County board creates new entity to run fiber optic network

The county board continues to pursue a county-wide fiber optic network, or broadband, and adopted an ordinance on Tuesday Dec. 1 to create a management structure for the network.

The new organization is called the Fiber Optic Network Commission and will be made up of five voting members. One of the members will be a county commissioner, the remaining four will be appointed by the county board to staggered terms.

The commission will have a number of duties, powers and functions. It will have general authority for management and oversight of the fiber optic network, and will be charged with setting up and maintaining a long-range plan for telecommunication services for the county.

Commissioner Bob Fenwick said by enacting the ordinance, the board was doing what it had promised – set up an entity to run a public/private hybrid.