BEATRICE – Gage County officials this week opted to delay approval of a permit sought by Pinpoint Communications to install a new communications line along South 1st road between Sargent and Dorsey.


Supervisor Emily Haxby sought the delay, to allow more time to see if the project conflicts with one the county has been undertaking with NextLink, partly funded by ARPA money.


"If you go aerial, and that's the way around this...then we are going into the funded area that we have already funded at $4,210 per home. And, it will overbuild our area at $25,500 per home. I would like to have more time to look at this. If we are allowing a fund of an overbuild at five times we already have funded it at, then I do have a problem."


Haxby has testified before the Nebraska Public Service Commission over her concerns that overbuilding of areas is being allowed, to bring broadband service to unserved, or under-served areas. "I don't think we should be supporting an overbuild at five times the cost, when we have grants out there that were not funded that serve people who have no service, at all."


Gage County Board member Gary Lytle was skeptical about delaying consideration of the utility permit sought by Pinpoint. "I don't think it's for us to tell businesses what they can, and can't do. Especially when they are funding it."


Haxby said the NexLink Project scored higher and requested a third-less funding through the Capital Projects Program….but was not selected.  Recent awards announced through the Broadband Bridge Funding Program had NextLink applying for grants for rural Adams, Rural Cortland and rural Wymore. But Pinpoint was the only provider selected in Gage County for funding in the Bridge Program. Haxby contends it represents a “100-percent overbuild”.


Haxby said she supports capitalism and competition in the market but says she cannot support a permit to overbuild an area using government subsidies.