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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: June 21, 2022 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 6-c <br /> SUBJECT: Amendments to the Network Development Agreement for Broadband <br /> Deployment with North State Communications Advanced Services <br /> DEPARTMENT: County Manager <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Amended Contract with North State Travis Myren, 919-245-2308 <br /> Communications Advanced Services, LLC James Bryan, 919-245-2319 <br /> A. Amended Service Area Map <br /> B. Amended Mutually Agreed Service <br /> Sites (188 Page Document Only <br /> Available Electronically at: <br /> www.orangecountync.gov/servicesites) <br /> C. Amended Construction Plan and <br /> Timeline <br /> PURPOSE: To approve amendments to the Network Development Agreement with North State <br /> Communications Advanced Services, LLC to deploy broadband service in unserved locations in <br /> Orange County. <br /> BACKGROUND: On April 26, 2022, the Board of Commissioners authorized the County Manager <br /> to execute a Network Development Agreement with North State Communications to deploy a fiber <br /> optic broadband network to unserved locations in Orange County. Unserved locations are defined <br /> by State law as locations that do not have access to internet service that provides speeds of 25 <br /> megabits per second (mbps) download and 3 mbps upload. The statutory authority under which <br /> the County is authorized to make grants for broadband deployment only allows those grant funds <br /> to be used to serve unserved locations. <br /> During the meeting at which the agreement was originally considered, an attorney representing <br /> Spectrum Communications asserted that many of the addresses in the proposed service area <br /> were served by Spectrum and, therefore, were not unserved. If that were the case, County grant <br /> funds could not be used to fund connections to those addresses. County staff delayed the final <br /> execution of the agreement with North State pending resolution of this dispute with Spectrum <br /> Communications. <br />