Lake County reviews broadband implementation plan as state and federal funding moves forward

Lake County officials heard an update on broadband initiatives and an implementation plan during the Board of Supervisors meeting, with Deputy County Administrative Officer Ben Rickleman and the county's broadband consultant describing funding awards, timelines and near-term actions to expand service across the county.

The presentation matters because Lake County has been identified as having pockets of unserved and underserved households; state and federal programs, combined with local policies, will shape whether those residents, businesses, schools and public-safety sites gain higher-speed, more reliable internet access.

Rickleman told the board, “Thankfully, there's now significant movement in the broadband space,” and summarized several parallel efforts: construction of the Statewide Middle Mile Broadband Network through the county, a federal funding-account (FFA) allocation managed by the California Public Utilities Commission, and several pending state and federal grant programs, including the federal BEAD program and state digital-equity grants. He said Lake County has about $28,400,000 allocated through the FFA process and that the CPUC recently awarded roughly $14,600,000 to three projects in the county, leaving about $13,800,000 still to allocate.

The consultant team from CBG Communications described the county's implementation plan, a follow-up to a 2023 master…