In the County's efforts to expand rural broadband, we hear from internet service providers (ISP) that environmental permitting is a substantial challenge to complete projects in a timely and cost-efficient manner. As a result, the Broadband Work Group has led the effort to initiate a countywide environmental impact report (EIR) and a "tool kit" to help remove barriers to completing local "last-mile" projects.
In 2021, the County hired Ascent Environmental, Inc. to complete the Draft Programmatic EIR. The EIR is expected to take approximately 8-10 months to complete and will involve multiple opportunities for public engagement.