Grand County declines to sign letter supporting Comcast BEAD application after local ISPs raise concerns

Comcast sought a county letter of support for a round‑2 BEAD broadband application to bring fiber service to 229 locations along US‑40 and nearby clusters. Andy Davis, Comcast's director of government affairs, described the project area and said the company would commit to a $94 monthly gigabit service price for 10 years and a roughly 24‑month construction timeline if funded.

Local ISPs pushed back during public comment. Richard Cimino, representing Electrify/Circle and noting his company recently acquired a local ISP, urged caution about issuing letters that could disadvantage local providers already serving customers and argued the BEAD program's terms favor large applicants. "Supporting the BEAD project in this case may not represent the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars," Cimino said. Joshua Nowak (operations) said his company already serves many of the addresses identified on state maps and warned overbuilding by grant recipients can undermine local competition. County IT Director Thomas Johnson said state broadband maps still classify a substantial share of county locations as unserved or underserved, supporting the need to pursue funding but also noting the differences among providers.

After extended discussion and questions about previous federal broadband programs that did not deliver connections in some counties, a commissioner moved that the board not sign a letter of support at this time. The motion passed by voice vote. Comcast said it would continue with its application process without the county endorsement.