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County says federal provisional broadband awards shrink unserved addresses; wireless study underway
Summary
County staff reported provisional federal awards to providers that will cover most remaining unserved addresses, said roughly 80 addresses went to Skylink and the bulk to Consolidated, and described a county-led wireless study using burner phones to validate coverage data.
Columbia County officials reported progress on closing remaining broadband gaps after federal provisional awards were issued to providers for the county’s outstanding addresses.
Mike Tucker told supervisors the federal awards tentatively allocate about 80 of the roughly 550 addresses to Skylink (in parts of Kanan and Lebanon) while the bulk go to Consolidated (a recently rebranded provider). He said the county has reduced its count of unserved addresses substantially and is now “probably under 500” but that staff will not remove any addresses from funding lists until work and monies are expended.
Tucker also described a county-commissioned wireless study that used three “burner” phones and 12 locations per town to test signals from major carriers. The study was funded by a $120,000 grant with a $15,000 annual county match; county staff are seeking reimbursement for the initial phase and are preparing a proposal for phase two. Tucker cautioned supervisors that federal decisions, potential FCC petitions by satellite providers and questions about affordability and package options for low-income residents mean the work is not complete.
The county’s next steps include reimbursement requests for the wireless validation work, pursuing phase-two testing, and continuing coordination with state and federal partners to ensure awarded funds translate to on-the-ground connections.
