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Township discusses Comcast fiber upgrade to shore up police communications; budget questions remain
Summary
Town staff briefed the Lebanon Township Committee on a Comcast Business proposal to install underground fiber to the municipal building and police department, including LTE backup for phone service; staff estimated a $90–$100 monthly increase and requested more vendor details before budget approval.
Town staff told the Lebanon Township Committee on Nov. 6 that Comcast Business proposed an all-underground fiber install to the municipal building and police department that would boost reliability for internet and phone service and include an LTE backup. Carolyn (speaker 3) said the upgrade "would give us a 99% reliability where now when, you know, a line goes down, we're out for hours," and staff estimated the combined municipal and police cost would increase about $90–$100 per month.
The police department currently uses voice-over-IP phones that can go out when the Internet is interrupted, creating a risk that callers cannot reach the department during outages. Members said the LTE backup and higher bandwidth would reduce those outages. Staff noted the contract would be for 36 months and that full buildout might not occur until next year.
Committee members asked staff to gather further pricing detail and references before including the cost in next year’s budget. One member suggested contacting other municipalities that use Comcast Business to confirm reliability claims and contract terms.
No formal action was taken; staff will return with vendor references, a proposed budget amendment or line-item request during the 2025 budget process if the committee wishes to proceed.
Attribution: Quotations and attributions are taken directly from the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers as recorded.
