The Caledonian Argus reports…

The Brownsville City Council met on April 2 to tackle a wide range of issues, including broadband access, city equipment updates, and sewer infrastructure concerns.

John Tabbert, the marketing and sales manager at Acentek, presented details about a federal grant the company is applying for to expand fiber optic internet service. The BEAD (broadband equity access and development) federal grant would cover 189 underserved addresses in the Brownsville area, totaling a $5.6 million project.

While the grant does not directly benefit most city residents at this stage — due to existing internet providers like Mediacom claiming sufficient speeds — Tabbert explained that installing infrastructure in surrounding areas could pave the way for more affordable expansion within the city limits.

”The main part of the city is not included, because the available bandwidth there is higher than what their standard is,” Tabbert said. “But there’s several surrounding homes within the city limits, and then of course beyond that into the rural space, that are eligible. So, you might ask, well, we really wanted it within our own city, so why would we support it? If we can get this grant, it benefits the city because we will have to build all the infrastructure to get closer to the city, so as the next series of bills are up for consideration, that infrastructure will be in place that would be much less costly for us.”

After learning a resolution of support from the city would increase the proposal’s competitiveness, the council agreed to support the grant application.