Council authorizes mayor to sign nonexclusive endorsement letters for broadband BEAD applicants including Utah Broadband and Comcast

The Emigration Canyon City Council voted to authorize the mayor to sign template endorsement letters supporting broadband grant applications from providers seeking state BEAD/IIJA funds to bring fiber to the canyon.

Mike Simmons of Utah Broadband and a consultant for Comcast (Steve Proper) both briefed the council on plans to apply for state broadband funding awarded under the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (the BEAD program) and asked for municipal letters of support.

Mike Simmons said Utah Broadband has provided wireless service in the canyon for two decades and is now pursuing fiber where feasible. “For the last several years, we've been moving to fiber Internet where we can,” Simmons said, and he described federal and state funding streams that could offset costs for installing buried conduit and fiber. Simmons told the council the state application window had opened and, at the time of the meeting, closed on April 11 (he said it might slip to April 18).

Simmons described technical and cost constraints for a canyon buildout — notably long directional bores and limited density of serviceable locations — and told the council, “it would have to be underground,” in response to a question about above-ground deployment.

Comcast consultant Steve Proper outlined a parallel application from Comcast and said municipal letters are nonexclusive; he offered sample language the city could use. Proper asked the council to consider supporting multiple applicants and reiterated that funding awards are competitive.

Council member motioned to authorize the mayor to sign a template endorsement letter to Comcast and Utah Broadband and any other applicants; another council member proposed the letters be separate and explicitly non‑biased. The motion and amendment were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote (council recorded the vote as “Aye”); the council directed staff to prepare separate, nonexclusive letters for the mayor’s signature.

Key technical and program points presented to the council: - Federal/state context: BEAD and other IIJA funds are available; Utah’s allocation was described by presenters as roughly $317 million (presenter-provided figure). - Local need: presenters said several hundred canyon locations are currently unserved or underserved and would be eligible for subsidy under state criteria. - Construction approach: presenters emphasized underground conduit and directional boring to avoid unnecessary microtrenching; coordination with Rocky Mountain Power trenching will be discussed where schedules align. - Timetable: application window was open at the time of the presentation and closing dates were cited; award timing was described as likely by end of summer with funds distributed the following year, per presenters.

Council staff will circulate draft template letters; the council asked that separate, non-biased letters be prepared for each applicant before the mayor signs.