COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County broadband project which will provide internet service to underserved areas has gotten a financial shot in the arm from the federal government.
County Administrator Frank Walsh told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the county has been approved for a $1 million U.S.D.A. grant.
The Commissioners passed a conflict of interest policy covering all county employees last April as part of the grant’s requirements.
The Commissioners accepted a county broadband proposal from Frontier in December of 2022. Any potential partnership with Frontier was contingent on getting grant funds.
The Commissioners voted in March of 2023 to pledge $1 million of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act money to help fund the project if the county got a state grant.
That happened in June of 2023 when the county was awarded a Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) competitive grant from the State of Michigan.
The conflict of interest should cover all commissioners, administrators and officials. That s were the real issue is.