Regional provider pitches buried fiber to Bird Island, offers to fund installation

New Vera Communications presented a plan to bring buried fiber internet to Bird Island, telling the council the company would invest in construction and customer outreach at no upfront cost to the city.

Kathy Lond, who introduced the proposal on behalf of New Vera, said the company has built gigabit fiber in other nearby towns and would pay to install the mainline and drops. "Fiber is really the gold standard for making connections," Lond said, and described a build cost of about $4,000 per location for mainline and drop construction and a company commitment to pay the drop if residents sign up during construction.

The company described buried construction as its standard for this region, citing durability and lower long‑term maintenance, and said it would coordinate with city and state permitting for work in rights‑of‑way and along highways. Lond said New Vera typically runs an early‑signup campaign and would consider small‑business pricing and promotional outreach in coordination with city staff.

Council members pressed on community outreach and pace of deployment. A staff member said the city would likely need to assist with permitting and asked the company to coordinate engineers with the city’s engineering team. New Vera said it could provide flyers and run a community event and asked permission to use city channels for outreach materials.

No formal action was required at the meeting; the presentation closed with council members requesting follow‑up information on engineering timing, a proposed construction schedule and clarity on whether a cabinet or small hut would be required for the mainline node.