Supervisors review contract with Natel on rural broadband

FAIRFIELD — Progress is being made on a plan to bring broadband internet to 2,600 rural residences in Jefferson County.

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors got their first look at a proposed contract with Natel Broadband to provide internet to the rural parts of the county during the board’s meeting Tuesday.

Supervisor Chairman Daryn Hamilton said the board has not yet established a timeline with Natel about when it might install the upgrades to bring broadband to rural parts of the county. The contract says that the project will cost just under $750,000, and that all of the money will come from the federal American Rescue Plan.

Hamilton said the contract specifies how Natel will be paid and how Natel must prove it has done the work. Hamilton said that residents in the rural parts of the county can likely receive a discount on internet installation if they agree to get broadband during this installation phase, as opposed to waiting a few years. He likened it to signing up for rural water when a rural water line is being built in the area.

“When the rural water line went past your house, you were given the option to hook up or stay on your well water,” he said. “There is a small fee to hook up when it’s going by your house, but if you wait and let it go and then do it in a couple of years, it will be more expensive.”

The deal with Natel would bring high-speed broadband of 100 megabyte download speeds. Hamilton said many parts of the county now have download speeds of 25-40 megabytes, while some parts don’t have internet access at all. He said this will be a huge improvement, especially if schools close and students have to do their schoolwork at home.

“Last year, some students didn’t have good access to internet at their home, and the district had to pay for hot spots for kids to do their homework,” Hamilton said. “But even cellphones are not good in some parts of the county. This new program will improve that dramatically.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com