The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors pressed a Liberty Communications official for more detailed information about internet service availability for rural residents during their Monday, January 5th meeting, postponing final approval of a broadband contract until coverage maps can be provided.
Project Background
Liberty Communications General Manager Andy Meader appeared before the board to discuss the completion of a contract Jefferson County originally signed with Natel Broadband in September 2022. The agreement aimed to provide broadband internet to 2,600 rural homes across the county. When Liberty Communications of West Liberty purchased Natel Broadband in 2023, it inherited the contract.
The project totaled approximately $775,000, with roughly $500,000 allocated for wireless equipment, towers, and fiber optics. Funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Supervisor Susie Drish explained the reasoning behind the investment.
“I think when we started doing this, we looked at the best possible way to spend the ARPA money because so many people were having to work from home because of COVID, so it just helped people be able to do that,” Drish said.
Service Questions
Supervisor Lee Dimmitt raised concerns about whether the program successfully delivered broadband to all intended recipients, citing instances where residents who previously had internet service suddenly lost access over the past year.
Shawn Morrissey, the County Conservation Director who was attending the meeting for an unrelated matter, spoke up to say he experienced this exact problem. Morrissey stated he had service with Natel for 10 to 15 years before being notified last summer that it would no longer be available. He told Meader his house is located in a low-lying area of the county.
Company Response
Meader defended his company’s efforts, stating Liberty Communications erected 20 towers to maximize coverage across the county.
“Fixed wireless—so we have to cover anyone in the county that wants the service, but there is language for exceptions if we can’t get there, and there was a mechanism in the agreement to put up the towers if the standard coverage does not work,” Meader said.
He acknowledged that while rare, the company occasionally cannot reach certain properties. Meader explained that Liberty Communications faced unexpected complications near Libertyville when they were no longer permitted to use a particular parcel for signal routing. The company had only 30 days to identify a new property, and further complications arose from inadequate documentation for several customers in the area.
Meader also mentioned the company was still working to untangle complex arrangements the previous company used to serve some customers by routing signals through other customers’ properties.
“That is not the way we do business,” he said.
When asked about customer outreach, Meader indicated the company has been actively promoting the service.
“We have got the word out to a lot of folks. We just finished a couple of the sites last week, and we do have a waiting list of customers that are interested,” Meader said.
The Mapping Challenge
Supervisor Joe Ledger and Assistant County Attorney Ed Kelly requested Meader provide a map showing which areas of the county can access the new broadband infrastructure. Meader explained he couldn’t immediately produce such a map because a tool the previous company relied on—Google Network Planner—had been discontinued.
“When this project started, there was a product called Google Network Planner, and people could go in there and model coverage for free. That’s what Natel used. I think the first time I met with you guys, I communicated some frustration that Google Network Planner went away, and so we couldn’t come up with those maps as easily,” Meader said. “So, that was what was given originally—we can’t match that. But we have put our energies into broadband data collection. That’s where we report which residences we can serve. And so, we would just have to go build something with GIS and pull it out.”
Next Steps
Rather than voting to approve the project as complete, supervisors asked Meader to return to the next meeting on Monday, January 12th, with coverage maps showing service availability throughout the county. Meader agreed to attempt to have those maps prepared for the following week’s meeting.
The board’s decision to delay final approval reflects their commitment to ensuring rural residents receive the broadband access the project was designed to provide.
