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Grant County hears Granite pitch for EPIC device to replace aging analog lines
Summary
At its Sept. 16 meeting the Grant County Board reviewed a presentation from Granite proposing EPIC, a monitored analog-line replacement that company representatives say would reduce per-line costs and add remote monitoring and cellular redundancy; commissioners asked county counsel to review the three-year contract and return it to the board.
Grant County commissioners on Monday heard a presentation from Granite on EPIC, the vendor’s device for replacing legacy POTS (plain-old-telephone-service) analog lines used for alarms, elevators and other critical connections.
Jessica Bastian, Granite’s government account manager, told the board EPIC is “Granite’s patented POTS analog line replacement” that provides Internet and dual-SIM cellular connections, battery backup and continuous monitoring. She said the county’s current average cost per analog line is about $117 and that Granite’s fixed-price EPIC product is $89.95 per line, with reduced taxes and fees.
Commissioners pressed staff on installation, downtime and security. Bastian described a two-visit cutover that leaves the existing copper POTS line working during setup and said the only interruption is a brief cutover that “takes about 5 seconds.” Granite solutions engineer Chuck Mayer told the board the system uses a private APN and encryption and called the network “very secure.”
Bastian also cited certifications and approvals — she said EPIC is NFPA 72-compliant and has been approved for use by fire authorities in other states — and told commissioners that major carriers are moving away from maintaining POTS lines.
County IT staff and commissioners asked for a formal contract and legal review before approval. The Granite representatives said the proposed term is three years. The board asked county attorney/IT to review the paperwork and return a draft contract and recommendation at the next meeting; commissioners did not vote to execute a contract on Sept. 16.
Next steps: county staff said they will forward contract documents to the county attorney for review and bring a recommended agreement back to the board for formal action.
