The Washington County Board of Commissioners have approved the first 3 projects in the third phase of the broadband initiative. Phase three of the initiative will expand broadband service to 10 areas in the county, targeting 6,000 more locations and bringing 700 miles of new fiber optic construction to these areas for a total cost of $50 million. For past projects, the county used ARPA funds to cover part of the cost while the hired company/service provider would cover the rest. Although it is not clear right now how the cost of the third phase will be covered, it is likely that funds will come from the same sources.
The decision to award Hickory Telephone with these projects was made after 7 companies submitted a total of 47 proposals for the 10 proposed locations. The projects will bring service to 383 locations, 111 of them in Jefferson Township, 142 in Taylorstown and 130 more in Canton Township. The engineering design, permitting, materials, and fiber construction for these projects total $4.8M. Washington County will pay approximately $1.9 million using the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds.
CCJ will continue following this broadband initiative and will provide updates on these and future projects as we receive them. For further information, please contact our Field Program Coordinator Paul at 724-229-3550 or paul@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org.
