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East Central Energy describes cooperative model and mapping needs
Summary
East Central Energy officials said their polygon strategy prioritizes electric cooperative members and emphasized community letters of support and modest local match requests; they noted construction season, permits and locates remain constraints.
Dennis Rice, broadband manager at East Central Energy (ECE), described a cooperative approach focused on electric membership territories: ECE builds polygons (not linear corridors), prioritizes substations and targets member areas where the economics make sense. "As of today, we are we're on track to have a 5 year project," Rice said, describing a multi‑year schedule that includes Wisconsin territory work.
ECE representatives said their grants rely on community letters of support and small local contributions per polygon and urged counties and townships to coordinate permitting and outreach to speed deployment. They acknowledged they will not serve every non‑electric household by default, and that some pockets where another reliable fiber provider exists may be excluded unless economic terms change.
