Telecom gives county glimpse of broadband's future

...And the BEAD goes on

Bringing ARPA money into this partnership we have is at the forefront of something totally unique and effective in Iowa and I think we need to keep that going. So we're keeping an eye on this BEAD fund and will keep up with the board about how we can keep that structure and leverage going for future success.”

Mike Norris, SIREPA Administrator

LEE COUNTY - The currently-funded broadband expansion in Lee County has further reaching opportunities for county residents.

Tim Fencl, General Manager and CEO of Danville Telecom, told the Lee County Board of Supervisors the current project will give Danville Telecom a connection loop  including Lee County that will provide non-interrupted service for customers.

The current project is 57 miles of fiber optic cabling that will provide service to more than 120 homes currently without broadband service in the county, as well as an opportunity to enhance service along the corridor.

He also said there are other funding mechanisms on the horizon that could bring more broadband service to the area in the future.

Supervisor Ron Fedler asked Fencl specifically if the expanded service project, which received a $1.95 million grant from the county's $6.5 million in America Rescue Plan Act funds, would provide any service along West Point Road and County Road X23.

Fencl said there are plans to extend broadband south out of New London, but only to Skunk River, which separates Henry and Lee County.

"I just wanted answers for people that come to me who are not going to get initial access to this, that they understand from the profits (Danville Telecom) will reinvest and expand on it," Fedler said.

Fencl said residents can look on Danville Telecom's website to see where the expansion in service is planned.

Fencl told Supervisor Rick Larkin that it could be up to 10 years before the entire county has broadband access.

Danville Telecom partnered with Southeast Iowa Regional and Economic Port Authority to foster the project in southeast Iowa.

As part of that agreement SIREPA will own the fiber optics network for 10 years and Danville Telecom will pay a $95,000 annual lease payment to SIREPA, which is to be used to leverage additional funds for county broadband expansion.

"The takeaway is that we want people to understand this project is just not helping the people along that route. It's much bigger than that and will continue to give back over the next decade," said Supervisor Garry Seyb.

"To me, this is just a model of what, as a county, we should be looking at. The decision this board made was really awesome."

Fencl also brought up the federal Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program that is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

That act includs $42.45 billion in funding for the BEAD program, which is focused on connecting underserved areas by funneling money through state grants. The legislation gives the National Telecommunications and Information Administration authority over the program. How long it will be before grants are awarded is still unclear.

Under the program, each of the 50 states will receive an initial allocation of $100 million from the $42.45 billion pot, with additional funding to be distributed based on coverage maps that have yet to be put out by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Fencl said that amount could expand to as much as $400 million in Iowa, according to conversations he's having with officials about the program.

In order to receive funding, each state must submit a five-year action plan that identifies locations that should be prioritized for support; outlines how to serve unconnected locations; and assesses how long it would take to build out universal broadband.

State-level grant opportunities will be open to cooperatives, non-profits, public-private partnerships, private entities, utilities, and local governments. Grant recipients are required to deliver service offering speeds of at least 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream and provide at least one low-cost service plan for subscribers.

Seyb said the lease payments that go back to SIREPA for using the fiber optics could be used to leverage additional state and federal funding to increase broadband coverage.

Mike Norris, SIREPA's administrator, said the Danville Telecom project structure was recognized by Iowa's Office of the Chief Information Officer, as one of the most innovative project structures of any submission.

"Bringing ARPA money into this partnership we have is at the forefront of something totally unique and effective in Iowa and I think we need to keep that going," he said.

"So we're keeping an eye on this BEAD fund and will keep up with the board about how we can keep that structure and leverage going for future success."