The Kewaunee County Board paved the way for a second provider to bring a stronger, faster internet connection to your home and business. The board voted 17-0 to endorse Bertram Communications' application for BEAD funding to support their broadband infrastructure project in the area. County officials met with four providers to search for a company that could help the county provide internet service to approximately 4,200 addresses that are unserved or underserved in BEAD program-eligible areas. The resolution states that the county plans to provide in-kind contributions toward Bertram's 25 percent match obligation by waiving all county permitting fees related to the installation of conduit, network switches, network interface devices, and other components. It will also make some county-owned land available for the installation of broadband equipment and be the liaison between Bertram Communications and municipalities within Kewaunee County. Supervisors spoke about the resolution for approximately 15 minutes, with Supervisor Aaron Augustian and others questioning what this would do with the county's current agreement with Bug Tussel and their efforts to bring better internet to other parts of the county. Kewaunee County Administrator Jeremy Kral and Board Chairperson Dan Olson said that they do not expect it to be an issue and that they went with the proposal that could bring the greatest impact to the taxpayers.

The rest of the meeting went quickly, with Supervisor Scott Jahnke sharing a positive start to the season for Kewaunee Winter Park and Supervisor Milt Swagel raising up Lakeshore CAP's efforts to track down the homeless in the community.