Infrastructure committee endorses three ISPs for state BEAD broadband applications; minutes approved

The Marathon County Infrastructure Committee voted to endorse three internet service providers — Mosaic, Bertram and Bug Tussle — for the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, the committee said. Supervisor Jensen made the motion and Supervisor Gisselman seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: an official county endorsement awards additional points in the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s review and can improve an ISP’s chance of receiving state BEAD funding for build‑out in unserved and underserved project units within Marathon County.

County staff said Wisconsin has been allocated $1,055,000,000 under the BEAD program to serve approximately 203,000 broadband service locations statewide and that Marathon County contains roughly 8,443 eligible locations across 13 project units identified as unserved or underserved (speeds below 25 megabits per second). The county’s broadband task force reached out to many providers; staff said Frontier, Charter, Mosaic, Bertram and Bug Tussle indicated interest, but the task force recommended endorsements for Mosaic, Bertram and Bug Tussle because Charter had not provided sufficient detailed proposals and staff had concerns about Frontier’s limited coverage of western Marathon County and prior grant activity.

Staff noted the program generally expects providers to contribute at least 25 percent of project cost in many cases (a 75 percent federal match is possible depending on project units and costs). County staff said Marathon County does not plan to contribute local funds to the projects, though ISPs may request county assistance for permitting or access to county property for hubs; endorsement does not obligate the county to provide subsidies.

Committee members noted endorsements give applicants additional review points but do not preclude other providers from applying; the Public Service Commission can segment awards by project unit and choose different providers for different units. The county also planned a joint meeting of east‑ and west‑towns associations to hear provider presentations and allow towns to register support or endorsements.

Votes at a glance: • Motion to approve the Jan. 9, 2024 Infrastructure Committee minutes. Motion by Supervisor Jensen; second by Supervisor Hartinger. Outcome: approved by voice vote. • Motion to endorse Mosaic, Bertram and Bug Tussle for BEAD program applications. Motion by Supervisor Jensen; second by Supervisor Gisselman. Outcome: approved by voice vote.

Ending: staff said the endorsements would be recorded in the minutes and forwarded to the Public Service Commission as the county’s formal support; additional provider materials will be shared with towns and the committee as filings are submitted to the state.