Yates approves fiber optic agreement

YATES COUNTY--The Yates County Legislature approved entering into an agreement with the Southern Tier Network Thursday, April 30, concerning the Yates County open access fiber network. The decision came in a special session of the legislature, following more than an hour and a half of executive session. The measure was passed unanimously by the legislators in attendance.
"The county wishes to enter into an agreement with Southern Tier network (STN), wherein STN would construct, own, operate, manage and market the network using rights-of-way, facilities, aerial attachments, underground conduits, poles and towers of various utilities, railroads and government entities," according to the resolution. The county would receive an indefeasible right to use 12 strands of the network's dark fiber for the county's exclusive internal use.
Prior to entering executive session, resident Christopher Bailey voiced his concerns with the business model and economics of the fiber agreement, adding he is not sure why the government has to be involved. He questioned whether the average resident would benefit from the fiber project as well as why the county is guaranteeing anything to a private business.
Yates Legislative Chairman Tim Dennis said the county did not guarantee profits to STN, but rather will be making a limited number of payments to them for operating fees. He said the reason government is involved in this process is because across the country it is being treated as public infrastructure, adding private enterprises will have every opportunity to compete with or take advantage of the fiber. However, Dennis said the county did not guarantee profits to STN in the agreement.
"There is no guarantee of profits in this agreement," Dennis said.
Before approving the agreement, the legislature approved changes including making the fiber leg from Route 14 to Dundee as part of phase three of the project. County Administrator Sarah Purdy said aside from the three main routes, there are other routes that may be constructed as availability of funds holds up. She said the legislature was uncomfortable with the Dundee branch being listed as optional, so they changed it to be included as part of the main project phases.
Purdy had previously said construction on the fiber could begin shortly after the agreements were in place. The fiber network is intended to allow Internet providers in the network to bring their services to area businesses, who can then link with other businesses on the network. Dark fiber is a type of fiber where several service providers are able to lease fiber strands in one sheath to provide customers with network access. There will be approximately 68 miles of fiber installed in the county, with an estimated completion date of December, 2015. The fiber ring will not only provide much faster service to businesses, but it will let many different service providers use and lease the fiber at once and will not be limited to only one provider. Since the network is organized in a ring, if one part of the fiber goes down, it will not affect service in other parts of the network. STN will construct the fiber ring in Yates for the county, who will pay for the construction and design through a $2.4 million Connect N.Y. broadband grant.