Red dot indicates underserved area

NEBRASKA CITY – Otoe County commissioners agreed Tuesday to send a letter calling for the federal government to reconsider cuts to the Biden-era Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program that provided funds for extending high-speed internet to rural areas.

Nebraska qualified for $405 million in BEAD funds and state officials say the funding is secure, but county commissioners say they have a received a map showing a reduction in the areas of the county eligible for BEAD projects.

The broadband availability map shows areas underserved by Internet near the Missouri River mostly south of Nebraska City.

The federal broadband map shows zero coverage along Interstate 29 from Nebraska City to the Missouri border.

There are also zero coverage areas north and west of Peru, northeast of Burr and south of Humboldt.

County Commissioner Chuck Cole said he received notice that out of 400 previously eligible locations, the new map has only 175 location.

Researchers at New York Law School found that more than half of locations originally eligible to receive federal broadband funding are no longer eligible.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick proposes changes to BEAD to allow states to use BEAD funding for satellite providers, which are already called the top Internet source for portions of western Otoe County near Lancaster County.