Dunn County task force backs $34,000 in contingency aid for two broadband projects and endorses two providers for BEAD applications

The Dunn County Broadband Task Force on an unspecified date approved contingency funding requests totaling $34,000 and adopted county-level endorsements to support two providers’ applications to the state broadband program.

The task force unanimously approved a $30,000 contingency payment for Bloomer Broadband to help the provider extend service to a handful of houses on the fringe of a planned USDA ReConnect project, contingent on Bloomer receiving the USDA grant; the committee also approved $4,000 to cover a shortfall in a Town of Grant project after a private health-care pledge was withdrawn. The group voted separately to endorse Mosaic Technologies for proposed project units north of Highway 170 and to endorse 247 (referred to in meeting materials as “20 fourseven/247”) for units south of Highway 170 for the State Public Service Commission BEAD-related process.

The task force’s staff presenter, identified in the meeting as Dan (staff member), told members that the county is still "in a holding pattern" while project units for the federal/state program are finalized, but said the map locations are set. "The location is finalized, but the project units are not finalized yet," Dan said. He cautioned that some small “straggler” addresses shown as uncovered on the broadband map may be false negatives caused by mapping data quirks and urged coordination with providers and the Public Service Commission to correct those records before…