Members of the Calhoun County Broadband Task Force on a virtual call on an unspecified date concentrated on preparing local Internet service providers (ISPs) to apply for BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) funding and on coordinating the letters and resolutions that give applicants competitive points in the state process.

Task force staff said the county’s BEAD mapping challenge identified roughly 14,000 eligible locations in Calhoun County, out of about 248,000 eligible locations statewide, and reminded members that the first round of BEAD applications is due in early April and is focused on fiber‑to‑the‑home builds. "This is the supposed to be the end all be all of grants to provide everyone with Internet access," said Lynn, task force staff, summarizing the program’s intent and the county’s current effort to prioritize the BEAD application process.

Telecom counsel Mike Watts gave a regulatory update that framed the county’s BEAD work against larger shifts at the federal and state level. He said several states (New York, California, Maryland and Minnesota) are pursuing ways to regulate ISPs and that recent court and administrative actions have weakened some federal agency authorities, creating openings for state regulation. "What their story is — everything's fine. 95% of all Michigan residents have good broadband accessibility. 85% have access to gig speed," Watts said, paraphrasing industry testimony to state lawmakers and illustrating how industry messaging may shape state policy responses.

Watts warned members that proposed changes under consideration at the Department of Commerce and in Congress could reduce contractor requirements, remove or scale back digital equity scoring and broaden acceptable technologies to include more fixed wireless and satellite options. That, he said, could change how pending BEAD applications are evaluated and what counts as an ‘unserved’ or ‘underserved’ location. "If you change the game now," members were told, "you open up all kinds of issues with the applications that are due."

Staff emphasized the current application timeline: the BEAD first‑round submissions (described in the meeting as due April 9) prioritize fiber builds and that NTIA approval is expected by August if schedules hold. County staff also said Calhoun County will prepare and share draft letters of support and resolutions for ISPs, and encouraged township boards and community anchor institutions (schools, libraries, colleges) to authorize and return board‑approved letters promptly because approved letters carry more weight in scoring. Kelly Scott, county administrator/controller, said the county plans to support all ISPs that submit BEAD applications in Calhoun County and advised members to have their governing boards authorize letters rather than rely on signatures from individual managers.

Staff walked members through practical next steps: compile draft letters and resolutions in a single county email, request township board authorization (a model resolution was offered), and collect final letters for inclusion in ISP applications. Members discussed the risk that midstream federal rule changes could render some applications ineligible or change scoring priorities; staff and counsel said they would continue monitoring legislative and NTIA developments but prepare under current rules.

The meeting also included updates on local ISP outreach and mapping: staff said the county has met ISP representatives and that some providers are not applying for BEAD in Calhoun County. Members were advised that letters of support and anchor institution commitments can provide competitive points for applicants. Todd Cruz, representing Frontier, said Frontier has responded to the state RFI, noted the hex‑bin approach that obligates build-out for listed hexagons included in applications, and offered assistance drafting “high‑quality” local letters of support. "Frontier is being acquired by Verizon. So most likely by the end of this year, everything will become Verizon," Cruz said; he added that contractual obligations for any winning BEAD awards would transfer to the acquiring company.

Votes at a glance: the task force approved the minutes from December. An oral motion was made and the chair called for the vote; two audible "aye" responses were recorded in the transcript and the chair announced approval.

What happens next: staff will consolidate draft letters and resolutions, circulate them to members, and ask townships and community anchors to place a single authorization item on upcoming governing‑board agendas. County staff and counsel will continue to monitor BEAD rulemaking and congressional activity that could change eligibility or scoring and will alert the task force to any material changes.