Booth outlines proposed project to expand broadband access

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Local officials are seeking the state of Ohio’s help funding a pilot project to increase broadband availability in Washington County.
Washington County Commissioner James Booth, county IT Director Donnie Rader, representatives of the county’s grant department and David Brown, with the Southeast Ohio Broadband Cooperative, traveled to Columbus last week to meet with BroadbandOhio Chief Peter Voderberg and discuss a proposal to place fiber in asphalt rather than hanging lines.
“The pilot project is something new to this area (but it’s) been done in other areas throughout the country,” Booth said.
The plan is to install just over 1.9 miles of fiber from Glendale Road and Fearing Township 375 east along Stanleyville Road to the Fearing Township Volunteer Fire Department.
“They etch over on the berm of the asphalt, and they lay fiber in the asphalt,” Booth said. “That is the same as hanging fiber on poles. The great thing about this is, they can do a mile a day. It’s about 60% of the cost of hanging it on a pole.”
The broadband signal would be transmitted wirelessly from the Highland Ridge area to feed the line starting at Glendale and Fearing 375, which would then be sent along the fiber etched in the asphalt. That will be connected to access points for customers.
The county has been talking about the proposal with a Virginia-based company called TRAXyL. Booth said his understanding is that since it is a pilot project and the number of vendors is limited, it would not have to be put out for bid
The estimated cost is approximately $160,000.
Booth said the county has $27,000 left over from a Connect Humanity grant that could be used for the project and they’ve talked with the Area 15 Council of Governments about requesting additional funds.
“And then we asked BroadbandOhio to fill that gap,” he said.
The proposed plan of funding would not include local money, Booth said.
The plan would serve approximately 25 customers, but if it works there, the same approach could be used in other parts of the county, Booth said. He noted it has to be installed on asphalt and cannot be used on dirt or chip-and-seal roads.
“This isn’t the silver bullet that will fix everything,” Booth said. “What it will do is give us another tool in the toolbox to (bring) people broadband.”
The proposal was well received but there’s no guarantee at this point funding will be awarded, Booth said.