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County broadband rollout: Citizens aims for eastern build completion by mid‑May; easement issues persist
Summary
County staff said Citizens is on track to finish many eastern build segments by mid‑May and to meet a June BEAD‑tied deadline, but easement problems on private roads (Bertha Farms) and slower take‑up in some areas mean a few pockets may wait longer.
County staff provided a broadband project update at the May 4 Planning Commission meeting, reporting that Citizens is the primary contractor for the eastern build and expects to complete most of the work by mid‑May and meet a June bulk‑completion deadline attached to federal BEAD funds.
The deputy county administrator said crews completed several segments in April and listed recent work on roads including Van Lou, Sandy Lane, Ricky Road and others; he said Citizens is burying fiber (direct‑buried) rather than using conduit in many areas, which could expose lines in washouts. He also reported that Point Broadband has largely stopped active construction in some parts of the county and that Point Broadband is merging assets with Clearwave Fiber.
Staff noted easement challenges in private‑road areas such as Bertha Farms, where obtaining access has been more difficult, and said the county supplied a petition to help secure revenue‑sharing road agreements. According to the update, the broadband build has potential to serve roughly 8,000 customers if take‑up is widespread, but adoption has been slower than anticipated in some locations.
No deadline changes were made in the meeting; staff emphasized the June deadline for BEAD‑related payments and said contractors are scheduling extra crews to meet targets.
