Tag Archives: Broadband

2025

Sept 17 BOCC: DHS – upcoming work Req., A holdup on Visionary Broadband’s New Tower

BOCC: DHS – Upcoming Work Requirement,
Hold Up on Visionary Broadband ‘s New Tower

by Michael Foster
The September 17th Board of County Commissioners meeting was held at All Aboard Westcliffe. Canda and Vogelsong were in person while Epp attended via Zoom. Vogelsong highlighted attending a meeting about fire mitigation and the importance of home defense zones for protecting your property. Epp discussed finishing up the audit with Sam DaNardo. Epp and county Finance Director Vernon Roth are working through filing the final paperwork online with the IRS but the system is problematic, freezing up and/or kicking them off. They are continuing to move the issues up the chain for assistance and to hopefully get everything done online. Epp suggests also sending the report via certified mail for proof of submission.
Canda reported that the Airport Board is working to get the survey completed using a surveyor and that they are finishing up within budget. Canda met with Mesa County Commissioners on an initiative to ban pornography for children under 18. There are several steps to the initiative since the county is going to work to ban it. How do you enforce it? How do you prevent it from getting into school and municipal buildings? The technology does exist to block this type of content and hold the provider accountable. Mesa County is on board to champion and implement this bipartisan issue.
Attorney Dan Slater had nothing to cover outside of the agenda. He will be online for an Executive Session for legal advice regarding pending employment litigation. Continue reading Sept 17 BOCC: DHS – upcoming work Req., A holdup on Visionary Broadband’s New Tower →

2018, BOCC

BOCC April 18 2018: BOCC: Cleanup Day Scheduled, Land Acquisition, Tower Electric Bills, Possible Weed Manager Share

Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC)

—April 18, 2018
WETMORE, Colo.

by Jackie Bubis

The meeting started at 9 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. Introductions of the public in attendance followed.
Chairman Tom Flower began with Attorney Items:
Attorney Roger Smith reported giving legal advice to Sheriff Shannon Byerly, attending the Justice Center Committee Meeting (see below for discussion of name change.) He also went to the Fire Ban Workshop, and drafted a letter to Tom Redmond regarding airport hangar space. Continue reading BOCC April 18 2018: BOCC: Cleanup Day Scheduled, Land Acquisition, Tower Electric Bills, Possible Weed Manager Share →

2018

“Wifi Towers” Still Possible w DOLA GRANT

“Wifi Towers” Still Possible:
DOLA Will Dole with Matching Funds

The Sentinel received a copy of the following Grant Response from DOLA to the BOCC Chair from Senator Crowder. We’ll provide more details in next week’s BOCC report.  The letter’s text is below:

—March 27, 2018

RE: EIAF 08635 – Custer County BB Infrastructure Expansion

Dear Chairman Flower:
The Department of Local Affairs is in receipt of your application for state Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance funds. These revenues are derived from oil, gas, carbon dioxide, coal, and metals extracted in Colorado. Continue reading “Wifi Towers” Still Possible w DOLA GRANT →

2018, BOCC

February 28th BOCC: Broadband, Personnel Policy, 4-H

Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC)

—February 28, 2018
WESTCLIFFE, CO
by Jackie Bubis
The meeting started at 9 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call. Introductions of the public in attendance followed.
The room was again packed with folks there to encourage the Board to vote yes on moving forward with the grant for the “broadband” towers.
Approval of the minutes of February 6th and 7th was unanimous.
Commissioner Items:
Commissioner Canda reported on attending the County Needs Assessment meeting as well as the CCEDC Workshop. Commissioner Printz attended both meetings as well.Chairman Flower went to the Fair Board meeting as well as these other two. Continue reading February 28th BOCC: Broadband, Personnel Policy, 4-H →

BOCC

BOCC Approves Broadband Tower Project with Contingencies to Protect the County

by Sentinel Staff

After much discussion, including a Custer County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) workshop on Monday, the Custer County Commissioners voted unanimously last Wednesday to move forward with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) potential grant for the CCEDC’s proposed broadband tower project, with the proviso that all bases are covered before the project actually commences.
Commissioners Bill Canda and Tom Flower expressed much concern over the many loose ends that will have to be tied up before the project can actually commence. With a time deadline of approximately one year for all the project’s unknowns to be resolved, there is a real possibility that the project still will not be able to be accomplished. Continue reading BOCC Approves Broadband Tower Project with Contingencies to Protect the County →

2018

The CCEDC’s Broadband Towers Proposal The $2 Million “Road to Nowhere”

by George Gramlich,
Managing Editor
Analysis and Commentary
Introduction

Custer County should not commit to supporting this venture that the Custer County Economic Development Committee (CCEDC) is proposing. Government should be limited, especially when it comes to entering a private sector marketplace (Just look at what happened to healthcare.)
Just from a business perspective, the proposal lacks a detailed business plan, market analysis, income/revenue projections, firm cost and liability projections competitive analysis (satellites, etc.), technology evolution projections, and county infrastructure requirements to support the towers. The proposal is fatally incomplete and would be laughed out of any CEO’s office.
For Custer County to make a 20-year financial and
liability commitment to this incomplete, flawed and certainly doomed project would be fiscally irresponsible and a complete disservice to its tax paying citizens. Continue reading The CCEDC’s Broadband Towers Proposal The $2 Million “Road to Nowhere” →

2018

CCEDC’s Broadband Tower Proposal Instant Obsolescence?

by Dan Bubis

Colorado law requires that municipalities hold a referendum before providing cable, telecommunications, or broadband service, unless the community is unserved. Our community is not unserved, we have several providers and yet we have not seen a ballot issue addressing whether taxpayer funding should go to providing either broadband or telecommunications. For the County to engage in the provisioning of these services they stand a reasonably good chance of being sued.

One of the major problems with the CCEDC’s proposal is that they don’t really have a plan beyond building towers. They have no commitments from any providers of Internet or Cellular service. While “if you build it, they will come” may work in a movie, businesses need more concrete commitments to ensure success. AT&T has demonstrated an unwillingness to increase their current equipment and they already have a tower. If the existing Internet providers could make the use case for additional towers, they would erect those towers. Perhaps the CCEDC is planning on providing access to the towers at no charge. Then how will maintenance and support be funded. See the map of DD Wireless (now Secom) towers for an idea of existing coverage. Continue reading CCEDC’s Broadband Tower Proposal Instant Obsolescence? →

Uncategorized

Comments on the CCEDC Broadband Tower Proposal

by Dan Bubis

Colorado law requires that municipalities hold a referendum before providing cable, telecommunications, or broadband service, unless the community is unserved. Our community is not unserved, we have several providers and yet we have not seen a ballot issue addressing whether taxpayer funding should go to providing either broadband or telecommunications. For the County to engage in the provisioning of these services they stand a reasonably good chance of being sued.

One of the major problems with the CCEDC’s proposal is that they don’t really have a plan beyond building towers. They have no commitments from any providers of Internet or Cellular service. While “if you build it, they will come” may work in a movie, businesses need more concrete commitments to ensure success. AT&T has demonstrated an unwillingness to increase their current equipment and they already have a tower. If the existing Internet providers could make the use case for additional towers, they would erect those towers. Perhaps the CCEDC is planning on providing access to the towers at no charge. Then how will maintenance and support be funded. See the map of DD Wireless (now Secom) towers for an idea of existing coverage. Continue reading Comments on the CCEDC Broadband Tower Proposal →

2018, Letters

Federal Broadband Definitions: The Impact on CCEDC’s Proposal

Editor;
I would like to address the issue of government run Internet provisioning as the Custer County Economic Development Corporation advocates. Because the issue is complex and I don’t want to chase rabbits, I will limit my concerns in this letter.
First, we need to define broadband. In 2015, the FCC changed the requirement for Internet speeds to be considered broadband from 4 Megabits per second download speed and 1 Mbps upload to 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up. That meant millions who had fast enough Internet speeds suddenly did not have “broadband”. The decision was completely arbitrary and capricious and was not based on any science. Continue reading Federal Broadband Definitions: The Impact on CCEDC’s Proposal →

2017, Archives, BOCC Meetings

BOCC: Wetmore Sink, New Health Insurance, CCEDC Grants, Live Streaming Issues

Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC)

—October 31, 2017
Westcliffe, CO
by Jackie Bubis
The meeting started at 9 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call. Mr. Kattnig was present via phone. County Attorney Smith was not in attendance. State Senator Crowder was visiting. Introductions of the public in attendance followed.
The Board approved the minutes from the October 18th meeting.
Commissioner Items
Commissioner Printz is working on the replacement for the sink at the Wetmore Community Center – after saying in the previous meeting that the Wetmore citizens were just stuck with it. The new one should arrive on Thursday.
Commissioner Hood commented that she has spoken with Centurlink and the phone lines that are in the tree at the Wetmore Community Center will be fixed no later than November 10th. She reported on attending the VSO workshop and commended Tim Swartz on the quality of the workshop.
Commissioner Kattnig had no items but welcomed Senator Crowder and also spoke of the success of the VSO.
Administrative Assistant Items
Mrs. Gaide reported that the grant for the Hermit Bridge project was received and that there needed to be a discussion with Road and Bridge Supervisor Hyde about what comes next. She stated that the live streaming test run last week revealed that the sound could not be heard. The work is ongoing to get that running. The contract with CTSI for health insurance was signed and meetings are set up with departments to get the applications completed. The savings to the county are in the range of $50K and she reported that the employees are pleased with the change.

Continue reading BOCC: Wetmore Sink, New Health Insurance, CCEDC Grants, Live Streaming Issues →