County to consider broadband proposal

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Hurley — The Iron County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday scheduled a public hearing for a broadband access project.

The 4 p.m. Aug. 31 hearing is to discuss the proposed Rural Open Access Design to Digital Equality agreement with Bugtussel Wireless. The meeting will be at the Iron County Courthouse conference room or the county Memorial Building.

The current service provides approximately 25 megabytes-per-second download, according to Mitchell Olson, director of network real estate for the Green Bay-based Bugtussel. The project would install 108.3 miles of fiber optic cable to provide one gigabyte or faster downloads to 844 residential and business locations in the county using a Gigabit Passive Optical Network service.

An open access protocol would encourage more third party fiber optics and network development in the county, he said. The long-term goal is to assure wireless interface within five to 10 years to address demand for the service by residents and businesses.

The company works with underserved rural areas to expand broadband access in partnership with local governments, Olson said. The $7,040,107 cost would be financed through grants from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, Rural Digital Opportunity Project, public bonds, private equity and investment, he said.

The county is a guarantor for a municipal bond but the company is paying for the financing and would ultimately be responsible for the costs through its assets, he said.

Some board members were concerned that the lifespan of the financing might outlast the technology it is paying for with county dollars. Others supported the idea but said a public hearing should be held for a decision that impacts so many people.

“I think the demand is there, but I can’t speak on behalf of 700 residents,” said Karl Krall, the board member from Gurney and Saxon.