Carver County employees are transferring more and more information electronically and the current system is not meeting their communication needs, according to Steve Taylor, administrative services director for the county.

Currently, the county is tapping into communication lines provided by private companies. However, the county is currently accepting bids for a proposal that would allow the county to either own or lease a fiber-optic system.

Fiber-optic lines provide dramatically more capacity and communication speed than copper T1 lines.

Bid process

The county is taking bids for a fiber network that would connect county public facilities, including libraries, schools and city buildings throughout the county. The county is accepting bids in two parts. In part 1, the county would own a fiber optic system. In part 2, there would be a public-private partnership that would result in lower cost and/or improved services for the county, according to officials.

“Our focus is tying our county buildings together and to get work done faster,” Taylor said.

It is not yet clear whether private businesses could tap into a new fiber-optic line if it is built. Currently, several private businesses provide fiber-optic capabilities in the county.

Embarq, one of the businesses that provide communication services in the county, has raised a variety of questions regarding the proposal.

“Embarq currently operates various fiber optic rings within Carver County and across county lines, which are tied into various fiber optic rings throughout the metro area,” according to a statement released by the company.

“Embarq continues to expand this system and currently has 169 miles of fiber optic cable throughout Carver County which provide high-speed service to both residential and business customers. We continually invest to maintain and upgrade this state-of-the-art system to ensure its reliability and understand the significant costs associated with the county’s proposal.

“While some may consider the proposed Carver County fiber optic ring to be competition for us, we do not believe this is the case, but rather, view it as a system that is redundant to what Embarq and other providers currently offer Carver County residents and businesses.”

Scott County

Carver County would be following the lead of Scott County, which is close to completing a $4 million, 200-mile fiber system that is connecting public buildings throughout the county, said Gary Shelton, deputy Scott County administrator.

Shelton said there were two primary drivers for the Scott County system. The first was to improve public safety communications; the second was to get telecommunication costs under control

A Scott County study found that building a fiber system was less expensive than leasing fiber from private companies.

The fiber system has resulted in a significant time savings when it comes to transferring information between public buildings, Shelton explained.

Prior to fiber being installed, Shelton said it took six hours to send certain GIS files between the government center and the county’s Public Works building. With fiber, the same files can be transferred in 20 minutes.

“That’s a huge productivity savings,” he said.

In Scott County, some private businesses will be able to tap into the system, which will help pay for ongoing maintenance costs, Shelton said.

Process

While the precise costs of a Carver County system wouldn’t be detailed until bid packages are received, Taylor said a county-owned system has been estimated to cost $2.5 million to $3 million to construct with ongoing costs of $100,000 per year.

Carver County currently pays about $175,000 per year for use of T1 lines, he said.

The bid process will close on July 28, at which time a selection committee would recommend whether to pursue a county-owned system or a public-private partnership agreement.