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County approves three final last-mile broadband grants; Alta Sierra AT&T proposal pulled for further review
Summary
After additional community feedback, Nevada County approved three last-mile broadband grant awards to expand service in underserved areas and removed an AT&T Alta Sierra proposal from the current package for further negotiation and footprint refinement.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 11 approved three projects from the county’s final round of last-mile broadband grant awards and pulled a fourth AT&T Alta Sierra proposal for further review to address project footprint and unserved-connection prioritization.
Staff and program partners told the board that community input and technical review prompted a revision to the staff recommendation. County staff recommended funding two Oasis Broadband projects and one AT&T project in Higgins Corner/Wolf area; staff asked for additional time to work with AT&T on the Alta Sierra footprint to better prioritize unserved fiber-to-home connections.
Awarded projects (as presented by staff): - Oasis Broadband (Harmony Ridge/Blue Tent, Nevada City): County grant $221,989 (50% subsidy); proposed build: 403 connections; cost per connection $550.84. - Oasis Broadband (Donner Summit): County grant $56,437 (50% subsidy); proposed build: 30 connections; cost per connection $1,203.36. - AT&T (Wolf / Higgins Corner): County grant $400,000 (58.2% subsidy); proposed build: 248 connections; cost per connection $1,612.90.
Why it matters: The awards are intended to subsidize build costs in higher-cost or lower-return areas so providers will extend service; the package leverages provider match and county subsidy to expand high-speed access in targeted unserved or underserved neighborhoods.
Board action and reasoning: County staff recommended postponing action on AT&T’s Alta Sierra project to refine the project footprint and prioritize unserved locations, while approving the three other projects. The board adopted the revised resolution that removed the Alta Sierra award and approved the three recommended projects. Staff said the county will return at a future meeting with a revised Alta Sierra proposal after further negotiation with AT&T.
Public comment: Speakers urged careful scrutiny of AT&T proposals and asked the county to prioritize gaps where no provider exists rather than paying to overlay service where another provider is already available. One resident requested that the county focus on closing small ‘gaps’ where a few households remain unserved on otherwise served streets.
Vote: The amended resolution approving three awards and removing the fourth project passed (recorded vote: four yes, one absence). Staff will return with a refined Alta Sierra proposal.
Ending: The grants will be incorporated into contracts with providers; the county said the package would expand 781 connections when combined with provider investments and that staff will continue to target limited dollars to the highest-need, unserved locations.
