Minutes 09-16-2025-Business Meeting

Browse Search

23 broadband is not a regulated utility, and it is a shame. She said that this amendment is as far as they can get with Lumos. She said that she supported reconvening the broadband task force and pursuing any and all future options for service. She said that the County Attorney described what they can and cannot contract to do. She said she had heard from many people on how difficult internet access is, and this is a problem they want to solve. Vice-Chair Hamilton said the comment that they are between a rock and a hard place reverberates in her mind. She said part of the reason they are in this position is because internet is not treated like a regulated utility. She said they have limited funds as a county to meet the needs of residents. She said that she feels this is the best they can do at this time, although she is not in favor of the installment plan. She would like to see Lumos receive 92% of the funds when they complete all 665 homes. Chair Bedford said she was in favor of the amendment. She said that if they don't spend the funds, they go back to the federal government. She said that the proposal they negotiated is for flexibility on the payment schedule, and it was not supported by the whole Board. She said she supports moving forward with the proposal and not wait any longer. She said that the county applies for many grants, but they are considered a wealthy county. She said they will continue to work on it. She said they cannot put funds for broadband into the CIP, because it is illegal. She said that is a General Assembly issue. She said she wanted to get 665 houses served and get to work. Commissioner McKee said they are dealing with a multibillion-dollar company. He said their gross income was $81 billion. He said whatever they are losing is pocket change. He said whatever they are losing is due to their lack of due diligence. He said the company was being a bully because they decided to stop working when their margin didn't hit what they wanted. He said if they had, they would have had over 600 of those homes done. He said it is an insult to the county, and particularly because they are affecting people's lives. He described the ways lack of internet affects families. He showed three lists of addresses that would be served, those that are eligible for stop-gap funding, and those that are eligible for BEAD funding. He said that BEAD funding is unlikely due to the county's status as Tier 3. He said that the ARPA funds belonged to the taxpayers. He offered a different proposal, "Plan B", holding Lumos accountable and force them to resume work the following week and complete the project by December 31, 2026. He said if Lumos did not, they would move on without them. He said they could then allocate $10 million of capital funding to serve the remaining 1,183 homes. He said they could use that as an incentive payment. He said if T-Mobile wants to put fiber in the conduits, he has no issue, but he wants T-Mobile to be in or out. He also proposed offering an additional $3 million to T-Mobile to finish the project by December 31, 2026, as a "Plan C." He said they made a promise to people. He said this is an equity issue. He said that regardless of the outcome, he will continue to push this issue. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked for clarification of Commissioner McKee's proposed plan C. Commissioner McKee said they would receive a total of$9 million when all the homes on the list were hooked up. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked for clarification of Commissioner McKee's proposed plan B. Commissioner McKee said Lumos would go back to work on Monday morning, and if not, the county would inform them they were out of a job. He said the county would look for another provider. Commissioner Fowler said doing another RFP would put them farther behind. She said she would prefer to get as much as they can from this contract and then move forward. Commissioner McKee said he would have to have assurances that they would complete the project by 2026.