Alex Walters
Editor’s note: We’ve updated the headline story to clarify that Indian Electric Co-op is still in the early stages of the application process, and a decision has not yet been reached on whether or not this project will move forward. We’ve also included a post from their Facebook page below clarifying where they are in the process.
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David Wilson of Indian Electric Cooperative appeared before the Board of County Commissioners at its weekly meeting on November 1st with a presentation for the company’s broadband plans for the County.
Wilson stated they plan to bring fiber optics to everyone already in their service area for electricity, and need letters of support from the commissioners to help with their ARPA funds application.
The ARPA funds will help finance the broadband project. Newt Stephens of District #1 asked if Indian Electric would be building underground cables or building on existing poles, and warned that if they needed to go through ditches or roads, they would need to appear before the Board again with the proper permit applications.
Wilson assured Stephens they were planning to only build on existing cable poles, but that he will remember if something happens and they do need to dig. Stephens admitted sometimes things can go wrong, but that as long as the project follows county specs, everything should be fine.
Wilson added that they have the fiber cables ready at the substations, and they just need to connect them to homes.
As for the letter of recommendation, Leon Warner of District #2 said he could produce a letter signed by all members of the Board by the end of the day for the company’s application.
The BOCC has not seen many ARPA applications, but County Clerk Jennifer Mortazavi anticipates a large number of them soon, particularly from Mounds and Drumwright.
Indian Electric has published a post on their Facebook Page explaining that this is the first step in the application process, it and it could take some time for it to become a reality:
