Burke County Broadband Network

Burke County, Georgia is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a full-service broadband service provider to design, build, operate, and support a rural fiber-based broadband network. The County has received tentative approval for a Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and seeks an experienced provider to deploy a 100/10 Gbps network with minimum symmetrical 100 Mbps/100 Mbps Fiber-To-The-Premise (FTTP) access to all unserved locations throughout Burke County, excluding the City of Waynesboro and areas with existing broadband service. The service area covers nine zip codes and ten census tracts, encompassing 898 identified unserved home and business locations and 6,521 underserved locations. Key deliverables include network design, deployment to all target locations, operational management, ongoing support services, and annual metrics reporting on miles completed, households passed, and subscribers added. The County has committed to a three-year build-out schedule, with construction required to begin no later than September 2026. Proposals must address network design affordability (25 points), service affordability (15 points), project viability including network capacity and organizational capability (30 points), and locality factors including local reference sites and customer support (30 points). Proposers must be experienced full-service broadband providers with preference given to those with at least ten years of documented rural FTTP broadband deployment experience in Southeast Georgia. Proposals limited to 20 pages single-spaced must be received no later than 5:00 pm EDT on March 4, 2026, submitted both electronically to merv.waldrop@burkecounty-ga.gov and in printed form to the Burke County Board of Commissioners.

The RFP does not reference specific set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions; however, all work is subject to Build America Buy America provisions, Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements, e-Verify compliance, and Department of Labor safety regulations. Proposers must obtain performance and payment bonds and comply with all federal infrastructure program requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the RFP, indicating a new broadband infrastructure project rather than a competitive renewal. The selected proposer must sign a Public-Private Partnership Agreement within 30 days of selection and maintain a three-year construction commitment. Burke County will consider only one proposal per provider, ensuring single-vendor exclusivity for this opportunity. While a specific budget or award value is not disclosed in the available documentation, the project's scope—encompassing nearly 900 unserved and over 6,500 underserved locations across multiple county areas—suggests a substantial infrastructure investment, likely in the multi-million dollar range given BEAD grant funding levels and rural fiber deployment costs.