Today, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution that will help the community prepare for future grant and funding opportunities to improve broadband infrastructure in underserved areas of the county.

The resolution is necessary for the state to designate Johnson County as a Kansas Broadband Ready Community, and is a step called for in the Johnson County Broadband and Digital Access Plan that the BOCC approved on March 27.

The resolution affirms that Johnson County meets the following minimum requirements of the state program:

• Having a designated point of contact
• Timely review of project applications within 30 business days
• Transitioning to electronic filing systems
• Ensuring reasonable filing fees
• Prohibiting discrimination in permitting procedures

The state’s Broadband Ready Community program seeks to empower Kansas communities in expanding broadband access and to ensure readiness for future grant funding opportunities and partnerships with Internet Service Providers.

There is no monetary cost associated with today’s resolution. Taken with the rest of the broader plan, the resolution continues to provide tools to expand and strengthen broadband services and digital access for residents and businesses in the county.