Agenda 6-a - Broadband Initiatives Update and Approval of Proposed Agreement with Open Broadband for Wireless Broadband Appurtenances on County Facilities

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2 A larger initiative in terms of dollars, but at this time only tangentially related to broadband, is the County's Fiber Project Phase 1. Currently, the County is partnering with the Town of Hillsborough in order to reduce costs for both parties. The County and Town are currently in the process of vendor selection after successfully releasing an RFP in November 2017. Phase 1 was funded in Fiscal Year 2017-18, and Phases 2 & 3 are planned in upcoming fiscal years. Once complete, this project will connect County buildings from Cedar Grove to Carrboro and have fiber running east-west along the Highway 70 corridor connecting from the Efland Cheeks Community Center to points close to the Durham County line. The excess dark fiber will be available to other organizations and individuals outside of Orange County Government for both broadband and economic development purposes. This project is currently waiting for Town of Hillsborough Board of Commissioners approval. County IT staff has also attended and presented at multiple community meetings. Orange County IT attended and presented at the Schley Grange along with Internet Service Providers and State representatives, including NC House Representative Graig Meyer. Information Technologies has also been acting as a clearinghouse for all resident broadband service issue concerns. Typically, staff responds to every Orange County resident email and call personally and tries to facilitate solutions between residents and ISPs while at the same time setting realistic expectations. Often this is simply a matter of connecting residents with the right person in the ISP's organization and, after making introductions, checking back in to ensure that all parties are communicating effectively. Timeline of Relevant Events Past, Present and Future (Reverse Chronological Order) • October 2021 — A 36-month pilot project will be complete and the Manager and staff will offer a final report to the Board • September 2019 — Potential Phase 2 start date. • May - July 2019 — Verification of service across the entire Phase 1 area. Customers will be getting signed up and service delivered. • April 2019 — First Phase 1 customer will be signed up proving that initial equipment setup is working • February 2019 — Manager requests Board approval for Open Broadband tower agreement • October 2018 — Contract with Open Broadband was executed and the six-month clock to sign up the first customer and have them working begins. • September 2018 — Board approved awarding grant funds to Open Broadband. • May 2018 — RFP is advertised as per the County Attorney's recommendation. • March 2018 — RFP vendor(s) selection commences • January 2018 — Broadband RFP closes and vendor interviews commence • November 2017 — County solicits Broadband Request for Proposals (RFP) • June 2017 — $500k for broadband incentives approved in County budget • Late 2016 — County works with Representative Graig Meyer to set meeting with CenturyLink. This meeting paved the way for CenturyLink to provide budgetary numbers for improving broadband in its service area and those numbers were used as a base number for the FY 2017-18 $500,000 Broadband Incentive. • September - December 2016 — IT met with Federal Engineering and Emergency Services to discuss the positive impact proposed telecommunications towers may have on broadband services in rural Orange County. It was requested at that meeting that approximately 15' of vertical strata be reserved for placement of 3rd party wireless