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Consultants report 438 potentially unserved locations, revised route miles as Gilliam County prepares BEAD applications
Summary
Consultants updating Gilliam County on BTAP work said the county now shows 438 potentially serviceable unserved locations and that preparatory work for BEAD applications will be split by school district; the court was asked to consider a short bridge contract for engineering support.
Consultants working on Gilliam County’s broadband planning told the Gilliam County Court on Jan. 22 that a recent federal data release raised the county’s count of potentially eligible unserved locations to 438 and that the county will prepare BEAD applications by school district.
Nicholas Green, presenting with LS Networks and partners, said that countywide feasibility work done earlier identified more limited counts (previously as low as 99 serviceable locations), but that NTIA/other federal updates pushed the count back up to 438. The revised set of addresses, Green said, corresponds to a preliminary build estimate of roughly 171 miles of aerial and 21 miles of underground fiber (about 192 miles total). "As of right now, we're at 438 unserved locations, and we'll show where those are located within Gillam County," Green said.
LS Networks engineer Kyle Browning told the court the firm has completed roughly 7–8 miles of pole field data collection and that network equipment layout and architecture are about 80% complete. Browning said many candidate locations will be weeded out during the BEAD due diligence phase because structures like grain silos and hay barns are frequently listed as addresses that do not represent serviceable residences. He estimated the earlier countywide preliminary cost estimate of $23 million would be reduced once the eligible locations are finalized.
The consultants outlined application logistics: BEAD prequalification will determine which entities can apply; once prequalified, the county would submit separate applications by school district (North and Condon/part of South). Green discussed possible partnerships with local ISPs; he also recommended the court consider a short, "bridge" contract with LSN to preserve momentum and to provide technical assistance during the transition from BTAP to BEAD funding and the due-diligence phase.
Consultants and court members discussed specific overlaps: Arlington appears in federal data as serviceable even though Arlington TV Coop provides fiber to parts of the city; the teams said a detailed due-diligence and certification process will remove already‑served locations from final awards. South County was flagged as largely covered by a different federal award (Enhanced ACAM) awarded to a private ISP (Rally), which may reduce the county's BEAD‑eligible asks in that area.
Why it matters: The BEAD program is a major federal broadband funding stream. The updated address list and revised mileage will shape the county’s applications, cost estimates and any matching obligations. Preparing accurate applications and operating agreements with ISP partners is a prerequisite to receiving and negotiating BEAD awards.
Next steps noted at the meeting: the consultants will complete the draft prequalification application for the county to review; they recommended negotiating draft operating agreements with potential ISP partners and pursuing a short bridge contract with LSN to cover the technical-review period while BEAD decisions are pending.
