County Celebrates Broadband Project’s Completion

By Gordon HopkinsA number of officials attended a ribbon cutting for a completed fiber project that will provide 80 percent of Jefferson County with broadband internet, even as they acknowledged policy changes will make reaching the other 20 percent an uphill battle. The ribbon cutting occurred Friday morning, August 8, at the farm of Lonnie and Cindy Weichel of rural Jansen. It marked the completion of the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program project West of Plymouth in Jefferson County. Diode Communications partnered with Nebraska Broadband Bridge Funding administered by the Nebraska Public Service Commission and Jefferson County ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding to complete three projects in Jefferson County over the last three years. In attendance were Jefferson County Commissioners Mark Schoenrock and Danielle Schwab, and former Commissioner Gale Pohlmann. It was Schwab who estimated 80 percent coverage for the county.Fast and reliable internet service has become an economic necessity. Schoenrock likened connecting rural areas to broadband to other utilities, such as water and electricity, and sees it as just as much of a necessity. As such, it had always been the goal of commissioners to reach as close to 100 percent as possible. Unfortunately, policy changes at the federal level means that those areas may have to settle for wireless technology, which commissioners agree is not equivalent to broadband and not sufficient.The BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. and various American territories. Under the previous program guidelines, only “reliable broadband technologies” were considered when determining location eligibility, which included fiber optic, cable, DSL/copper, and licensed-spectrum fixed wireless. The revised guidelines require states to consider reported unlicensed fixed wireless coverage in addition to the previous set of technologies. Also in attendance at the ribbon cutting was State Senator Tom Brandt, who vowed continue the fight to reverse the federal government’s decision. He said he has been working with Nebraska’s federal delegates. Of U.S. Senator U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, Brandt said, “She understand the need. She gets it.”

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