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Sawyer County committee endorses Norvado BEAD application; staff outlines remaining broadband gaps
Summary
Sawyer County committee members voted to endorse Norvado's application for BEAD funding to expand fiber in parts of the county.
Sawyer County committee members voted to endorse Norvado's application for BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) funding and heard staff outline which parts of the county would remain unserved after the projects the company and another applicant proposed.
The endorsement follows a presentation by Leo Carlson, chief sales and marketing officer for Norvado, who said the company plans three project areas in Sawyer County that would add more than 300 route miles of fiber and pass roughly 3,126 additional broadband-serviceable locations. "We are not asking for any cash or in-kind process," Carlson said, asking only for the county endorsement required by the BEAD application process.
County staff described the county's PSC broadband profile and mapped which locations are already served, in progress, or eligible for BEAD funding. Staff estimated about 17,050 broadband-service locations countywide, of which 5,254 were eligible and about 3,566 were in progress at the last PSC update. Andy, a county staff member, said Norvado's proposal and the Mosaic proposal together would leave about 2,750 locations in the county projected to be unserved under current plans.
Committee members then moved and approved a resolution endorsing Norvado's BEAD application by voice vote. The endorsement requires no county contribution, and Norvado said it would pursue BEAD grant awards to build fiber to unserved areas it included in its application.
Speakers and staff also discussed how future BEAD rounds or alternative technologies may address remaining gaps. Carlson and county staff said satellite and fixed wireless options—specifically Starlink—are likely to be eligible in later rounds or as a solution for locations that are not feasible to reach with fiber. Carlson noted satellites can meet minimum performance targets but lack the future capacity of fiber and can be affected by user density.
The committee's vote advances Norvado's local-government endorsement required by the BEAD application process; the county will continue to monitor other providers and additional BEAD rounds aimed at covering remaining unserved locations.
Votes at a glance: The committee approved the endorsement resolution by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded.
