Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 4, 2018 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 6 -a <br />1 <br />SUBJECT: Approval of Contract with Open Broadband, LLC for Broadband Infrastructure <br />Development for Unserved Areas <br />DEPARTMENT: Information Technologies <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1. Contract <br />2. Service Area Map <br />3. Mutually Agreed Test Sites <br />4. Town of Hillsborough Letter of <br />Intent — Broadband Antennas <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Jim Northrup, Chief Information Officer, <br />919- 245 -2276 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving a contract with Open Broadband, LLC to develop the next <br />generation broadband infrastructure needed to meet the needs of unserved and underserved <br />Orange County residents and incorporate broadband solutions and business models that are <br />innovative, scalable and serve today's needs, thereby providing maximum benefit to Orange <br />County residents. <br />BACKGROUND: In Fiscal Year 2017 -18, funds were budgeted to create a scalable broadband <br />solution to foster innovation, drive job creation, stimulate economic growth, and serve new areas <br />of development in the community and also to provide a flexible menu of retail services that <br />offers new or enhanced service. Current estimates indicate that there are approximately 4,937 <br />residential address points in underserved areas. The Service Area Map provided at Attachment <br />2 depict these points, <br />• There are 2,342 residential address points in the underserved Service Areas 1, 2, and 3. <br />• There are 331 residential address points in Service Area 10 <br />Orange County issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the next generation <br />broadband infrastructure needed to meet the needs of these unserved and underserved <br />residents. Multiple vendors submitted initial proposals covering some of the service areas. <br />Three of the four proposals suggested pilot projects to prove that an economically sustainable <br />business model would result. <br />The pilot projects outlined in the attached agreement will have a 36 month duration at which <br />time the projects will be re- evaluated for economic viability, with no obligation for continued <br />County support beyond what is stated in the contract. <br />This initiative is part of a multi -track effort to enhance broadband and internet service technology <br />to Orange County residents. Pending the results from these pilot efforts, similar partnerships <br />and investment are planned to expand service to other areas of the County, and staff will <br />continue to pursue all opportunities to expand these services to County residents. <br />