Venango County commissioners say they are looking into contracting to have wireless technology that can be used for supplying internet strategically placed in the county.
And the commissioners hope that will pave the way for a third party to provide internet access to underserved areas of the county.
Commissioner Albert Abramovic said the county is looking to provide a way for people in underserved areas to have internet access, which is different from cell phone service. This project doesn’t involve access to cellphone service.
Abramovic likened the endeavor to building a road for people to drive on.
Commissioners chairman Sam Breene said the panel is also working to find a third party willing to provide internet at an affordable rate using wireless technology. But “if they (the internet providers) are not making money they are not going to do it,” Breene added.
He said the county is going ahead with getting the equipment up, then it will find an internet provider. Finding a provider, Breene added, should “not be a problem.”
Commissioner Mike Dulaney said the cost of the wireless technology is a fraction of the cost of laying fiber lines.
Laying a mile of fiber could cost about $20,000, Abramovic said.
Dulaney noted that fees for using utility poles can also add up quickly.
“With this you don’t need a wire running to your house. You can have a reliable wireless connection, unlike satellite,” Abramovic said.
Abramovic added the connection could be affected to a degree if the weather is bad enough, but it is still more reliable than satellite or lines that could be knocked down by trees in a storm.
Dulaney said a tower owned by a major cellphone provider would be prohibitively expensive to rent in addition to other difficulties, so just because a tower is there doesn’t mean it is available to be used.
After the fiber is connected to a tower, the tower will emit a signal that will be picked up by another tower or other point of connection.
Each tower or other connection must be able to see the tower it is connecting to.
“The internet will be beamed from point to point so if you can see the tower you can get internet,” Dulaney said.
