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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> NORTH CAROLINA <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> DATE: June 20, 2023 <br /> TO: Orange County Board of County Commissioners <br /> Bonnie Hammersley, Orange County Manager <br /> Travis Myren, Orange County Deputy Manager <br /> FROM: Todd McGee, Community Relations Director <br /> RE: Orange County/Lumos Broadband Project <br /> Orange County and Lumos Fiber (formerly known as NorthState) entered into a public- <br /> private partnership in April 2022 to bring ultra-high-speed fiber internet service to <br /> approximately 28,000 homes and businesses in Orange County, including nearly 6,400 <br /> locations that previously had little or no internet service. The project, one of the largest <br /> fiber infrastructure public-private partnerships in N.C.'s history, is made possible by <br /> significant investments from Lumos and Orange County. <br /> Orange County is using $10 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to <br /> provide fiber service to 6,370 addresses in unserved and underserved areas. Lumos' <br /> own investment expands the project and will result in access to best-in-class fiber <br /> technology and a competitive choice for fiber service for the additional 21,000 Orange <br /> County homes and businesses. <br /> As part of its partnership with Orange County, Lumos will also provide fiber internet <br /> service to approximately two dozen county-owned anchor institutions, including fire <br /> stations, EMS and community centers. <br /> Lumos' product offering in Orange County will offer speeds up to 2000 Mbps x 2000 <br /> Mbps — equating to 154x faster uploads and 12x faster downloads than traditional <br /> cable. Residents in the expansion areas will receive communications by mail before <br /> construction begins and again when the service is available to order. <br /> Under the terms of the agreement, Lumos will offer a low-cost service with a minimum <br /> speed of 100 Mbps symmetrical for no more than $30 per month, prior to any federal or <br /> state subsidies available, until at least two years from the date construction is <br /> completed. Consistent with the terms of the American Rescue Plan Act, Lumos must <br /> also participate in the Federal Communications Commission' s Affordable Connectivity <br /> Program as long as it is available. <br /> The project is scheduled to be completed in six phases. Lumos has released detailed <br /> maps showing the first five phases. These are available on the county website and <br /> included in this memorandum. <br /> The first phase of the project was scheduled to be finished by June 30. Due to <br /> unforeseen circumstances with permitting and construction, Lumos has made the <br /> following schedule adjustment. Approximately 320 addresses in Phase 1 are expected <br />