HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03-06-2015 - Special Meeting APPROVED 3/17/2015
MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
SPECIAL MEETING
March 6, 2015
2:00 P.M.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met with State elected officials for a
discussion on Rural Internet Access on Friday, March 6, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at the West Campus
Office, in Hillsborough, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Earl McKee and Commissioners Barry Jacobs,
Renee Price and Penny Rich
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioners Mia Burroughs, Mark Dorosin and
Bernadette Pelissier
COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, CIO Jim Northrup and
Deputy Clerk to the Board David Hunt (All other staff inembers will be identified appropriately
below)
OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT: Representative Graig Meyer, Representative Verla
Insko, Senator Valerie Foushee
STATE STAFF: Keith E. Conover (Technical Analyst, Office of Digital Infrastructure—OITS)
(Around a dozen members of the public also attended the meeting.)
Chair McKee called the meeting to order at 2:03 p.m.
Chair McKee asked for short introductions of all present, including the members of the public.
Introductions followed.
County Manager Bonnie Hammersley gave a brief description about the history of requests for
improved Internet access by rural residents.
Jim Northrup provided additional technical details on actions taken to date by Orange County,
including establishing pre-approved tower sites. He also referenced limitations due to State and
Federal regulations.
Representative Insko emphasized the correlation of the availability of network access and
economic development.
Senator Foushee said a huge amount of attention has recently been placed on Internet access
in the rural areas.
Keith Conover with the Office of Digital Infrastructure (with the State of North Carolina) said the
County could help with showing a potential for return on investment for smaller
telecommunications companies who may be interested in filling the gap left by major service
providers such as Time Warner Cable and AT&T. Some counties have created broadband
committees to help guide additional coverage options.
Jim Northrup said there are already local meetings in progress to identify potential customers.
Commissioner Jacobs said that there was a difference between providing service and providing
adequate service.
Discussion followed on the technical aspects of broadband, transmission speeds, fiber,
hardware and standards.
Commissioner Rich said emails from the public about rural network access have increased
since the Google Fiber announcement.
There was a short discussion on current and possible changes in FCC rules related to
telecommunications.
Commissioner Price said the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners supported
legislation to improve broadband services.
A member of the public in attendance commented that not only does network access impact a
child's ability to do school work, but network access also impacts home/property values.
Jim Northrup said that some of the next steps will be to identify vertical assets. Vertical assets
can include existing elevated structures such as farm silos. He also stated that the Planning
Department had looked at possible tower sites. However, those sites were based on a need to
improve radio communications for emergency services (law enforcement, fire, ambulance, etc.).
Representative Meyer asked if there was a timeline for the next steps.
Jim Northrup said many topics had been covered during the meeting and that the specific goals
would need to be better defined before establishing timelines. He did state that a next step
would be a survey, which was already being designed, to get information from the public.
Bonnie Hammersley and Chair McKee both expressed appreciation for all who attended and
participated in the meeting.
Representative Meyer said there was a need to get the survey out to the public and bring the
telecommunications companies to the table.
The meeting adjourned at 3:15 p.m.