The project will install 175 miles of conduit throughout Lancaster County to and between the 12 incorporated cities and villages, and 10 unincorporated communities, according to county officials.
Once that's done, telecommunications companies will lease the conduit from the county to install fiber technology to bring services to residents and businesses.
In January 2022, the County Board committed $10 million of its federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to expand broadband infrastructure in rural Lancaster County — a need the pandemic highlighted nationwide.
The county got $62 million and the city $46 million from the American Rescue Plan Act — a $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package. The city and county worked together to allocate the money for a variety of programs, and the County Board prioritized the broadband project based on input from the community.
"Extending the availability of fiber-based broadband beyond the limits of the city of Lincoln ensures digital equity by providing equivalent access to opportunities across all the diverse communities that make up Lancaster County," said County Board Chairwoman Christa Yoakum.
The project will be divided among the four geographic quadrants of the county and be completed in four phases, beginning with the southwest quadrant.
County officials chose to start with the southwest quadrant because of a two-year grant from the state's Broadband Bridge Act program. The state program gives grants to telecommunications companies to bring high-speed internet to nearly 12,400 homes across the state. Residents in Sprague, Holland and Martell are among the recipients — and they need the conduit infrastructure for the companies to deliver services to those residents.
Work on the southwest quadrant has begun, and will be followed by work on the southeast, then northeast and, finally, the northwest quadrants. Work is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
The county hired Lincoln-based JEO Consulting Group for $1.4 million. The civil engineering firm will design, permit and administer construction of the project. The remainder of the money will go to contractors hired to install the conduit.
© 2023 Lincoln Journal Star, Neb. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
