In 2011, Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell told the mayor and commissioners Thursday afternoon during the first part of its annual planning retreat, the North Carolina General Assembly, acted to restrict how cities and towns can operate a communication system.
At that time, Wilson and Salisbury had already installed and were operating a full service, fiber to the home, with high speed internet, telephone and cable television.
Most fiber broadband networks now operate at 5mgb/second. Wilson’s system provides 1000 by 1000 mgb/second and the cost to subscribers is $149 a month.
Since 2011 there are a number of hurdles – notices to utilities, requirements that private companies can compete, the necessity for a special election if the town would incur any debt, two public hearings – to discourage towns and cities from providing the service.
“It would make it very difficult for us to get into the business,” O’Donnell said.
Later, Town Manager Mark Williams said, “This legislation was the result of Time Warner not wanting to have competition.”
What do we want to do, O’Donnell asked.
The answer may be asking and partnering with one of the local providers with fiber networks in the ground – CenturyLink or Time Warner – or even asking Google, which is experimenting with high-speed service in other parts of the country.
“There is a huge demand, both private and public,” Commissioner Zachary Donahue said. He said some firms have considered locating in town but “the speeds in Wake Forest are not good for them.
“I see a lot of benefit,” he continued. “This would be doing something spectacular.
“I think this is a critical thing for us. Every business needs as big a pipe as they can get,” Donahue said.
Mayor Vivian Jones said the town needs to form a task force made up of business people who need that service. They can talk to the companies and see how they could work with the town.
“We can’t move too fast,” Donahue said.
