Manchester Township commissions broadband feasibility study

At its March 13 meeting, the Manchester Township board voted unanimously to contract with CCG Consulting to perform a feasibility study regarding deploying broadband internet across the township.

Concerns were raised regarding how a township-wide plan might impact the internet already available in the village.

Lisa Moutinho, township board member, will be the primary contact between the township and the Consulting firm, and she will lead a group of township and village residents in studying the issue.

CCG Consulting is the same firm that performed the study for Sharon Township. The study will cost $19,500, will hopefully begin in about 30 days, and take about 90 days to complete.

After completing a similar feasibility study, Sharon Township developed a ballot proposal seeking to create a township-run fiber-optic internet company that would bring fiber to every home in Sharon Township. According to the ballot language, “The millage rate on the ballot issue is 3.2583 mills over 20 years. The total cost of the proposal is $4.9 million.” In addition to the millage, which would bring lines to every home, there would also be a $35 per month fee for 100Mbps service. The current cost of a stand-alone 100Mbps service from Comcast (which is only available in the Village of Manchester) is $49.95.

Sharon will be voting on May 8th.

Ryan Klobucar, leader of the primary group of township residents who have advocated for bringing broadband internet to the rural areas of Manchester said, “I am really grateful for the board and their due-diligence in understanding the gap that many in our community are facing. I am really hopeful that the feasibility study will provide a resolution that will benefit all Manchester residents.”

If you want more detailed information about the history of the broadband initiative, please review our previous articles on this topic.

This map shows where fixed residential broadband services of at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload is deployed and where it is not deployed. Yellow has broadband access, blue does not. Map from FCC (as of June 2016).

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by Fritz Swanson

Fritz Swanson has written for The Believer, the Christian Science Monitor, Print Magazine, McSweeney's, Esopus, LSA Magazine, and The Mid-American Review. He serves as a trustee on the Manchester District Library Board. He's the designer and publisher of The Manchester Mirror.

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