WILMINGTON — The Clinton County Commissioners and Spectrum announced plans last June to upgrade existing connectivity and expand internet access in previously underserved areas of the county. This joint initiative, spearheaded by Spectrum, a broadband service provider, aims to bring high-speed internet access to thousands of residents and small businesses for the first time.

Construction commenced in January 2022, with a clear objective to extend broadband services to over 2,000 locations. The announcement also included a local agreement between Spectrum and Clinton County, representing an additional investment of $18-plus million, according to officials. This agreement will further expand broadband services to an additional 3,000 locations, ultimately connecting over 5,000 homes and small businesses across all 13 townships within the county.

The commissioners have allocated $7.6 million for this project, with over $6.5 million coming from the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. This combined investment exceeded $29 million, facilitating the delivery of high-speed internet with speeds up to 1 Gbps, and a minimum of 300 Mbps download speed.

On Monday, the county commissioners’ meeting provided a platform for a detailed discussion on the updated progression of the Spectrum project’s expansion since announcing the project last June, alongside addressing community concerns.

Sam Bain, director of state government affairs with Charter Communications, set the tone for the session by providing a comprehensive overview of the construction progress. Bain conveyed his enthusiasm for the project, underscoring its extensive reach across the county and the collaborative efforts with local officials. He detailed the progress made since the signing of the local agreement, including the completion of field walkouts and the design process, which involved mapping every address for determining the feasibility of building an underground power supply. Bain highlighted the culmination of these efforts at the tail end of last year and the beginning of the current year.

In discussing the project’s scope, Bain emphasized the submission of 112 pole proposal packets and permits, covering over 2,400 individual poles for construction in the county. Addressing the project’s reliance on utility companies for permit approvals, Bain said, “We work with those utility companies and encourage them to approve those pole permits. It’s very heavily dependent on those utility companies.” He outlined forthcoming plans for the aerial project and the subsequent submission of pole proposals and permits.

John Smith, director of field engineering at Charter Communications, provided insights into the project’s underground construction strategy during the meeting. Stressing the significance of coordinating aerial and underground work, Smith emphasized the need to avoid potential damage by waiting for aerial permits before commencing underground activities.

He explained, “We don’t want to put the underground in and have tails sticking up and risk damage while waiting on aerial permits.” Smith outlined the timeline, saying, “We normally wait until about 50 percent of the aerial permits are back for that section of the build and then we’ll start the underground portions of that.” Anticipating progress, he noted, “By the middle of summer, we’re hoping to have 50 percent back to start the underground work.”

Commissioner Mike McCarty raised concerns about project timelines and sought clarification on the expected completion date. In response, Jason Kershner, associate vice president, government affairs at Charter Communications, assured, “Once we get a permit approval back, I think we can build it within six to 12 months.” He emphasized the project’s significance as a county-wide solution and added, “We can move quickly once we get the pole permits back.”

Furthermore, Kershner highlighted the impact of the project, saying, “More than 1,400 residents and small businesses now have access to the broadband and other connectivity services Spectrum provides.”

Kershner also emphasized the accessibility of the Spectrumruralbuild.com website, enabling residents to verify their address for project inclusion. He acknowledged the ongoing efforts to update the website with all relevant addresses. However, Commissioner Brenda Woods expressed concerns about the website’s delay and its potential to disseminate misinformation due to incomplete address uploads. Bain and Kershner reassured prompt updates for website accuracy.

Woods further noted the frequency of resident calls to the commissioners seeking project inclusion information. In response, Bain offered his personal contact information, providing residents with an alternative means to verify their address directly, especially considering the website’s temporarily incomplete address database.

During the meeting, both Smith and Bain expressed concerns regarding the permit fees outlined in a letter from the Clinton County Engineer’s Office, highlighting that they had not encountered similar fees in other counties. Bain specifically mentioned, “There is a linear footage fee that really increases costs for the project.”

According to Smith, the fee is set at 50 cents per linear foot for any underground work, significantly impacting project expenses. Smith added further details, saying, “For a scope, the current builds that we have in the county alone is 3.8 million feet, that’s aerial and underground.”

Commissioner Kerry Steed requested copies of the letter from the engineer’s office while McCarty requested a list of what other counties are charging and then to reach back out to them.

In addition, community members present voiced dissatisfaction with Spectrum’s infrastructure installations, highlighting concerns about above-ground equipment and customer service deficiencies. Two constituents described the installations as unsightly and expressed frustration with the lack of responsiveness from Spectrum’s customer service team. One resident vividly described the equipment as resembling “a Rumpke garbage can right outside my front door” and urged Spectrum to bury them for aesthetic improvement like another company did.

Kershner responded to these concerns by reaffirming Spectrum’s commitment to addressing issues and offered residents his contact information for further communication and resolution. He also obtained their addresses to look further into the concerns.

Steed concluded the meeting by emphasizing the need for continued collaboration and transparency. He said, “I would request of you to provide quarterly updates if you could and some sensitivities in regards to any future installation of these trash can-sized installations.”