Door County Board members could approve up to five companies to help residents and businesses connect better to the Internet.
Municipalities nationwide are working with providers to best use the millions of federal dollars available through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Kewaunee County Board Supervisors voted earlier this month to endorse Bertram Communications’ application for BEAD funding to support their broadband infrastructure project connecting 4,200 residents in underserved and unserved areas.
If approved by the Door County Board on Tuesday, Bertram Communications is in line for a similar project in Door County, building on their current relationships with the Village of Sister Bay and the towns of Baileys Harbor, Gibraltar, and Clay Banks. AT&T Wisconsin is slated for a BEAD-funded project benefiting the underserved and unserved areas of the Town of Nasewaupee and the Village of Egg Harbor. The company is already working with the towns of Egg Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, and Sevastopol. The parent company of nSight and Cellcom has been endorsed for a project in Door County, complementing their efforts in the Town of Liberty Grove and Washington Island. Connect Holding II has been chosen for the project serving the towns of Brussels, Union, Gardner, Forestville, and Nasewaupee, while Frontier North will work on a project in the Town of Liberty Grove. According to Broadband Coordinator Jessica Hatch, Door County has secured $8.2 million in funding for its broadband expansion efforts. Still, it recognizes that the BEAD grants will go a long way in connecting the entire county with high-speed internet.
When it meets Tuesday at 10 a.m., the Door County Board will also officially accept several grants from Destination Door County and the state and authorize the hiring of a construction manager for the proposed Door County Museum and Archives construction project.
