County broadband moving closer

RITZVILLE – Adams County Public Works Director Todd O’Brien updated county commissioners on the construction of a broadband network slated to serve Lind, Othello and Ritzville during their Feb. 20 meeting.

“From my perspective, we’re still a ways out,” he said. “But we’re moving closer.”

In general terms, broadband extends frequencies so data can move faster. Defined as “high-speed Internet access that’s always on and faster than traditional dial-up access,” broadband includes several high-speed transmission technologies: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable modem, fiber-optic, wireless, satellite, and broadband over power lines, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

To make broadband a reality, “co-location cabinets” are needed. The cabinets are designed to contain electronics required by internet service providers.

O’Brien recommended that commissioners use a national cooperative agreement to buy three co-location cabinets — two for Othello and one for Lind — to be delivered to the Othello staging yard.

That way, he noted, the contractor awarded the bid will have cabinets and fiber-optic equipment onsite when it’s time to begin construction.

Commissioners approved the purchase of three cabinets for $85,057.38 plus freight from Westco Distribution, Inc., using the Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Agreement.

O’Brien added that he hopes to go out for bid for at least one of the three main locations — Othello, Lind or Ritzville — later this year.

Ritzville council

At a separate meeting, the Ritzville City Council discussed two agreements designed to extend broadband to the city.

The first was a utility-use agreement to run a 256-fiber bundle through a 4-inch conduit extending under Interstate 90 to Love’s Travel Stop, 1370 N. Highway 261 .

Adams County Commissioner Dan Blankenship, who spoke at the meeting, said that once the cable is laid, the network can be extended south and to developments on the other side of Highway 261.

The City Council also discussed an agreement with Adams County for an easement to run fiber-optic cable to a co-location building.

The map accompanying the agreement depicted cable running from an alley north of the old fire station at West First Avenue and Adams Street to a 12-by12-foot structure at the corner of the fire station. The new building will house switching equipment for ISPs.

“It will look a little like a construction shack, but with nicer outside coverings,” Blankenship said. “ISPs will rent space on the system once it’s built. Each ISP will have a different rack with different equipment.”

City Councilman Mike Schrag inquired about the project timeline.

“The timeline for Ritzville is a little on the ‘hopeful guess’ side,” Blankenship said. “All the materials, except for co-location buildings and cabinets, are currently in a staging yard in Othello.”

He noted that primary agreements are in place in Lind, so he expects construction bids for Lind to go out in the next few weeks.

He said the two Ritzville agreements need to be finalized so the design team can make final adjustments.

“We are also waiting for Avista and Lumen to sign pole agreements in Ritzville,” he said. Nevertheless, “Most of this network could be built by the end of this year.”

City Councilman Dennis Chamberlain thanked Adams County for its role in the project.

“In the end, our citizens will get (broadband) fiber,” he said. “That’s a big deal for our town.”

As previously reported in The Journal, extending broadband capacity has been a priority for Blankenship and other county leaders.

“Speeds aren’t fast enough and our ability to use the internet in multiple areas is limited,” Blankenship said. “For a long time, those shortfalls have hurt us in terms of economic development.

“People want to establish businesses that require a certain level of broadband capacity, and we just don’t have it.”

As currently configured, the project will serve businesses, as well as “anchor institutions” (such as schools, healthcare centers and libraries) and homes in Ritzville, Lind and unincorporated areas south and west of Othello.

When the initial phase is complete, the broadband infrastructure is expected to include about 1,200 sites in Ritzville, 850 outside of Othello and 285 in Lind.