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Broadband backbone firm seeks county conditional-use approvals for two shelters
Summary
Intermountain Infrastructure Group outlined a fiber backbone plan crossing Emmons County, asking for conditional-use approval for two prefabricated shelters that would house regeneration equipment, batteries and small generators; company said Starlink is a primary customer.
A representative of Intermountain Infrastructure Group (IIG) presented the board with technical and permitting details for two proposed prefabricated shelters that are part of a longer fiber backbone through Emmons County.
IIG said the shelters serve as regeneration/amplification points for optical fiber and provide an interconnect point for local service providers. The company representative said each shelter is a prefabricated utility shelter with redundant HVAC, a ~380-gallon fuel tank for the generator and battery backup intended to maintain operations for roughly 8–10 hours during power outages. “These are shelters that will house electronic components to amplify the signals, both going east and west,” the representative said during the presentation.
The presentation included cost and construction details: the company reported an in-county construction cost on the order of $26–$28 per foot of conduit and estimated roughly 40 miles of in-county fiber work, putting a rough in-county construction figure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. IIG said its primary business model is wholesale backbone infrastructure and that Starlink and other carriers are among its customers.
Commissioners asked about local impacts including noise (generator cycle 58–61 dB at close range), lighting (downlighting at doors only), fuel storage (two ~380-gallon tanks), and whether the company intended to provide residential service. IIG said the firm focuses on backbone and wholesale, not direct residential retail in most markets, and that local providers would be partner customers.
The board did not vote on a permit at this meeting. Commissioners asked staff to confirm required local permits and to coordinate franchise/right-of-way questions with the North Dakota DOT and county staff before returning with formal conditions for a conditional-use approval or building permit.
