Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Broadband topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board moves to fulfill phase 2 of ARPA-backed broadband build after vendor briefing
Summary
After a vendor briefing and extended Q&A about coverage gaps and customer installs, the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors voted to fulfill the county’s phase 2 payment obligation for an ARPA-funded broadband project and instructed the vendor to provide invoices and documentation to the auditor.
The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 12 to fulfill the county’s phase 2 payment obligation for an ARPA-funded broadband build after hearing a presentation from the project vendor and pressing the vendor on service to hard-to-reach rural residents.
Andy, the vendor representative, told supervisors he had worked with the county’s GIS staff and an engineering firm to produce a coverage study and said, “the entire county is 95%,” while acknowledging there are ‘red’ locations where towers would likely be required and where installations are more difficult. Supervisors repeatedly asked for the study maps the vendor had emailed, which staff had not yet loaded into meeting materials.
Supervisors focused much of their questioning on whether the build is reaching the rural residents the county intended to serve with ARPA funds. The vendor said some customers had previously been served as secondary connections through another customer’s service and were removed when the contractor could no longer rely on that arrangement, producing short-notice service impacts for a handful of customers.
On project finances, the vendor said the program has spent more than $1.7 million to date and that the county reserved $100,000 in ARPA funding to subsidize hard-to-reach installs. The vendor described typical customer-install tower costs in the $1,500–$2,000 range and confirmed the agreement allows per-install subsidies up to $2,500.
After the briefing and questions from supervisors, Board Chair (unnamed) moved to fulfill the county’s obligation for phase 2; Supervisor 2 seconded the motion and the board approved it by voice vote. Supervisors required the vendor to submit invoices and supporting paperwork to the county auditor before payment and said the vendor will be held accountable if service shortfalls are reported.
What happens next: the vendor will provide the requested documentation to the auditor and county staff will monitor customer reports and follow up on locations flagged as difficult to serve.
