Lake County officials outline broadband rollout, say $28.4 million allocated for local projects

Lake County officials and outside consultants told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4 that several state and federal broadband programs are moving forward and that work is under way to steer those funds to local projects.

The update, given by Deputy County Administrative Officer Ben Rickelman and consultants from CBG Communications, summarized progress on the statewide middle‑mile project, the CPUC’s Federal Funding Account (FFA) awards, and upcoming state and federal grant rounds. Rickelman said Lake County’s allocation from the FFA program is about $28,400,000 and that CPUC awards announced the prior week covered roughly $14.6 million of projects in the county.

Why it matters: County leaders said expanding fiber and improving redundancy are essential for schools, public safety and businesses, and that federal and state programs provide a rare, large funding opportunity to close remaining service gaps. Officials emphasized the need to align permitting, rights‑of‑way and county policy to speed deployment and avoid expensive, repetitive street cuts.

Details of the plan and awards CBG Communications presented an implementation plan that follows the county’s 2023 broadband master plan update. The plan recommends: connecting community anchor institutions (schools, public safety, libraries) to symmetrical 1 Gbps service where feasible; revising rights‑of‑way and “dig‑once” policies; evaluating microtrenching standards; and improving coordination with utility departments to reduce construction cost and delay.

Rickelman described three CPUC FFA grants awarded to projects that serve different parts of the county and noted roughly $13.8 million remains to be allocated in future FFA rounds. "Lake County has about $28,400,000 allocated," Rickelman said during the briefing.

Consultants also reviewed federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD/BEED) funds coming to California and noted BEAD prioritizes unserved census blocks (defined as locations lacking 25/3 Mbps service). They said some Lake County census blocks meet the program’s “high‑cost” criteria and therefore may qualify for a lower local match. CBG’s engineer, identified in the presentation as the senior engineer with CBG Communications, described where fiber, fixed wireless and satellite each fit as technology choices depending on topography and densities.

Reliability and backup power Consultants and county staff discussed reliability problems that residents report even where a provider lists service as available. CBG noted Mediacom and other cable operators are planning plant upgrades and improved standby power in distribution huts; the county urged providers to improve battery and generator backup to reduce outages during utility interruptions.

Board questions and next steps Supervisors sought specifics about household counts served by the recent awards; staff said roughly 3,100 households were included in the latest FFA allocations but will provide a written breakdown by award and per‑household subsidy. Supervisors also pressed staff to pursue better ISP reporting and ongoing oversight channels with the CPUC so the county can flag failing projects. "If we hear of issues, we should be communicating with the CPUC," Rickelman said.

The county will continue to pursue state and federal grant rounds, promote a local clearinghouse for adoption and device programs, and advance internal policy changes (dig‑once, microtrenching standards, streamlined ROW permitting) to help ISPs build more quickly.

Ending note County staff said they will circulate more detailed award maps and per‑household grant figures to supervisors and will continue coordination with RCRC/GSC A partners, Mediacom, AT&T, Valley Internet and local fixed‑wireless providers as BEAD/BEED, CPUC and state programs move forward.