News
New Internet Towers Going Up Around Washington County
By: WOUB Staff Writer
Posted on:
Washington County residents can expect to see new Internet towers going up around the area soon.
The towers will be installed to serve residents currently without access.
It's part of an agreement recently reached by county commissioner and Smart Networks.
County IT Director Eric Skomra says this effort is necessary as internet access is becoming a vital tool in the modern world.
“It is considered a utility at this point, everyone needs access to the Internet and be able to perform their transitions, research and schooling and education, as well as a lot of public safety is now being made available in public interest. Public accessible data are made available through the Internet now that have never been available before,” said Skomra.
Approximately 6,000 homes and businesses are without high speed Internet.
Skomra says there's no final number yet, but the project could cost up to $2 million.
He says the majority of that cost will stem from the installation of individual home devices.
“The largest cost to this is really the end user of the devices. The citizens who will be putting these in their homes, or the law enforcement or first respondents who will use them in their vehicles or their fire stations,” said Skomra.
Skomra says he looks forward to the advancement and expects the process to run smoothly.
The first tower will be installed in downtown Marietta, according to Smart Networks.
Skomra says most towers must be completed before December 30, but available service to citizens will depend on work and planning progress.