County broadband update: Saugatuck explores fiber, small cells and public Wi‑Fi as county project progresses

Jill Dunham, the county’s Broadband Project Manager, told the Saugatuck City Council at its Sept. 18 workshop that the county’s main broadband project is about 35% complete and remains on schedule for a two‑year completion under the Robin Grant Program.

Dunham outlined several parallel efforts: Midwest Energy Cooperative (MEC) is installing fiber under Rural Digital Opportunity Fund awards in Casco, Pullman and Cheshire (about 40–50% complete), Mercury Broadband plans to start construction next month in the southern part of the county including Saugatuck Township, and a Bloomingdale project is intended to cover remaining areas. The county is also exploring local options such as fiber builds and public Wi‑Fi to improve coverage and support Wi‑calling at public sites.

County staff told the council that identifying unserved addresses remains a major challenge because provider‑supplied data has not always matched field conditions and that long driveways can make service costly or technically difficult for some technologies (county staff cited COEX and other limited‑reach approaches as problematic for those addresses).

Dunham said the state’s BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) application process is pending final approval of eligible addresses; once the list is approved a grant window will open with a 12‑month fulfillment period. She noted the state has committed roughly $1.6 billion to find providers for remaining unserved addresses.

Why it matters: incomplete mapping and long rural drives mean some Saugatuck households and businesses remain hard to serve. Council members discussed complementary local steps — including exploring fiber and public Wi‑Fi — while county and state grant programs proceed.

Next steps: the council received the update for information; state approval of eligible BEAD addresses will determine the timing and scope of the next construction window.