Custer County OKs Visionary Broadband tower after debate over BEAD‑funded fiber plans

Custer County commissioners unanimously approved a special‑use permit Oct. 8 allowing Visionary Broadband to replace an existing communications tower at the Riggs family property with a new structure at the Sangre de Cristo (Kettle) substation.

The hearing centered on competing priorities: Visionary said the new tower would add service to about 100 currently unserved residences and enable upgrades for roughly 800 existing customers, while county officials and consultants warned that a tower covering nearby population centers could affect eligibility for future fiber grants.

"If this new tower is not approved, then at some point ... we will have to terminate our service to those folks in that area," Brian Shepherd, vice president of network expansion for Visionary Broadband, told the board, describing the Riggs family’s desire to end the lease on their property and the company’s plan to move equipment to the substation. Shepherd said the tower…