White River Valley Electric Cooperative Hosts County Commissioners for Broadband Talks
Branson, Missouri –
White River Valley Electric Cooperative (WRVEC) invited commissioners from the five counties within its service territory (Taney, Douglas, Ozark, Stone, and Christian) to hear its proposal for a potential broadband project, February 18, 2022. Commissioners from all counties except for Douglas County, who chose not to attend, were present at the meeting.
The WRVEC plan was presented to the group and provided an opportunity for the commissioners to ask questions of the Co-op team and of their fellow commissioners. The WRVEC proposal could bring fiber-to-the-home broadband internet service offerings to a large percentage of citizens in all five of the counties served. The project would be the largest investment made by the Co-op since it was first established in 1939, and thus would require multiple sources of financial support to be feasible. The WRVEC team is seeking support through public and private partnerships and grant monies from both the state and federal levels. The total project is estimated to be around 234 million.
The ask of commissioners is a minimum of ten million dollars across the five counties. The local funds requested are necessary for the broadband project to secure larger grants and they have been allocated to the counties through ARPA funds. These funds are specifically awarded to the counties for these type projects. There are various streams of funding that must be utilized to make the project a reality, but it can only proceed if the ARPA monies are secured first. Broadband projects are more likely to be funded if there is proof of public/private partnerships in addition to providing connectivity to rural areas that are considered by the government to be underserved or without service at all.
For more information about the project and to read the WRVEC Broadband Feasibility Study, visit www.whiteriver.org.
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White River Valley Electric Cooperative is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative dedicated to ensuring our members receive safe and reliable service in their homes and businesses across five southwest Missouri counties including Ozark, Taney, Stone, Christian and Douglas.
