Jason Miller Operations Director for Lightspeed Solutions gave an update on the Coshocton County Project at the Commissioner’s meeting March 3, 2010. The Newcomerstown Tower #8 was installed and activated on March 2, 2010 and will begin customer installations after 10 days of testing. This tower will service the Eastern part of Coshocton County down the US 36 valley back past West Lafayette and surrounding areas. Residents in the Eastern part of Coshocton County interested in service should contact Lightspeed Solutions at: 1-888-602-4807 or www.lightspeedwireless.com and fill out the online survey.
Mr. Miller also stated that studies are being conducted on the Bakersville and Conesville Towers and a relay site on C.R. 58. He also stated that the merger with Lightspeed and Omnicity is scheduled to take place March 25, 2010 and this partnership should expedite the county project.
Feb. 10, 2010 Kyle Yoder and Jason Miller of Lightspeed Wireless the contracted I.S.P. for Coshocton County addressed the Commissioners office with an update to the Coshocton County Wireless Broadband Project. Work on Tower 8 at Newcomerstown has been slowed and is behind projected start up date due to getting electric to the tower location and access to the tower with weather conditions. All the equipment for this location is ready to go when weather allows.
Tower 9 in the system the Conesville Marcs Tower equipment is in and ready and this location will be put in service after the Newcomerstown Tower is in operation. Lightspeed stated that they have 550 customers since the first tower went up in April of 2009 hooked up to wireless service in Coshocton County.
Lightspeed also announced that Omnicity Corp, an Indiana based wireless broadband provider is in the process of buying Lightspeed and all their contracts and assets. Kyle Yoder Pres. of Lightspeed told the Commissioners this would greatly accelerate the Coshocton County Project and they are excited with what Omnicity can due for Coshocton County.
Recently the Commissioner’s has been asked to give wireless broadband presentations at the Riffe Center in downtown Columbus. On Nov. 19, 2009 State Chief Information Officer H. Samuel Orth, III asked Coshocton County officials to speak to the MARCS TASK FORCE. Chuck Ellis of Pearl Valley Cheese who brought the lack of broadband issue to the Commissioner’s office in Jan. of 2007 was accompanied by Dorothy Skowrunski former director of COTC and the first customer on the county wireless system. Also attending were Jon Mosier project coordinator and Commissioner Fischer.
On Dec. 11, 2009 Jon Mosier, Mike LaVigne County I.T. Director, and Commissioner Fischer gave a power point presentation and answered questions as Coshocton County was asked present the county wireless broadband story to Connect Ohio at the Riffe Center. From these speaking engagements Coshocton County is assisting other counties by giving them our RFP and contracts and the power point step by step 3 year process.
Dec. 7, 2009 Official Update released by Lightspeed Wireless… Our goal is to get two more towers up before the end of the year at Newcomerstown to cover the Eastern part of Coshocton County and the Conesville MARCS Tower. With all the service connections being installed at this time and training classes and weather these two towers are not anticipated being on line and live for service until the end of January or first part of Feb. Lightspeed then plans to activate the county 911 Tower at Bakersville.
Lightspeed officials advised Commissioners they have 7 towers up and running to date and plans are to locate on a private owned tower in Newcomerstown next to serve the Eastern part of Coshocton County and then look at the Conesville MARCS Tower. They hope to have these in service weather permitting by the end of 2009. The Bakersville 911 Tower will also be considered during this time period when they see what coverage they get in Adams Township off the Newcomerstown Tower. The Commissioner’s would like to remind the public this project is being financed with private money by Lightspeed and once the backbone of the system is in service the Commissioner’s and Lightspeed will address the areas that are difficult to reach with service.
Wireless Internet at
CoshoctonCounty Fairgrounds
Sept.
30, 2009
Coshocton
County Commissioners wireless internet provider has
installed a wireless mesh network at the
Coshocton
County Fairgrounds for the
week of the Fair. This will make free Wi-Fi Internet service available on the
Fairgrounds. Lightspeed Solutions will also have a booth under the grandstands
and be available to answer questions.
Lightspeed Wireless crews pictured finished installation on the water tower at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed Facility in White Eyes Township on Sept. 22, 2009. This is the 4th main tower location for the County's Wireless Broadband Project. The Board of Commissioners were advised that testing would continue on this location for a week and than they would begin installing new customers. Connect Ohio surveys show there are 318 homes not served in White Eyes Township and Lightspeed states at present they have over 60 service orders that could receive wireless internet from this location.
Lightspeed officials advised the commissioners the special equipment needed for the Hydrologic Station Water Tower had arrived and will be installed the week of the 21st. Lightspeed crews will be installing both sectors and plan to have the 4th backbone location up and available for service very soon. Space constraints at the top of the water tower had delayed this installation while the company had been waiting on the special antennas that had to be ordered to arrive.
Tower crews install broadband equipment on the counties 911 tower at Roscoe. This location will be used as a relay from the WOSU Tower at River View High School to the Hydrologic Station Water Tower and service to CCMH clinics and future customers that need dedicated band width. Installation was completed on Aug.21st.
Lightspeed crews pictured installing equipment on one of the counties 911 locations on Aug.20th. This tower site is the Hedrick silo located on SR 541 in Bedford Twp. and the purpose of this relay tower is to provide service to Camp Echoing Hills Village. Lightspeed officials also advised the Commissioners they established a relay tower site in Aug. on SR 206 to provide service to Walhonding. Lightspeed officials also advised that the work on the Hydrologic Station Water Tower is 90% complete and are waiting on ordered equipment to arrive to finish that installation.
Pictured is the Hydrologic Station Water Tower in White Eyes Township which has been under construction the past several weeks as the 4th primary tower site in the backbone of the
county broadband project. All trenching, conduit, equipment box, mounting brackets, and wiring has been in installed and waiting for special antenna equipment different than other locations due to space constrictions to arrive. Lightspeed officials stated this location presented a greater challenge than actual radio tower locations.
Lightspeed officials informed the commissioners that they plan to begin the installation process on the 4th tower location for the
Coshocton
County Wireless Broadband Project the week of Aug.10th. This location will be the Hydrologic Station Water Tower located in White Eyes Township. Those interested in this service are encouraged to fill out the site survey form.
Tower climbing crews install equipment on the WOSU tower at River View High School on June 23, 2009. The third tower in the
County Broadband Wireless System went on line July 2, 2009 and is available for service connections as Lightspeed Solutions has over 80 request that could receive service off this tower. Lightspeed Wireless plans to go to the Conesville Marcs Tower or the Water Tower at the Hydrologic Station in White Eyes Twp. next.
Lightspeed officials reported to the Commissioners on June 1, 2009 that all is going well and they have over 60 residents hooked up to date off the Helmick and New Castle Marcs Towers. Reports from residents hooked up to the service shows they are receiving over 1.5 meg connectivity which is equal to having a T1 line at your house. They also have over 850 requests for service in
Coshocton
County and will address those as each new tower comes on line in your area. They plan to install the W.O.S.U. tower at River View High School next then go to the Conesville Marcs tower and on to the water tower at the Hydrologic Station in White Eyes Twp.. There will be 7 towers in Phase One of this project. Lightspeed advised the Commissioners that it is important for
county residents to remember that not everyone will get coverage in the first phase of this project. After those 7 backbone tower locations are active the company will go back and identify dead spots with concentrations of request for service and attempt to get service to those areas with secondary sites used as relays. Lightspeed hopes to get over 80% coverage to requested areas and have the whole system completed by Sept. but also notes that they will work with each request to find a possible solution for everyone’s individual case.
The first two towers in the Countywide wireless deployment are now live. The Helmick Marcs Tower in Clark Twp. went Online April 27th and the New Castle Twp. Marcs Tower went online May 14th. Persons interested in Lightspeed’s broadband services should go to their website
Lightspeedwireless.com and complete the
site survey form. Once the site survey form is filled out you will be contacted by Lightspeed as towers are put in service near your business or home.
Other questions such as pricing can be directed to Missy Zickel at Lightspeed by calling 1-888-602-4807 option 1 Monday through Friday 9 AM till 5:30 PM.
