Broadband

The conduit infrastructure is being strategically routed to and between Lancaster County’s 12 incorporated cities/villages and 10 unincorporated communities. 

• High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) conduit will be placed in multi-unit bundles. 
• Lancaster County can lease each of the conduits for providers to install fiber. 
• Providers can then bring their services to County residents and businesses. 

It is anticipated the conduit will be placed in existing County road right of way, minimizing the need for easements from property owners along the route.

The conduit infrastructure will be designed, permitted, and constructed in four quadrant-based packages, starting in the southwest quadrant and progressing counterclockwise. 

• Lancaster County is hosting community informational meetings in September 2022 to share project information with city/village/community staff and elected leaders. 
• Lancaster County will further coordinate with communities during the design phase of each quadrant. 
• Project updates will routinely be added to the project website and shared with Lancaster County communities.

December 2022

• Lancaster County issued a notice to bidders for the construction of the SW Quadrant broadband conduit infrastructure (see Bid 22-259). A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for December 9, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. at Lancaster County Engineering (444 Cherrycreek Road Building C Lincoln, NE 68528). Bids are due December 16, 2022.
• Lancaster County is soliciting indications of interest from internet service providers to lease space within the County’s public conduit system (see Solicitation 3401680). The goal of this solicitation is to expand County-wide access to competitive, reliable fiber optic networks and high-speed broadband services. Consistent with the purposes of the County’s investment, responses will be evaluated to identify service providers who display the capabilities and a commitment to leverage this public asset in order to more quickly and efficiently deploy private fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure. Responses to this Call for Broadband Service Providers are due to broadband@lancaster.ne.gov by January 20, 2023, at 5 p.m. CT.

November 2022 Recap

• The Broadband Infrastructure Project Team finalized design plans for the southwest quadrant and developed draft procurement package information for bidding of initial construction.

October 2022 Recap

• Final routing and field review updates were completed for the project conduit alignments. Design and permitting work commenced on all quadrants of the project with an initial focus on the southwest quadrant. 
• Lancaster County finalized and submitted an application for the Middle Mile Broadband Grant Program.

September 2022 Recap

• Lancaster County hosted two open houses providing an overview of the project, including the preliminary conduit route. The first meeting was held Wednesday, September 14, 2022, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Firth Community Center. The second meeting was held Thursday, September 15, 2022, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Davey Community Center.
• Lancaster County issued a Call for Letters of Commitment from Providers. Submitted Letters of Commitment will be used to support the County’s application for the Middle Mile Broadband Grant Program (“MMG Program”), a federal broadband grant under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Division F, Title IV, Section 60401, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429 (November 15, 2021) (“Infrastructure Act”). Provider Letters of Commitment were due by close of business Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
• Lancaster County encouraged County residents and businesses to take a brief survey about current and future internet service in the County. The survey was open through September 30, 2022.

June 7, 2022

Broadband infrastructure is coming to Lancaster County!

Today the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with JEO Consulting Group for the design, permitting, and construction administration of the Lancaster County broadband infrastructure project. This project will place conduit in the County road right-of-way, strategically routing to and between communities. Once this conduit is placed, telecommunications companies can install their fiber to bring services like ultra-high-speed internet to Lancaster County residents!

With more than an estimated 170 miles of conduit system infrastructure to construct, the project will be completed in multiple phases so that we can bring this quality-of-life benefit to portions of Lancaster County as soon as possible.

What is broadband?
In the simplest of terms, broadband is reliable high-speed internet. The Federal Communications Commission defines high-speed internet as having download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps.

Broadband is delivered through multiple technologies, such as fiber, fixed wireless, digital subscriber line (DSL), or cable. The Lancaster County Broadband Infrastructure project will install conduit for telecommunications companies to install and deliver high-speed internet by fiber.

Will this project bring fiber to my home or business? 
This project will not directly deliver fiber, or high-speed internet, to Lancaster County homes and businesses. Instead, the goal of this project is to lay conduit infrastructure in County right of way so that telecommunications companies can bring fiber service to Lancaster County homes and businesses. 

How was the quadrant order determined? 
The Southwest quadrant was selected as the first quadrant because the need for County-owned conduit infrastructure is amplified by a separate, but relevant, two-year broadband grant program administered at the State level. In January 2022, the Nebraska Public Service Commission awarded Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program grants to telecommunications companies to bring high-speed internet to nearly 12,400 homes across the state. Sprague, Holland, and Martell were among the communities benefiting from this program. However, it is not feasible for telecommunications companies to bring their services to Lancaster County homes and businesses without conduit infrastructure in the County. Thus, this project will bring conduit infrastructure to southwest Lancaster County first, in support of the Broadband Bridge Program deadline of December 2023. 

Why should Lancaster County own broadband infrastructure – isn’t that the responsibility of the service providers?
Broadband infrastructure could be designed and constructed by private service providers; however, it is more beneficial for the County to own this infrastructure for several reasons: 

1. The public infrastructure enables multiple telecommunications companies to bring their services to Lancaster County, preventing monopolies in service areas and encouraging competitive service (and pricing) for County businesses and residents. 
2. The conduit infrastructure can be used to provide high-speed internet to Lancaster County facilities, like maintenance shops. This infrastructure also sets the County up for smart traffic signals and other connectivity projects, as needed, in the future. 
3. Once constructed, the conduit infrastructure can generate enough income to support its ongoing operations and maintenance through the leasing of conduit space to telecommunications companies.

This approach is similar to the City of Lincoln’s conduit lease program, which through a public-private partnership delivered high-speed internet to the City of more than 275,000 people in four years. 

How did Lancaster County come up with the funds for this project?
In January 2022, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners committed $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support the development of broadband infrastructure in the County. The Board prioritized this project based on input received from the community on how to allocate the funds. 

Will this project require additional easements or right of way?
Lancaster County intends to use existing right of way as much as possible. Property owners will be contacted by the project team and Lancaster County Right-of-Way staff should additional easements or right of way be required. 

Why doesn’t construction start immediately after the procurement phase?
The brief gap between the procurement and construction phases allows time for the final coordination of design plans, scheduling of construction management staff, and pre-construction meetings between Lancaster Counter, JEO Consulting Group, and the awarded contractor.