence; and (3) providers that applied for BEED funding (the BEED program) may delay additional connections until BEED awards are determined. Authority members named five companies that have submitted BEED proposals in the county: Starlink, Breezeline, APB, Verizon and a satellite provider identified in the meeting as "Amazon Cooper." Members said they routinely review BEED filings on the BEED website to monitor proposals by county.

Don (staff) explained that some equipment currently on a county-owned tower was installed with CARES funding in 2020 and is now obsolete. The authority plans to hire a contractor to remove the old broadband equipment; the removal will allow installation of new radio equipment as part of a planned P25 public-safety radio upgrade. That new installation is expected in the April time frame, and the County’s agreement with an existing tenant named "SBA" will be amended to reflect larger equipment and higher rent; the amendment is on the county board agenda later this week.

Kevin Beam reported the authority’s bank account and routine expenses, saying the checking account balance at Chesapeake Bank was $66,696 and that a $10 service fee had been paid for document processing. No other material budget changes were reported.

Members discussed outreach and the authority’s public-facing information. Several participants said some residents who have submitted APB or provider sign-ups received confirmation but were not later contacted for installation. The board discussed the difference between “unserved” (no infrastructure) and “serviceable” (infrastructure nearby but requiring a drop or paid connection) and said that gap has caused confusion. Members recommended clearer public guidance explaining: how to check FCC and provider maps, how to confirm whether an address is on a VADI or BEED list, and what costs (for example, customer-paid drop or per-foot extension charges) might apply once a provider is able to connect a property.

The authority agreed on two process items: (1) staff will check the status of the Northern Neck Broadband Authority and report back (an action assigned during the meeting); and (2) the authority will try to meet on the second Thursday every other month at 5 p.m. until further notice, with a tentative April meeting on the calendar and the next meeting scheduled to account for overlapping county budget meetings in April.

Members also discussed last-mile scenarios in which providers had placed cable and mids (preconnectorized nodes) on poles but had not yet run final drops to individual residences because of funding rules that tied build obligations to specific lists of addresses in VADI or BEED awards. Several participants encouraged continued monitoring of the FCC broadband maps and promised to try to publish clearer guidance on the authority website that would explain the practical next steps for residents who believe they remain without service.

The meeting concluded with the authority chair moving to adjourn; the motion carried.