(SANDUSKY) – At Monday night’s council meeting, council members heard from representatives of Agri-Valley Services who are interested in bringing fiber optic high-speed internet services to the community.
Agri-Valley currently serves all schools in Sanilac County along with a few farms and businesses. They are gauging interest and will work with city officials to create a survey for residents.
“We made changes here at city hall several years ago,” City Manager Dave Faber explained to council. “You just cant beat fiber optics. We had some problems with other providers, with internet speed and these folks are looking to see if this is something Sandusky wants. The survey will answer that for us.” Faber explained, “For us to be a full fiber community, that is a big deal and a very important piece of the puzzle to bring young people back to Sandusky and for our residents and business people.” Faber said the long-term goal could be “smart home – smart town.”
With the new service, customers could use their smartphones or smart televisions, eliminating the need for cable service. Agri-Valley representatives said with WiFi connected devices, users can see who is at the front door of their home, close a garage door, or watch television on a smartphone or tablet.
Although no specific numbers were discussed, company officials said the average residential home could expect a minimum bill of around $40 and would increase with various packages of internet service. Agri-Valley already services several businesses in and around Sandusky, working off two area cell towers that would provide the signal.
Barb Main, General Manager for Agri-Valley Services told council, “this is a very costly project, to come to Sandusky, and there are hundreds of manpower hours involved in this. If you choose to consider this option, we first need your support and then we should survey the community to see if there is enough interest.” She added, “This is not something that happens overnight. It takes time to plan, engineer and install. We are excited about the possibility of adding Sandusky as a client and know the residents would be very pleased with the service we would provide.”
Company officials said fiber optics provides a faster, more steady internet service and they can accommodate both businesses and residential customers. Knowing agriculture is the backbone of the county, Agri-Valley officials said they are also interested in helping area farmers with fiber service, whether it is on large dairy farms or crop operations.
