Fiber Optics Broadband
Alabama’s Orange Beach city is planning to bring fiber optic to the native residents with American fastest internet provider, CenturyLink®. In a recent meeting, the city council put forth a proposal to CenturyLink® officials regarding an “economic development investment” of $1 million towards the fiber optic project in Orange Beach.
“We have been searching for about two years to find someone who would bring fiber to the residences, to the neighborhoods,” said the Orange Beach Councilman, Jerry Johnson, in a recent statement. However, the city council expects CenturyLink® to sign up at least thousand residents to the fiber optic project in Orange Beach with $25 each.
For the project to unfold successfully, Johnson says, additional 33 percent of residents should also sign up into the fiber optic project in Orange Beach. Johnson, a Bessemer native, got elected into the city council in 2012, and has been a resident of Orange Beach for the 12 past years. Johnson is also the chairman of the city’s Telecommunications and Technology Committee.
Reports say that CenturyLink® has divided Orange Beach into seven zones and has around 6000 full-time residents to raise the funds. Johnson further clarified that the $25 each will go into “a mutually agreed escrow account” and not a CenturyLink® exclusive account.
“If for some reason after 12 months we have not reached those thresholds, the city hasn’t put up anything, CenturyLink Johnson says hasn’t put in anything and everybody who put up a deposit will get a full refund,” the councilman reaffirmed to the residents.
Economic Development Investment
In a bid to raise the funds and get feedbacks on the fiber optic project, CenturyLink® will hold at least four customer forums at the Orange Beach Community Center during September this year. Following months of prolonged talks with the fastest internet provider, the city council has decided to consider the “economic development investment.”
“It took us about 18 months to get the board of CenturyLink to agree to do a project and for Orange Beach to say we were willing to do it,” Johnson said. “CenturyLink sees a market with small cities. They think there are thousands of small cities that want broadband and they are willing to set up a market specifically for small cities.”
The proposal will be sanctioned by CenturyLink® subject to the conditions as explained. The customer forum of CenturyLink® will give you more details on best internet and the plans on the cards in Orange Beach.
