Steve Huffaker

The meeting agenda includes officer and executive committee elections, voting on revised conflict of interest and purchasing policies, a vote on bylaws revisions, and audit approval. Additionally, the board will cover new member onboarding, project updates regarding BEAD, 2026 construction, affordability programs, and marketing initiatives, as well as a financial review of the dashboard.

The board discussed the successful achievement of grant construction requirements, including reaching specific mileage and passing thresholds, and outlined the next steps for documentation submission and invoicing. Executive committee elections were conducted with all previous members being reappointed. Administrative updates were made to the conflict of interest and purchasing policies to align with federal acquisition regulations and grant requirements. Additionally, bylaw revisions were approved, incorporating ethics requirements. Finally, the board reviewed and approved the audit report for the prior year, noting a clean opinion despite minor findings which were addressed through a corrective action plan.

The committee discussed the procurement of services for the affordable long drop construction program. Key decisions included the engagement of Eustace Cable Enterprises for relevant construction services and the selection of Alex Kelly to serve as the program manager to oversee the program's construction and coordinate with subscribers. The committee also discussed integrating the program manager into future committee meetings to ensure project alignment.

The meeting included a presentation on broadband buildout plans and upcoming bylaw amendments. A Nominating Committee was elected to prepare for the annual meeting. The Board approved a schedule change for future meetings to improve quorum, starting in June. Updates were provided on BEAD funding, the LEAF affordability program, marketing strategies, and customer satisfaction surveys. Financial updates covered ARPA fund usage, operational revenue, and upcoming audit preparations, followed by a discussion on subscriber pricing benchmarks and delegate appointments.

The committee discussed business strategy during an executive session. Key agenda items included the approval of revised bylaws to be presented to the Governing Board, plans for a conflict of interest policy, and the authorization of ARPA funds for drop design engineering services. Updates were provided regarding the 2025 audit, RFPs for the Long Drop program, permit lists for BEAD area sections, and construction grant closeout inspections. Additionally, the committee reviewed the status of network management policies and marketing feedback.