Etex proposes $4.5 million fiber build for Harrison County; asks court to consider $1.5 million ARPA contribution

Etex Communications representatives told the Harrison County commissioners court on July 9 that the cooperative can use the county's remaining $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to leverage roughly $3 million of private investment and deliver a fiber network that would pass more than 900 structures, primarily in the county's northwest corner.

"We would make fiber available to over 900 structures," said Larry Montgomery, an Etex representative, describing a design that uses existing conduit and fiber where possible to maximize the number of homes and businesses reached. He said Etex's board has committed nearly $3,000,000 to the plan and that the total project cost is about $4.5 million.

County officials asked how the project would be phased and which areas would be reached first. Montgomery said the build could start quickly — "we could start as early as September 1 to go ahead and start getting homes connected" — because Etex handles engineering and design in-house. A second Etex presenter, who described engineering and federal funding mechanics, emphasized buried fiber and ring protection to reduce weather-related outages.

The presenters framed the county funds as a targeted investment to move a specific area "to the front of the line," noting broader state and federal broadband funds are being rolled out but are moving slowly at the agency level. "There is $1,500,000 left from our ARPA money," the presiding officer said when introducing the topic; Etex urged the court to consider a partnership and indicated it would apply for additional state funding when available.

Commissioners asked whether the proposal would serve the whole county. Etex officials said the cooperative will focus on the northwest sector where it already has infrastructure and that other providers or future state programs would be better positioned to serve other areas. The presenters discussed partnering with incumbents and warned that some counties have seen overlapping proposals that will require the Broadband Development Office to resolve conflicts when state funds are distributed.

The presentation was discussion-only; Etex said it would provide a sample agreement for the court to review and that a formal contract could be considered at a future meeting.

Next steps: Etex will provide a sample agreement for county review; the court indicated it could take up a contract on a future agenda. No county appropriation was approved at this meeting.