Fiber optic cable as a high-speed internet option

CORNWALL —  The Cornwall Association held an online forum to talk about internet access.

Hosting the remote forum on Monday, May 18, were Gary Steinkohl and Casey Cook of the Cornwall Association. 

The Zoom forum drew 27 residents to hear Ben Paletsky of Morris, Conn., present a review of a strategy being developed through the Northwest  Hills Council of Governments (COG) and NorthwestConneCT. Paletsky is connected to both organizations. Also involved in the forum were members of the Board of Selectmen, the Cornwall Conservation Commission and the Economic Development Commission.

The COG is made up of the first selectmen of 21 area towns. NorthwestConneCT is dedicated to improving high-speed connections to area towns, where it is not uncommon for dial-up to be the fastest speed available. 

A few attendees volunteered to join a study committee during the forum. Any Cornwall residents wishing to do the same can email Steinkohl at www.cornwallassociation.org.

“COVID-19 has made our assumptions real,” Paletsky said, speaking of the immediate need for high-speed rural broadband service. He listed telehealth, remote learning and working from home as three areas that demonstrate that the assumptions of need are now a reality.

Widening the reach of high-speed broadband, Paletsky said, offers advantages including attracting young families to the area and the schools, providing corporate-level capacity often needed to work from home, promoting home businesses that rely on internet and offering advanced agricultural reach.

“Our download speeds are just OK,” Paletsky said of current service. “If we don’t do this, we will have major limitations in the future.”

One option to be considered is fiber optic cable, offering unlimited speed through glass strands encased in a cable. Of 81 miles of road in Cornwall, Paletsky reported there are fewer than 20 miles of installed fiber optic cable. 

One business model being examined for the town would be to have the town provide funding to install and own the fiber optic cables, which would be strung on existing utility poles. 

Property owners would then be responsible for the line connecting the main cable to their  homes or businesses.

An internet service provider would offer internet and phone for less than current prices, under such a plan. 

That model would require that the town form a municipal electric utility to gain access to existing poles.

Costs for internet expansion can include $50,000 per mile for the trunk wiring, and an estimated average cost of $1,250 to string from pole to residence/business, depending on the distance. If area towns join in a regional approach, Paletsky said, costs could come down.

More information about the business model and status of planning is available at www.northwest-connect.org.