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BOCC to seek public hearing to de‑obligate most of state DSP broadband funds; county urged to retain local match to finish buildout
Summary
County staff reported Comcast has completed most addresses in the franchise buildout but the state DSP grant that was awarded has been reduced by the state from $1.1M to about $47,000 based on eligibility rules; commissioners authorized a public hearing to de‑obligate only the state's portion.
Calvert County staff told commissioners Aug. 26 that Comcast’s broadband buildout has completed the majority of addresses in the franchise expansion and that 92 addresses remain in the project. Staff reported phases 1–3 are finished and the county and Comcast are working through a Difficult‑to‑Serve Properties (DSP) grant for remaining addresses.
Ashley Staples Reed, special projects program manager in the County Administrator’s office, reported the state Office of Broadband (OSB) — which administers the ARPA‑funded DSP grant — applied eligibility rules that sharply limited the number of addresses the state would approve. As a result, the $1,100,000 state grant award now effectively covers roughly $47,000 of eligible addresses in Calvert County, Reed said. The mismatch was driven by evolving OSB/Treasury criteria about distance and other eligibility limits, staff said.
Reed asked the board to authorize a public hearing to de‑obligate the state funds. She recommended that commissioners consider keeping the county’s previously assigned local match in the broadband CIP so the remaining buildout can be completed without creating a deficit in the project. County staff told commissioners Comcast has started work on the 22 addresses that qualified under the state DSP agreement and that project activity should pick up within weeks. Staff warned, however, that several remaining addresses may be removed from the project because required easements could not be obtained from neighboring property owners.
Commissioners voted to authorize staff to schedule a public hearing to de‑obligate only the state’s portion of the DSP grant and to execute a corresponding grant amendment. The motion carried by voice vote; commissioners instructed staff to return in September for the public hearing.
Ending: Staff said the DSP‑eligible work is expected to begin within a month and that the county will seek a public hearing on the state grant de‑obligation; staff recommended retaining county match funds in the broadband CIP to avoid a funding shortfall and complete the buildout where possible.
