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Commissioners approve courthouse and jail fiber upgrades, staff to finalize Comcast agreement
Summary
After a staff report comparing AT&T, Cogent and Comcast proposals, Greene County commissioners authorized staff to finalize a courthouse fiber agreement and approved upgrading the sheriff’s office connection, with commissioners agreeing to a three‑year term and authorization for the commission president to sign.
Greene County commissioners voted to authorize staff to finalize a fiber Internet agreement for the courthouse and approved upgrading the sheriff’s office connection to higher speeds, after a staff report on vendor proposals.
Marshall, a county staff member who solicited pricing, told commissioners Comcast offered the lowest monthly cost for a one‑gigabit connection: about $734.95 per month with construction waived if the county agrees to a three‑year contract. “Comcast is definitely the best price for the area,” Marshall said during the March 4 meeting.
Marshall also reported bids from AT&T (just over $1,000 per month for a gigabit line) and Cogent (near $1,400 per month for a gigabit plus roughly $1,500 construction per location). Commissioners discussed construction timing and noted installation could be months out; Marshall said Comcast’s quote included construction if the county agreed to a three‑year term.
Commissioners expressed support for a three‑year contract and moved to approve the courthouse agreement, authorizing the commission president to negotiate and sign. The board also approved a motion to upgrade the sheriff’s office connection; one commissioner noted the jail’s current speed is about 75 megabits per second and that a 300 Mbps or 1 Gbps connection would be a significant improvement.
Why it matters: staff said the courthouse and sheriff’s office will see improved service and the sheriff’s department will benefit from higher bandwidth for cameras and other systems. Commissioners said they will work funding for the upgrades into budgets if necessary.
The county’s final contract terms, including any multi‑year price guarantees, will be negotiated by the commission president and staff before a signed agreement is returned to the board.
