Van Buren County says broadband build is about 85% complete; Geneva and Lawrence townships remain uncertain

Van Buren County officials and the county’s broadband vendor told the Board of Commissioners that the countywide broadband build is nearing completion but that two township areas remain unclear pending carrier and federal-program decisions.

Jennifer Gilliam of MEC said the network build for Van Buren is “about 85% complete,” and that roughly 8% of zones are waiting on construction while another ~7% depend on permitting or other final steps. “So everything should be completed, and homes will have access to the main line by the end of the year,” Gilliam told the board.

Why it matters: county leaders said completing the broadband network is a priority because many residents lack wired options; the status update laid out where private providers are building, where county- or state-funded programs cover service, and which pockets still require decisions from outside contractors or federal awardees.

Details from the update

- Coverage and contractors: Gilliam and county staff described multiple providers active in the county. Comcast is building in some ARPA-funded zones and indicated plans to complete its work by year-end. Frontier is building under its own funding in parts of the county. Surf Broadband has privately constructed fiber in Decatur and is expanding in South Haven and Hartford. MEC is the county’s build partner in large swaths of the county.

- Map and public information: Gilliam said the county map (hosted on the county website) shows color-coded zones: yellow indicates MEC-served areas; hatched yellow indicates MEC planned service; a purple hatch on the map shows Comcast ARPA-funded zones. She said staff update the map weekly but acknowledged it is not always 100% current.

- Geneva and Lawrence townships: the commissioners were told Mercury Broadband — the provider awarded some RDOF (FCC) locations — officially forfeited Lawrence Township rollout and that those addresses moved into the county/state-sponsored program. Mercury has not forfeited the Geneva Township award and remains “obligated to build it,” Gilliam said, but county staff said they lack clear information because Mercury is undergoing turnover. The board was told Geneva and Lawrence are the two primary outstanding problem areas.

- BEAD/BEAT negotiation timing: staff said the county and ISPs are still negotiating final proposals under state-funded programs (referred to in discussion as BEAD/BEAT processes). Gilliam said the county might have clearer answers by the next meeting but cautioned negotiations could take weeks.

Public sign-up and serviceability

Gilliam reiterated the county website includes an eligibility map and an address lookup that residents can use to check whether a service drop or a later connection is planned. For locations not currently serviceable the county offers an engineering-quote process that begins with a $100 fee.

Quotes and attribution

- “So everything should be completed, and homes will have access to the main line by the end of the year,” Jennifer Gilliam, MEC, said.

- A county official (name not specified) described the county’s goal as universal connectivity: “When I started with Van Buren County ... We had a goal to get Van Buren County online for every resident in the county.” That speaker also noted Van Buren and Washtenaw counties appear further along than other Michigan counties.

Context and next steps

County staff said they will continue weekly map updates and bring Comcast and other ISPs to future meetings for fuller briefings. Staff asked the board to expect a more detailed update within several weeks that will attempt to resolve the outstanding Geneva and Lawrence township questions.

Provenance: The broadband discussion began when county staff introduced the broadband update and Jennifer Gilliam gave the build-status briefing; remarks and map references appeared again in later agenda discussion and public questions about serviceability.

Ending: County staff recommended residents use the county’s online map or contact the county office if they have specific addresses they want checked; staff said they will report progress at upcoming meetings.