Calhoun County task force coordinates BEAD applications amid federal rule uncertainty

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…