In the News

 Elk Valley Times Article

Article by Laurie Pearson
Wednesday May 12, 2010

In the not too distant future, most rural Lincoln County residents and businesses may be enjoying high speed internet service and voice service, should the Lincoln County Commission approve the contract with Monster Broadband at their meeting next week.

County Mayor Peggy Bevels voiced her support of supplying broadband to the county during Thursday evening’s meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Public Utilities – "We need to get to the people in the county," she said.

Officials voted to move forward with a contract with Monster Broadband Inc., a privately-funded company which will provide broadband services via wireless technology to the majority of the county’s rural un-served areas.

County Attorney Ed Simms will amend a contract with Monster Broadband stating that they will pay Lincoln County $100 per month per tower when the equipment is installed over a period of 36-months. Originally the agreement called for a monthly rental fee of $50 per tank and two complimentary broadband internet subscriptions.

Monster Broadband Inc. owners/engineers Charles "Boo" Johnston, president, and Steve R. Baker, COO, were at the meeting and presented a study map that delineates areas of the county that will be served. The company proposes installing hardware atop five existing LCBPU water tanks in the county to allow its customers access to high-speed broadband internet service. Those tanks are Taft, Blanche, Crystal Ridge, Flintville, and Childress Road.

Each tank transmitter will serve customers within a 10-mile radius, with some areas overlapping. Telescopic poles fitted with hardware, may be installed in some areas that do not fall within the radius of the tanks to serve many other customers. Monster Broadband officials said that in some areas they could also use silos fitted with the hardware, providing property owners are in agreement.