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Richland County asks Brightspeed to explain $4,520 equipment charge for fiber fax conversion
Summary
County IT staff told commissioners Brightspeed’s new account manager says equipment omitted from an earlier quote is required to convert fax lines to fiber; commissioners asked staff to press the vendor to accept responsibility and to report back before paying the added cost.
Matt Hill, Richland County IT staff, told commissioners the county agreed in November to move multiple fax lines from copper to fiber, but Brightspeed’s new account manager later said the original quote omitted necessary converter equipment.
“[T]he contract was written wrong,” Hill said, explaining that converters are required for each fax machine at $119 apiece. He told the board the total upfront equipment cost is $4,520.98 for the county’s lines.
Commissioners said the county relied on Brightspeed’s original quote when it approved the work and pressed staff to ask Brightspeed to absorb the additional cost. Commissioner Daryl Banks said the county had “no idea” equipment was missing from the initial quote and described it as an unfair post‑contract charge. Banks asked staff to contact Brightspeed and report back to the commissioners and county clerk Andrew Keller.
County staff described how Brightspeed grouped services into six contracts covering multiple county buildings, which complicated reconciliation of the 11 physical locations listed for fax service. Staff said they will provide an itemized mapping of buildings to contract locations.
Why it matters: the unplanned equipment charge affects county operating costs and raises procurement and vendor‑accountability questions. Commissioners said they want to be good partners with vendors but also to hold them responsible for errors in quotes.
Next steps: staff will contact Brightspeed about whether the company will accept responsibility for the omitted equipment, then relay Brightspeed’s response to Commissioners Banks and Keller before the county accepts or pays the added charge.
