Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Broadband topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Carver County approves extension request for Connect Up Carver fiber build to finish city builds
Summary
County fiber manager Randy Lease told the board the Connect Up Carver expansion needs more time due to industry delays and road-construction conflicts; the board approved a contract amendment extending the build schedule to allow completion of Victoria and Chanhassen city-build work.
Carver County commissioners approved a contract amendment June 2 to extend the schedule for the Connect Up Carver broadband expansion so the county can complete remaining city build work in Victoria and Chanhassen.
Randy Lease, CarverLink fiber manager, told the board the $14 million-ish Connect Up Carver project (about $2.5 million in county contribution) completed its rural portion in 2025 and left the city builds in Victoria (about 95% complete) and Chanhassen (about 10% complete) remaining. Lease cited labor and material shortages, market turbulence and multiple concurrent highway/road projects that required the contractor to delay sections of work. He asked the board to approve a contract amendment to extend the current June 30, 2026 deadline by three construction seasons to a new December 2029 target, and said there is no additional cost to the county for the extension.
Commissioners asked about whether large providers could supply the target 1-gig symmetrical speeds and about local-market competition; Lease said discussions with primary providers have been ongoing and that the county expects to reach near-complete coverage once partners finish upgrades. After brief discussion the board moved and seconded the amendment and approved it by voice vote.
Board materials and Lease's presentation noted the county's stated goal: 100% broadband coverage at minimum 1 gig symmetrical service for county residents in population centers and rural areas as the expansion completes.
