Commissioners look to expand broadband in rural Crook County

The Crook County Commissioners are poised to start the search for a “wisp”-style broadband provider who can fill in the pockets without internet coverage across the county. Commissioner Jeanne Whalen shared her progress last week, having been working with a group of interested parties in the Aladdin area with the goal of finding a way to provide physical broadband in un-served areas.

The group met with two companies who might be interested in expanding, Whalen said, but one felt it wouldn’t be possible without federal funding through the Reconnect program. Unfortunately, exploring this program revealed there could be issues with it in this area.

Applying for the funding requires such things as an environmental assessment and a business plan, as well as adherence to strict deadlines, which Whalen said could be “pretty onerous” for a small company.

“That’s why Reconnect is probably not going to work,” she told her fellow commissioners.

The same is not true for the state’s broadband expansion program, Whalen continued.

“We are ready to go ahead and apply for the state funding,” she announced. The state program covers more possibilities and fits more with the county’s needs, she said.

A request for proposals will be sent out to look for companies who can replace the internet coverage in areas CenturyLink used to operate and also other places with low or no broadband coverage.

Whalen expects that interest is most likely to come from “smaller, faster” companies known as “wisps”, who are able to bounce internet into remote areas using antennas on such structures as water towers and barns.

The commissioners passed a motion granting Whalen permission to prepare the request for proposals.