Task force reviews homeowner connectivity issues; one owner told Comcast would not connect

Task force members reviewed three homeowner connectivity inquiries flagged by DCS Technology Design. Chris Scharrer described 6921 Scottdale Road in Berrien Springs as having no internet and possibly being BEAD-eligible; the parcel appears on the Michigan Broadband Map as funded to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (Starlink) but the parcel’s agricultural classification may complicate how it is treated for deployment.

Scharrer also reported that 1117 North Shore Drive in Benton Harbor is listed as serviced by Comcast but that "Comcast will not connect the service." He said he is pursuing the matter directly with Comcast on behalf of property owners Barbara and Kenneth Berry Jr. A third inquiry at 232 Kensington Lane questioned why MEC did not install fiber on that street; staff explained installation is driven by grant-funded parcel lists and provided an email response to the owner explaining the funding-selection criteria. The email excerpt given to the task force stated in part: "There have been several government funding programs that have become available over the last several years to address the rural broadband issues...The qualification today for a location to be considered 'serviceable' is 100 Mbps download speeds and 20 Mbps upload speeds." The response added that wired technologies (HFC or FTTH) typically meet those standards and that some recent program rules allow low-earth-orbit satellite and certain fixed wireless services in limited cases.

Task force members asked staff to pursue follow-up: DCS will continue direct outreach with ISPs on specific connection refusals, and county staff will coordinate with MEC and the affected homeowners to determine whether interim extensions or alternative technologies are viable.