HENDERSON COUNTY–Henderson County Commissioners’ Court voted Nov. 7 to approve an agreement with Brightspeed (Connect Holding II LLC) to enhance broadband services, related to American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund projects.
That means Henderson County is wrapping up its part of what the court described as a “long process” to use federal COVID relief money to bring high-speed internet to underserved, rural areas of the county.
“This is one of the economic game changers when it comes to impacting future growth,” County Judge Wade McKinney said. “This is a wonderful opportunity that we’ve got in front of us.”
McKinney said the county will use $2.3 million in ARPA funding toward the total price of $8 million for the rural broadband project, impacting 5,000 locations in the county. Brightspeed was awarded the bid earlier this year, the county judge continued, culminating in contract approval Nov. 7.
The broadband project also will include state and local funding, McKinney added, along with other forms of federal funding. Bringing broadband will be what McKinney called a continual process to “expand out.” The county judge said there’s not enough funding to do everything “completely at once.”
The download speeds will be 200 megabits to 1 gigabit per second, McKinney told the court, “completely a quantum leap from where we are now,” the judge said. County Information Technology Director Josh Brock said the original request for proposals asked for at least 100 megabit download speed, combined with at least 100 megabits per second for upload.
The project is aimed at areas not as densely populated and which otherwise would be more likely to have private investment to provide service, “which is why the federal government is putting money into it,” McKinney said.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Chuck McHam said the county “has taken our time to get the best bang for our buck.” McHam hopes to eventually have the whole county covered with high-speed internet, but “will have a big slice after this.”
The court also approved rural fire protection contracts with volunteer fire departments (VFDs) and the Henderson County Fire Chiefs’ Association. McKinney said there are two contracts, one with the fire departments and one with the association. The fire chiefs’ group gets $9,000 for items such as “perpetual care” of their training location and helping other departments get their first responder certifications, according to McKinney.
The judge said two changes to the rural fire protection contracts include VFDs reporting fire numbers monthly to the county fire marshal as well as part of the reporting process of expenditures of funds from the county “be those related to non-expenditures of the ESDs (emergency services districts).”
McKinney said VFDs in ESDs with revenue above $250,000 will no longer receive county funding, and the county will redirect that money to smaller fire departments.
In other business, the court:
• Reappointed Kim McClaskey, Todd Miller and Earl Beets to the ESD 2 Board of Commissioners, for a term ending December 31, 2025, located in Precinct 2.
• Approved a donation of $8,000 from Red Hill Cemetery for road material to be used on the north section of the cemetery, related to an Oct. 31 interlocal agreement for the county to do road work there.
• Approved right-of-way permits for Charter Spectrum to install fiber-optic cable and associated utilities along County Roads 3302 and 3404, located in Precinct 3.
• Approved a right-of-way permit for Bethel-Ash Water Supply Corp. to install a water line along Lakefront Shores Drive, located at Lake Athens in Precinct 4.
• Approved paying fiscal year 2023 bills of $679,523.74, along with fiscal year 2024 bills of $42,191.16.