The Grayson County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution reassigning the county’s existing agreements with U.S. Cellular to T‑Mobile and moved forward with plans to build three towers that will carry new public‑safety radio equipment and commercial cellular and fixed wireless service.

County staff and outside consultants told the board that T‑Mobile completed a July acquisition of U.S. Cellular’s retail wireless business and will assume the company’s prior obligations in Grayson County. "As most of you probably know, in July, T‑Mobile closed on the transaction to take over all of U.S. Cellular's cellular service business," county project staff Tom said, according to the meeting transcript.

The reassignment applies to the portion of a multi‑part agreement in which the county provided a grant to place cellular equipment on poles and required the provider to maintain antennas for a set period. County staff said passing the resolution approves the amended agreement and authorizes the chairman or vice chairman to sign the paperwork.

Why it matters: The agreements underpin a countywide upgrade to 9‑1‑1 dispatch, public‑safety radio redundancy and expanded Internet and cellular coverage in parts of the county that have had limited service. Staff emphasized that the county's tax‑exempt grant funds are restricted to 9‑1‑1 equipment purchases and the grant for cellular equipment and cannot be used for tower construction; federal auditors will review account allocations when the project closes.

Board discussion and vote

Board members discussed whether the resolution alone was sufficient to effect the contractual changes. County staff advised that passing the resolution would both approve the agreement and authorize execution: "Passing the resolution approves the agreement and authorizes the chairman or vice chairman to sign and have it delivered to the company," Tom said.

A motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded; a roll call was taken. The meeting transcript records the motion, second and roll call and indicates the resolution was before the board for action.

Construction timeline and site selection

County staff and engineers provided a construction update for three tower sites that are part of the comprehensive project. Timetables given at the meeting: Quillen (Quinlan) Ridge was projected to start before Thanksgiving (11/17), White Top construction could begin after planning approvals on Dec. 8, and Walnut Knob permitting was expected to finish in time for a March 23 start. Staff said towers will be brought online individually as they are completed.

Engineers recommended a White Top siting known in the materials as the Greer property; staff reported the Greer site would deliver about 99.3% coverage on the engineers' propagation maps compared with roughly 93% if the tower were moved to an alternate site owned by the local volunteer fire and rescue department. The fire‑and‑rescue site would require a taller structure (engineers estimated roughly 265 feet versus 225 feet) and substantially higher access improvements and construction costs. "If we were to move the tower, we get less coverage, higher sub tower, and a much higher cost. And it would delay our project 12 to 15 months," Tom said.

Board members acknowledged community concern about tower visibility but stressed public‑safety benefits. One supervisor summarized the trade‑off: better coverage for emergency communications versus local objections to tower siting.

Project finances and federal reporting

Staff said the county has already purchased most of the new 9‑1‑1 equipment and is holding approximately $377,000–$378,000 as a withholding until the final pieces of equipment are installed on the new towers and engineering testing is completed.

The county also is reconciling account entries after finding some costs coded inconsistently between the broadband and 9‑1‑1 funds; staff expects that reconciliation to be complete in about a week and said federal auditors will review the project at closeout. The meeting record includes a note that the Tobacco Commission granted permission to extend approximately $300,000 for equipment rather than limiting it strictly to tower work.

Point Lookout tower, HOA dispute and customer impacts

Staff reported an upcoming Oct. 18 homeowners‑association meeting about the Point Lookout tower property, which the county owns. Some HOA board members have argued the county should not allow Internet providers to use the tower. County attorneys advised that removing those providers could be legally forced and that such a removal would affect about 320 families who currently receive service via that tower. Staff said the county would seek a 12‑month transition period if the HOA required removal so alternate service arrangements could be developed.

Other items discussed

- Wire‑growth (county broadband/fiber) assets: staff said they are finalizing an agreement with a vendor to take over certain wire‑growth assets and that the county will decide what to do with existing infrastructure including a tower at Grant Grange. A specific vendor name and schedule for transition were not specified in the transcript.

- Interoperability grant: Grayson participated with Carroll County and another locality in a cooperative federal grant (about $3 million total). The county’s share covered dispatch equipment, recorders, microwave transmission gear and radios; staff said roughly $2.5 million of purchases had been made countywide and that the grant closes in March 2026.

- Federal broadband awards (referred to in the record as "B funding"): staff said awards were smaller than expected, with a limited amount allocated to providers serving parts of the county. Staff and board members reiterated that scattered terrain and low density make full countywide coverage challenging and that satellite service will remain the fallback for a small number of locations.

Ending

Board members and staff said they want to proceed quickly while addressing community concerns about aesthetics and access. The board approved the reassignment resolution, and staff will follow up with final agreement dates, the pending HOA meeting on Oct. 18 and the completion of federal grant reconciliation work.