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Grant County commissioners approve letter of support for Mainstream Fiber BEAD application and move to advertise infrastructure zone ordinance
Summary
Commissioners voted to provide a letter of support for Mainstream Fiber’s BEAD funding application and to advertise an ordinance establishing an Infrastructure Development Zone, after the company said it would invest $8.2 million and seek about $1.8 million in state BEAD funding. The letter does not obligate county funds.
Fred Price, president of Mainstream Fiber Networks, told the Grant County Board of Commissioners that his company plans a county‑wide fiber build and asked the county for a letter of support for its upcoming BEAD funding application. "Mainstream fiber is going to invest $8,200,000 in the county," Price said, and asked the board to include a support letter with the firm’s state application.
The commissioners heard that Mainstream is seeking roughly $1.8 million in state BEAD funding to help reach about 1,300 underserved or unserved locations and to connect an estimated 6,500 households with approximately 166 miles of fiber. Price said the project would not require direct county cash: "We're not looking to ask the county for any cash input," he told the board.
Commissioners discussed an accompanying request to advertise an Infrastructure Development Zone (IDZ) ordinance. The IDZ would be a limited tax‑incentive mechanism for utility investments; Mainstream described the IDZ as an option that could apply for up to 10 years. Commissioners and staff clarified that a letter of support does not commit the county to the IDZ or to any expenditure and that any formal IDZ adoption would require a separate advertised public hearing and ordinance vote.
Commissioner Barsley moved to approve a letter of support for Mainstream Fiber’s BEAD application and to advertise an ordinance to establish an IDZ in Grant County. Commissioner Wright seconded the motion; the board approved it by voice vote.
What happens next: Mainstream said it will submit its BEAD packet to the state later this month; awards are expected in December. The commission agreed to review any proposed IDZ ordinance at a future meeting and to hold a public hearing before final action.
Speakers quoted or cited in this article are drawn from the meeting record and are limited to those who identified themselves in the transcript. The letter of support approved by the commission is limited to supporting Mainstream’s funding application and does not itself impose county financial obligations.
