A stable connection to the Internet has become nearly as important to businesses as a connection to running water, power or sewer. Without them, most businesses simply cannot operate at maximum efficiency.
Blackford County has been at a disadvantage for years when it comes to attracting commerce due to a lack of true, affordable and consistent Internet source, but that time should soon be over.
"This is a very exciting day for us, and we know it's an exciting day for you as well," said Fred Price, vice president of operations with BG Networking.
BG Networking is a privately owned company based in Nashville in southern Indiana that specializes in high-speed fiber optic broadband for rural communities. They announced plans on Friday morning to install more than 20 miles of fiber optic cable throughout Blackford County.
Officials from Blackford County, Hartford City and Montpelier gathered at City Hall in Hartford City to learn about the upcoming project.
"To me, I think fiber optics would be to the future what indoor plumbing was years ago," said Hartford City Mayor Ben Hodgin. "I think it'll be a wonderful infrastructure."
Montpelier Mayor Kathy Bantz added, "It hasn't been too many years ago that when you talked about being "shovel-ready," you were just talking about water and sewer, now you're talking about water, sewer and Internet.
"That's the way of the world, and no one is going to look twice at coming to a community that doesn't have Internet access."
Bantz and Hodgin as well as District 31 State Representative Kevin Mahan (R-Hartford City) voiced difficulties of operating without consistent web speed in recent years, especially with area businesses and government offices.
Web access was available, but often only in specific areas, and sometimes at quite a cost.
Shortly after a few failed attempts at bringing fiber to the county, Mayor Bantz was contacted in April by BG Networking. The company described a plan that was designed to work for a small, rural area such as Blackford County.
Fiber optics uses light to transmit data over a thin strand of glass, and is capable of sharing data at very high speeds. The company would be providing service to businesses and municipalities, and eventually local residences.
Much like the water being transported through pipes to and from a business, the Internet allows users to send and receive information packets via a sort of digital stream.
Fiber optics will allow them to do so at speeds anywhere from 5 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second, with prices depending on the level of speed.
“This is a great day for Blackford County,” said Bantz in a press release provided by Blackford County Economic Development Corp. (BCEDC). “High speed broadband is an essential piece of infrastructure just like roads and sewers. Over the past few years, our community has struggled to connect to the Internet with reliability and high speeds. This project will solve those problems and give our local economy the global access it needs.”
Construction of the high speed network will start near the Blackford County Security Center, proceed west into Hartford City, and then north to Montpelier. Construction will begin immediately and is expected to be complete by April 2015.
In addition to installation and their product, BG Networking also plans to lease or purchase a building in Blackford County to locate their servers, as well as a technician. This technician will be available to the county if any sort of troubleshooting should be needed.
When complete, the network will contain 20.3 miles of cable. At least 30 organizations are expected to connect right away, and BG says there have been around 40 businesses to express interest in the product.
Blackford County Commissioner Scott Confer applauded the project as a step toward the future. “This project will provide an immediate benefit to our businesses that need a stable, fast connection,” he remarked. “It also positions our local economy for future growth by giving existing companies access to this powerful tool as well as enabling us to continue attracting new jobs and investment from around the world.”
A key factor in the recently finalized partnership with BG is the cost, which will result in no installation costs to the county. BG Networking will be making the total investment to install the fiber optic network.
“We have worked hard over past six months to understand the specific broadband needs of Blackford County,” commented Bryan Gabriel, President of BG Networking. “We are excited to invest in this critical infrastructure to serve this community. This project will deliver consistent, high speeds at affordable prices.”
Blackford County Commissioner Harry Pearson added, "I recall sitting in a meeting in February of 2012, and thinking we're so far behind the curve, and we need to do something.
"You talk about building sites and the realtor says, 'It's about location, location, location, and drainage, drainage, drainage.' And, I think you also say about economic development, it's communication, communication, communication.
"I'm really excited about where we're at, and I think we're moving in the right direction."