Gage County board to send letters opposing BEAD change that counts unlicensed fixed wireless as 'reliable service'

The Gage County Board of Commissioners directed staff July 9 to send letters to state and federal representatives opposing a federal change that treats unlicensed fixed wireless as an eligible form of 'reliable service' for BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) funding determinations.

Miss Haxby explained that the federal change removed roughly 52% of Gage County locations from eligibility for funding because those locations could now be counted as served by unlicensed fixed wireless. "Now what happened was that at the federal level, they've decided to allow unlicensed fixed wireless as a reliable broadband service, which it's not," Haxby said in the meeting. She told commissioners the change reduced the county's eligible locations and that the county and nearby jurisdictions are coordinating to ask representatives to preserve fiber-priority funding and to limit use of unlicensed fixed wireless in BEAD allocations.

Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to send letters explaining why the change is harmful to county BEAD allocations and urging policy that prioritizes fiber. The motion carried 7–0.

Ending: Staff will prepare and send letters to representatives explaining the local impact; commissioners asked staff to include maps and data showing the locations lost under the changed definition.