Commissioners approve broadband contract

NORWALK — County commissioners Thursday morning approved a broadband contract that will bring reliable and affordable internet to more than 4,000 households in rural parts of the county. The contract, for $899,791.56, is with North Coast Wireless Communications (NCWCOM), LLC, and will be paid for with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. NCWCOM was the sole bidder for the project and the bid was reviewed by Huron County Network Administrator Joel Reidy. "It's a big deal," said Commissioner Skip Wilde, adding the move would mean "affordable and reliable" internet services for all of Huron County. According to NCWCOM's website, the Wellington-based company last fall was awarded a House Bill 2 Residential Broadband Expansion Grant. The grant was created to help internet service providers build the networks to serve Ohioans who currently cannot participate in the modern economy because of a lack of high-speed internet. Basically, it is to provide internet accessibility in areas that are unserved or underserved, their website said. The company has already committed to constructing Broadband Fiber Internet infrastructure that will allow accessibility to 324 addresses in Huron County. Upon completion of the project, residents in the project scope will have access to broadband service, with speeds of up to one gigabit download and one gigabit upload. By utilizing Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology, NCWCOM is able to scale the project to support future growth to support consumer and data demands. This most recent development means that as many as 4,278 additional households will have access to high speed internet in rural parts of the county over the next two years. "As each area is brought on line, they are going to canvas the area that the tower services with flyers and I think they'll promote it online too so everyone who lives in that area will be made aware," Reidy said. He said that services under the new contract won't be available throughout the county for up to six months. "It's going to be staggered," Reidy said. "We'll probably see the first ones in six months, but they have two years to complete the entire project. If everything goes right we'll probably see the project done in one year but they have two years to complete it." Meanwhile, commissioners talked about asking voters to renew a levy to support 911 services. The 911 5-year, .725 mill package was first approved in November 2019. Voters could be asked to renew the levy in November. The levy brings in about $920,949 per year, according to Auditor Roland Tkach. In other business: Commissioners are finally in the age of the color copier. Commissioners approved a lease agreement for the new color copier from Dex Imaging. The lease is $169.24 a month for 5 years. Commissioners heard about work on various county projects; among the projects being worked on are HVAC, electrical and ceiling work at the Huron County Recorder's Office, paint at the Huron County Auditor's Office, roofing and basement work at the Huron County Administration Building, concrete work at the Huron County Courthouse, and floors at Emergency Management office.