County hears update on Mount Roberts broadband project; contractor cashflow problems led to handoff plan

County staff briefed the Board of Supervisors on progress and recent problems with the Mount Roberts broadband project, which staff said was awarded roughly $65 million in state funding.
The project manager told the board the build initially progressed quickly, but months of falling invoice submissions signaled budgetary trouble. The manager said an investor group for the original contractor “did not get approval early on in the year to be able to continue with this,” and the contractor subsequently stopped billing.
Staff said they worked with project partners and Department of Housing and Community Development (referred to in the record as DHT) to shift remaining construction to Citizens, an internet service provider, to complete the network in areas where the original contractor will not finish. The project manager said Citizens had confirmed prior authorization to proceed on remaining passes after the state checked counts and permitting work was underway.
When asked about timing, staff said Citizens expects to begin permitting and ground work within weeks and that some residents could receive service as segments are completed, while a more complete buildout could extend toward November. Staff cautioned that permitting, weather and contractor availability could change timelines.
Supervisors and staff discussed contract retainage and remedies. The manager said the contractor’s failure to submit bills and to continue work reduced the county and state leverage on contract completion; staff said the change to Citizens was intended to ensure final coverage for all promised passes and to finish the build in a more timely way.
No formal board vote to change the grantee or award contracts was recorded at this meeting; staff said memoranda of understanding and contract amendments remain to be signed and that the final authorization step was pending.
Residents and a supervisor at the meeting expressed relief that progress resumed but also said they remained concerned about service quality and the sequence of customers served across the county.