logo

Stew Lilker’s

Columbia County Observer

Real news for working families.  An online newspaper

County Commission/Florida News

North Florida Broadband Authority: Columbia County Pulls Out of Obama Funded Stimulus Project

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night, Columbia County made its voice heard throughout North Central Florida to Washington, DC, to the West Coast and all points in between, when it approved a resolution by Vice Chair Stephen Bailey to withdraw from the troubled Obama Stimulus Funded North Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA). As the Commissioners voiced disappointment that the promise of the NFBA was not met and the unserved and underserved of North Central Florida and Columbia County would not have high-speed Internet, the NFBA brass sat silent in the audience.

This is a tragedy of wasted money that could have gone to a good cause, and the only thing I can see is mismanagement.
                                             
Commissioner Rusty DePratter

As the meeting got underway, County Commission candidate Mike Gordon came to the microphone and voiced support for Commissioner Bailey's upcoming resolution to withdraw from the North Florida Broadband Authority. Mr. Gordon echoed the sentiment of all County Commission candidates, candidates with whom the Observer had spoken, when he told the Commission, "The goal posts keep getting moved. The Federal programs offer a lot on promises and are short on delivery. I hope you'll do as many other government agencies have done – say that we can do better. I hope you take definitive action."

Commissioner Stephen Bailey: He laid it out; asked for support; put his reputation on the line

Commissioner Stephen Bailey
Vice Chair Stephen Bailey listens as other commissioners give their opinions of his resolution to withdraw from the NFBA.

Commissioner Bailey began by giving a brief rundown of the history of Columbia County's involvement with the NFBA. He explained that the purpose of the grant was to bring broadband Internet service into the unserved and underserved areas of rural North Central Florida. Commissioner Bailey said [in 2009] many areas in Columbia County and rural North Central Florida had areas where only dial-up service was available. Commissioner Bailey said that he understood that if the grant were secured, "We would not be competing with the private sector that was selling Internet service. The grant was to help get service into the rural areas."

Commissioner Bailey explained that after the allegations of wrong doing against the NFBA, he and others tried to get explanations regarding the charges. Commissioner Bailey said, "They tell us they're not true, but they are unwilling to provide us with any data."

Commissioner Bailey explained that with the exception of the NFBA's attorney's billing records [Jennifer Springfield], Columbia County has not received any of the information that it has requested from the NFBA through a recent public records request.

Commissioner Bailey asked for the support of the Board for a resolution that he had prepared withdrawing Columbia County from the NFBA.

He said the NFBA had not provided an operational plan showing how it was going to serve the rural areas, nor did it provide the information showing how it would be financially solvent at the conclusion of the grant period [January 31, 2013].

He told the board, "I cannot understand why we cannot get that information. I feel that it is in our best interest to withdraw from the Broadband Authority."

The Commissioners Weigh In

Com Ronald Williams
Long time Com Williams shows his disappointment in the failure of the NFBA.

Longtime Commissioner Ronald Williams told the Board that he was disappointed that the stimulus money did not go to improve Internet service in rural areas of the County, but instead went into areas like Lake City where high-speed Internet already exists.

"It is also troubling to me that so many other municipalities have withdrawn their support for this organization [NFBA]... We ask for things, but we get no answers. I don't want to be part of a partnership where the people don't answer my questions. I'm dumbfounded. Where does that leave rural Columbia County?" he asked.

Com Jody DuPree
A thoughtful Com DuPree listens to the debate before weighing in.

Commissioner Jody DuPree said he thought that the original plan from 2009 would have addressed Commissioner Williams' issues and would have been the solution, "using taxpayer dollars."

Commissioner DuPree said, "It appears that the emphasis is now to go into the areas where the customers are; we're going to compete with the private sector and then once that we develop that, we can expand into the rural areas to meet the concern that was addressed in the beginning."

"The trouble with that is we now have the government competing with the private sector... That is not a good place to be," he said.

Commissioner Bailey added, "The original grant said they would be completed by 2012. On October 4th, they stood here and told us the network was not complete."

Com DePratter
Com DePratter spoke for all the municipalities that have withdrawn from the project when he spoke of the tragedy of wasted money.

Commissioner Rusty DePratter entered the conversation. "My biggest problem is we asked them for information and we didn't get it. I just don't see how, that when the grant money runs out, they are going to be able to pay their bills. They didn't show us any way. Where is that money going to come from unless it comes from more government grants that we don't know anything about?"

Commissioner Williams, "I'm disappointed and I'm upset."

Commissioner DePratter, "I hope everybody feels this way. I feel like this is a tragedy of wasted money that could have gone to a good cause, and the only thing I can see is mismanagement."

Commissioner Bailey, "No doubt about it."

Chairwoman Frisina called the question.

Columbia County unanimously withdrew from the North Florida Broadband Authority.

Epilogue

Columbia County, the Gateway to Florida and the what many feel is the lynch pin of the NFBA, stood by as long as it could observing the mismanagement of the NFBA; the mismanagement of the federal stimulus money; the outrageous salaries of the federally funded organization; and hiring, procurement, Sunshine and public records practices which other municipalities had recognized as defective sometime before.

Columbia County bent over backwards and looked the other way until it could look no more.

Commissioner Stephen Bailey put his reputation on the line in moving for the withdrawal of the County from the NFBA. Columbia County's Board stepped up to the plate.

The failing NFBA is still under investigation by the Federal Government.

This story is not over yet. 

Comments  (to add a comment go here)

On Nov 14, citizen49a from Lake City wrote:

There are still plenty of troubling unanswered questions about the NFBA, but we know know enough that anyone with a lick of financial or political sense knows better than to get close enough to touch them with a ten foot pole.

The Commissioners understand that, but what's going on with the City of Lake City? Are they still playing footsie with this bunch? Did they enter that lease to give away tower rental space to this gang that couldn't create a viable business with $30 million in giveaways to get them started?

Is the City still going ahead with their plan to buy the Powers building and give it to the gang, together with a no interest construction loan to renovate it?

It's clear now to everyone that NFBA is financially bleeding to death before our eyes. Any taxpayer money that the City spends to enter agreements with NFBA is going to where most of the $30 million went, down the drain. If the City fails to recognize that and avoid further entanglement with the broadband gang, when everyone else with any sense has walked away from them, then it's time to ask why, and compel them to provide a formal answer.

This work by the Columbia County Observer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Meeting Calendar
No need to be confused - Find links to agendas and where your participation is welcome.
 
 

Make a comment • click here •
All comments are displayed at the end of the article and are moderated.
(1 comment)

 
 
Links to the NFBA series:

North Florida Broadband Authority:
Baker County becomes the 7th north central Florida county to pull out of Obama stimulus funded NFBA

(Part XXXVII) (February 19, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Feds put failing stimulus funded NFBA on life support. 3yrs and $28+ mil later, 60 customers and no revenue model.
(Part XXXVI) (February 15, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Former Board Clerk sues NFBA for wrongful termination and violation of her constitutional rights
(Part XXXV) (January 30, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: $30 mil later N. Central Florida Regional Planning Council - clueless
(Part XXXIV) (January 25, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: After General Counsel's response, FL's Public Record Laws remain the latest casualty
(Part XXXIII (b)) (January 8, 2013)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: FL's Public Record Laws the latest casualty
(Part XXXIII) (January 6, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Foot dragging, lack of info cause Suwannee Cnty to call "strike 3" on the NFBA – They're out
(Part XXXII) (January 3, 2013)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Suwannee County tells the NFBA – One more strike and you're out
(PartXXXI) (December 20, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Wracked by gross mismanagement from the feds on down, the NFBA has become the poster child for non disclosure
(Part XXX) (December 18, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: More bad news. Last Mile Wifi CEO, "I knew they were going to extort me."
(Part XXIX) December 10, 2012

North Florida Broadband Authority: NFBA failed to make the grade in Gilchrist County
(Part XXVIII) (November 29, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Columbia County Pulls Out of Obama Funded Stimulus Project
(Part XXVII) (November 2, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: The NFBA road show traveled to an unprepared Columbia County with misinformation, half truths, and just plain lies
(Part XXVI) (Posted October 9, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Woebegotten Stimulus funded authority gets another black eye. No one bids to service the $30 mil 14 county network.
(Part XXV) (Posted October 1, 2012)

• North Florida Broadband Auth: Another County pulls out. Dixie says throwing away money a major issue.
(Part XXIV) (Posted September 13, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: NFBA road shows moves to Lake City for a double dose of free money
(Part XXIII) (Posted September 5, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Secrecy and a lawyer's spread sheet. It's business as usual at the NFBA.
(Part XXII) (Posted August 22, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority:  Mainstreet Broadband, NFBA's touted business partner, goes bust
(Part XXI) (Posted August 2, 2012)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Two cities say "no mas." Refuse free tower space to NFBA
(Part XX)  (Posted July 26, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Taylor County Says Goodbye, "I don't think our county should be involved."
(Part XIX) (Posted April 18, 2012)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Perry Pulls Out, City Manager tells Council, "It's just out of whack"
(Part XVIII) (Posted April 11, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Bradford County Says "No Mas" – Pulls Out
(Part XVII) (Posted April 4, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Operating in the shadows with the help of the Feds, the NFBA saga continues
(Part XVI) (posted March 29, 2012)

Lake City, City Manager Wendell Johnson looks to make White Elephant deal with troubled North Florida Broadband Authority
(Part XV) (Posted Feb 28, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Propped up by the Feds, financed by the American People - Who can you trust?
(Part XIV) (Posted Feb 25, 2012)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant." Not for them

(Part XIII) (Posted Jan 13, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
A Lawyer's Dream. A Look At The Numbers
(Part XIIb) (Posted Dec 29, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
A Lawyer's Dream. Money Is No Object
(Part XIIa) (Posted Dec 28, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
Feds come to town – Working under the cover of darkness was their MO

(Part XI) (Posted November 23, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority:
Feds continue investigation - Interim GM rehires resigned firms employees

(part X) (Posted Nov 11, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: "The greatest threat to this project is the Government"
(Part IX) (Posted November 2, 2011)

• Federal grant for broadband access in rural Louisiana rescinded: Could the North Florida Broadband Authority Be Far Behind?
(Posted October 28, 2011)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Redefining "Good Business Sense?"
(Part VIII) (Posted October 25, 2011)

• North Florida Broadband Authority: Feds resume funding – Put small vendors first
(Part VII) (Posted October 20, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Small vendors in big trouble | NFEDP/FSU's Hendry may resign (Part VIb)  (Posted Oct 14, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: Blood in the street (Part VIa)  (posted Oct 13, 2011)

North Florida Broadband Authority: "I don't want to die on principle and not have broadband." (Part V)  (posted Oct. 6, 2011)

NFBA future in limbo - Fed keeps funds locked down - Suspend project  (Part IV) (posted Sept 28, 2011)

The North Florida Broadband Authority. Its world was about to change (part III)  (posted Sept 16, 2011)

"I think we have a failure to communicate." The N Florida Rural Broadband saga continues (Part II)  (posted Sept 14, 2011)

Feds close spigot on $30 million broadband stimulus grant. 15 north central Florida counties waiting for money to flow again
(Part I)  (posted Sept 12, 2011)