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Jessica Hatch, Door County Broadband coordinator. File photo.<\/p>\n
County broadband office transitioning to a new phase<\/p>\n
All corners of Door County are one step closer to faster, more reliable internet. That\u2019s because preliminary federal awards show nearly $20 million for broadband expansion across the peninsula.<\/p>\n
The funding comes from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which recently announced the provisional awards under its Benefit of the Bargain (BOB) round \u2013 part of revised guidelines released June 6. Applications for<\/a> this round opened July 17.\u00a0<\/p>\n While awards are still preliminary, the scale of Door County\u2019s funding is the eighth highest in the state, according to Jessica Hatch, Door County broadband coordinator.<\/p>\n \u201cAll 5,975 eligible locations in the county will be covered under the current BEAD BOB round, bridging gaps identified in previous grant cycles,\u201d Hatch said. \u201cNearly $20 million in preliminary funding positions Door County as a leader in fiber expansion, with extensive<\/p>\n projects planned for both buried and aerial fiber infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n Funding and Award Breakdown<\/strong><\/p>\n The $19,923,531 in preliminary awards would fund 5,508 locations with fiber, 151 locations with licensed fixed wireless, and 324 locations with low-earth satellite.\u00a0<\/p>\n Door County had prioritized a fiber-to-the-premises approach from the beginning and Hatch said she was pleased to see the majority of the locations are still expected to receive fiber.<\/p>\n Municipalities that had already committed to a partnership with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) were not eligible for the BEAD awards and are already on their way to bringing fiber to their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n The provisional awards were distributed among ISPs as follows:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2022 AT&T<\/strong> \u2013 $678,907 \u2013 Serving 623 locations with 48 miles of aerial fiber and 112 miles of buried fiber.<\/p>\n \u2022 Bertram Communications<\/strong> \u2013 $1,329,906 \u2013 Serving 223 locations with 89 miles of buried fiber.<\/p>\n \u2022 Brightspeed\/Connect Holding<\/strong> \u2013 Serving eight Community Anchor Institutions in Southern Door with four miles of buried fiber; and $6,917,512 to serve 2,773 additional locations, with fiber mileage to be determined.<\/p>\n \u2022 Frontier Communications\/Verizon<\/strong> \u2013 $10,398,689 \u2013 Fiber broadband project that will serve 1,881 broadband serviceable locations with 412 miles of aerial fiber and 617 miles of buried fiber.<\/p>\n \u2022 NET LEC LLC DBA (Nsight Teleservices)<\/strong> \u2013 $112,517 \u2013 Licensed fixed wireless to 151 locations in the Town of Nasewaupee and one on Plum Island.<\/p>\n \u2022 SpaceX (Starlink)<\/strong> \u2013 $486,000 \u2013 Low Earth Orbit satellite service to 324 locations, primarily in the towns of Forestville and Brussels, with some in the Town of Union, and on Detroit Island and Rock Island.<\/p>\n ISPs bid on service areas not already covered by existing public-private partnerships or funding commitments. Frontier received the largest award, in part because it bid on the most units, including the Town of Liberty Grove, Door County\u2019s largest municipality by area.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey had a pretty sizeable award also because the municipality provided matching funds,\u201d Hatch said. \u201cLiberty Grove was the only municipality that provided matching funds.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/p>\n The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has submitted the final proposal<\/a> to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees the BEAD program. NTIA will make the final funding decisions. If approved, construction could begin in 2026, with providers given up to four years to complete their projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the meantime, the Door County Broadband Office will continue providing monthly status updates for all municipalities. The public can access these updates on the county\u2019s municipal dashboard<\/a> at fibernetdoorcounty.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n County Broadband Office Transitioning to Access and Support<\/strong><\/p>\n The county\u2019s broadband office and Hatch\u2019s position were created using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the $1.9 trillion stimulus package supporting recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n The County of Door received $5.37 million in ARPA funds in 2022, with $1 million allocated to create a broadband coordinator position. Hatch was hired<\/a> in April 2022.<\/p>\n At the time, County Administrator Ken Pabich projected the position would last eight to 10 years, and anticipated continued investment beyond ARPA. When asked for an update on those projections this week, he said he did not think they would need additional funds and still believes the position is in that eight-to-10-year window.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think it is critical to truly finish the project cycle,\u201d Pabich said. \u201cIf we have fiber in the ground, but it is not leveraged, then we have not completed the cycle. With this position, we are able to continue to work with communities to ensure final construction, project completion and now also ensure we are leveraging the technology.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Pabich said a lot has been achieved since Hatch\u2019s position was created.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe efforts that have been made put Door County in a position to be in front of the state and nation on deployment,\u201d he said. \u201cThe amount of fiber that will be deployed in Door County is amazing. This is all based on the local committees, the county committee and the work of the broadband coordinator position.\u201d<\/p>\n Hatch has helped shape the county\u2019s fiber expansion efforts by guiding municipalities through grant funding and ISP partnerships and providing communication, information and resource sharing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done everything we can locally to get us where we are \u2013 to get these grants and municipalities doing the work,\u201d Hatch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n With initial ARPA funds still available \u2013 Pabich said about $280,000 still remains from that $1 million allocation \u2013 Hatch\u2019s position is now transitioning to focus on helping residents adopt and benefit from the newly installed broadband services.\u00a0<\/p>\n This next phase echoes the approach taken after the 1936 Electrification Act, when home economists were deployed to help rural families learn how to use electricity in everyday life. Similarly, Hatch will assist residents in understanding the new services and using digital tools, whether for telehealth, remote work, or everyday transactions that increasingly require online access.<\/p>\n \u201cVeterans\u2019 services, for example,\u201d Hatch said. \u201cYou can\u2019t really do that without going online.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019ll also continue to monitor broadband progress and provide updates, while supporting digital skill-building, such as using laptops, accessing online medical care, or understanding infrastructure improvements. She plans to partner with local nonprofits already offering tech and digital literacy programs to expand awareness and reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n Hatch\u2019s oversight Broadband Committee\u2019s final meeting was Oct. 9. A new committee, if approved by the full county board, will begin in January 2026, with members drawn from fields like education, healthcare, libraries and nonprofits.<\/p>\n What\u2019s Happening With Broadband in Your Community<\/strong><\/p>\n The Door County Broadband Office provides monthly broadband work status updates for all municipalities across the peninsula. Find this municipal dashboard<\/a> at fibernetdoorcounty.org<\/a> by clicking on \u2018Work Product\u2019 in the left sidebar, and then \u2018Municipal Dashboard\u2019 at the bottom of the left sidebar.<\/p>\n Preliminary Award Locations<\/strong><\/p>\n Note that all municipalities not shown below were not eligible for federal BEAD funding because they already have partnerships and funding commitments and are at various stages of fiber-to-the-premises installations.<\/strong><\/p>\n Brussels<\/strong> \u2013 Over 380 locations, primarily for fiber through Brightspeed, with some SpaceX Low Earth Orbit satellite locations.<\/p>\n Ephraim<\/strong> \u2013 Over 50 locations awarded for fiber through Frontier.<\/p>\n Forestville<\/strong> (town) \u2013 Over 530 locations, primarily fiber through Brightspeed and Bertram Communications. The central part of the town was awarded SpaceX Low Earth Orbit satellite service.\u00a0<\/p>\n Forestville<\/strong> (village) \u2013 Over 200 locations awarded for fiber through Brightspeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gardner<\/strong> \u2013 Over 780 locations, with fiber split between Brightspeed and Bertram Communications, and a handful of SpaceX Low Earth Orbit satellite locations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Liberty Grove<\/strong> \u2013 Over 1,770 locations awarded for fiber through Frontier.<\/p>\n Nasewaupee<\/strong> \u2013 Over 1,215 locations with fiber through a mix of AT&T, Bertram Communications and Brightspeed. Also includes a corridor of fixed wireless service awarded to Nsight\/Cellcom, and a handful of SpaceX Low Earth Orbit satellite locations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jessica Hatch, Door County Broadband coordinator. File photo. 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