Mia Overton
moverton@thefranklinpress.com
Efforts to get broadband to the southern end of the county are moving forward. Earlier this year, the county awarded a $580,000 contract to BalsamWest to expand service to the Otto and Scaly Mountain communities.
In the first phase of work, BalsamWest will build the fiber optic backbone that will extend broadband service to the Otto Community Center and the Scaly Mountain Volunteer Fire Department. BalsamWest staff recently met with representatives from the two communities to discuss the need for physical locations to store the telecommunications equipment.
“We call it a Point of Presence (POP),” said Jason Maples, vice president of sales and marketing for BalsamWest. “It makes the magic happen in the fiber.”
With the equipment housed at those two locations, they could become internet connection hubs in their communities. “Just to even pull into the parking lot and connect will be a big thing,” said Jeff Lee of Little T Broadband, a non-profit organization that started about three years ago to facilitate high-speed internet construction and access in southern Macon County.
“Once the community centers are set up, they can be the lifeline while the rest of the broadband cavalry is coming,” Maples said. “They can start serving the community.”
The communities could offer services such as after-school programs, tutoring, public health clinics, telemedicine and remote library programs. For homes that do not have access, it would give kids a place to go do homework. “You could do all kinds of things, things we can’t do now,” Lee said.
That direct access would also ensure the Scaly Mountain and Otto fire departments have reliable, high-speed internet connections.
Once the backbone reaches the two community locations, BalsamWest will continue expanding broadband service further into the communities.
Maples compared it to building roads – with the fiber optic backbone being like the main highway, and once it is built they can start making “side road” connections. But that doesn’t mean they have to wait until the backbone is complete to start looking forward.
“Now that we have the plan in place, everything is happening simultaneously while the backbone is getting ready to be deployed,” Maples said.
Although the funding has been approved and the planning, engineering and design work are underway, Maples said it could be six to nine months before BalsamWest receives the equipment it has ordered. There is a backlog because of the ongoing expansion of broadband nationwide. “There’s a whole lot of demand and not as much supply.”
Once the backbone is constructed, Lee says they can then start exploring how to expand further into the communities, with what he calls “micro projects.” That would involve looking at areas in a community and deciding the best way to get service to those areas.
Maples said while it may not be feasible to get a direct fiber optic connection down every road or to every house because of the terrain, easements and other factors, there are other ways they can provide service to houses, such as wireless connections. “We will be deploying lots of different technology,” he said.
Maples said all those involved are to be commended for finding a local solution for an ongoing problem. “We did this ourselves. The county, a private business, a non-profit, and a municipal co-op found a way to work together.” Haywood EMC will be part of the project in making the connection from Otto to Scaly and from Scaly to Highlands.
He also thanked the Region A Southwest Commission for its assistance. “They were the glue that helped bring together a public, private, non-profit project that has immediate and long-term benefits to Macon County. Russ Harris, his boss Sara Thompson, and all the team are tireless advocates for infrastructure and advancement for residents.”