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Marathon County endorses three BEAD applications for broadband expansion
Summary
The Marathon County Board unanimously approved separate resolutions backing BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) grant applications from Bug Tussle, Bertram Communications and Mosaic; board members discussed coverage, repair response and how BEAD overlaps existing projects.
The Marathon County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 13 voted to endorse three separate local applications for the federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program: Bug Tussle, Bertram Communications and Mosaic.
Supervisor John Robinson (presenting background for the broadband task force) explained BEAD is a federal program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Robinson said Wisconsin’s allocation is approximately $1.055 billion and that county planners estimate about 8,443 unserved locations in Marathon County that could be eligible for BEAD funding. He described Round 1 as focused on fiber‑to‑the‑premises and said the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin will evaluate project units and funding requests.
Board members questioned operational details such as long‑term network support and local presence for repairs. Supervisor Rosenberg asked, “How are they supporting those networks? If there's issues with it, if somebody digs a hole in the wrong place, is are they gonna be promptly repaired?” Robinson and staff responded that the providers proposed a local presence for maintenance and that the companies said they would handle repairs.
Supervisor Hapa asked how existing county investments in Bug Tussle would be affected. Robinson said BEAD project areas exclude locations already considered served by previous programs and that existing Bug Tussle projects (towers, rings, other funding) are not impacted; if Bug Tussle receives BEAD awards it would supplement their business plan.
The board took three separate motions and recorded each as carried unanimously: a resolution supporting Bug Tussle’s BEAD application (resolution R‑7‑25), a resolution supporting Bertram Communications’ BEAD application (R‑8‑25) and a resolution supporting Mosaic’s BEAD application (R‑9‑25). Meeting discussion noted none of the three applicants requested direct county funding in their applications. The board and the broadband task force said they did not recommend a single provider for the entire county because the PSC will evaluate and award by project unit and federal anti‑collusion rules limit county‑led selection.
Staff said the BEAD buildout will be phased through 2029, beginning with fiber in areas the PSC prioritizes, then moving to other technologies to reach unserved locations if needed. The board said it expects to participate in the public comment process the PSC will open later in the grant timeline.
