County staff reviews broadband BEAD/ARDOF maps and flags reporting anomalies

Scott, a county staff member, told the Washington County Public Works Committee the packet includes two maps showing residential broadband projects and completed status, and that funding from BEAD and ARDOF is driving much of the recent build-out.

The presentation explained the maps’ color coding: "the green ones that were areas are served by broadband" where service is available in the public street; "the light blue is BEAD funded"; and the light-tan areas show ARDOF projects under way. Scott said a separate status map shows many previously tan areas now marked green because projects are completed, especially in the northern part of the county.

Why some addresses remain labeled unserved, Scott said, often comes down to reporting: "if you look at a lot of those red dots, they're typically very close to a green dot, a blue dot, or or a tan dot. Uh so we we think a lot of those are just address anomalies" reported to the Public Service Commission. He gave the example of adjacent neighbors where two have service and the one between them does not, which he called "very, very odd" and likely a data artifact.

Committee members asked whether the maps account for satellite and 5G alternatives; Scott said the maps reflect fiber in the ground and that satellites and 5G are available countywide as alternatives but the map’s purpose is to show where fiber has been installed. He said some residents may choose not to subscribe or face obstacles such as long driveways that increase installation cost. "Anybody who wants to have broadband probably has it available in the county," he said, noting different decisions by households can explain perceived gaps.

The committee also asked for clearer city labeling on printed maps; Scott said municipal boundaries are shown on the map and staff can add clearer city labels (Slinger, West Bend, Hartford) in future packet materials. A committee member asked why Boltonville shows many options; Scott said that corridor has multiple vendors and nearby towers and historically was underserved, which made it a candidate for federal or state funding and multiple providers.

The committee did not take action on broadband; the briefing was informational. Committee members directed staff to provide clearer maps and noted the county will continue to track BEAD and ARDOF project progress and reported PSC data anomalies.