Proposed fiber rates may stall sheriff's project

Grant County reviewing impact of higher rates

EPHRATA - Proposed fiber rate increases under review by Grant County PUD could make a project expanding Internet access in deputies' patrol cars too expensive.

After spending about $20,000 in equipment for the deputy laptop project, Grant County was getting ready to set up antennas in 12 communities if fiber costs stayed the same, said Grant County Technology Director Gary Baker.

With laptops, deputies could obtain driver's license data, criminal background information, video surveillance and also check e-mail and work on reports in more areas of the county, Baker said.

To prepare for the project, radio equipment was placed in different areas in Ephrata and the county started testing to measure field strengths, he said.

It was learned the laptops could access the Internet from Neppel Road near Moses Lake to Ephrata, he said. It was also possible the PUD could use the same public safety frequency to deploy their employees during emergencies, he said.

But in March, Grant County learned the PUD was going to raise rates for the VLAN rate structure, Baker said.

"We were shocked," Baker said on Tuesday.

PUD Commissioner Tom Flint mentioned the possibility of a 15 percent rate increase Monday.

PUD commissioners are studying increases to avoid subsidizing the fiber-optic program, which is being expanded by 15,000 homes over the next five years.

The current proposal would also affect the county's 16 sites that use special virtual local area network (VLAN) connections to connect one office to another, Baker said. The county currently pays an Internet service provider the VLAN costs.

The proposal makes receiving VLAN service from a provider unaffordable, he said.

He mentioned 184 other special VLAN connections throughout the county that could be affected by the proposal to raise rates.

The connections are used in Grant County at schools, hospitals and the 9-1-1 center and will likely require more tax money to pay for any rate increases, he said.

A rate hearing is set for July 7 and commissioners are expected to vote on a proposal sometime after the hearing.

One option for the county is to enter into an agreement with the PUD in which the county would act as the Internet service provider.

But the PUD wants the county to accept responsibility for any legal challenges to the agreement, he said. It's unlikely the county would agree to do so, he added.

State law doesn't allow public utilities to directly retail Internet service.

But if the increases are approved, Grant County will likely quit using the VLAN service and buy virtual private network boxes at about $250 each, he said.

The boxes will allow Internet traffic to move to other locations through a highly encrypted channel and would also work for the deputy laptop project, he said.

But the VPN boxes would result in a one-time cost for the county and take a lot of work to set up, he said.

During Monday's PUD commission meeting, Commissioner Greg Hansen said the county is asking the PUD to take a deep cut in revenue.

Commissioner Tom Flint said it's possible legislative issues could come up in the future regarding the PUD's Internet authority. He said the fiber system is about benefiting the people.

Grant County Deputy Jon Melvin attended the meeting and said a legislative fix was discussed with Grant County commissioners.

He said county commissioners want to talk with other city and county officials and learn who the opposition might be regarding new legislation.

PUD attorney Ray Foianini said if the PUD provided retail Internet to the county, the decision would be at odds with the state Attorney General's opinion.

The PUD could face another unfavorable audit or potential lawsuits from other Internet service providers, he said.

After the meeting, Baker said there are examples of public entities acting as Internet Service Providers for public safety in Everett, Yakima and with the state Department of Information Services.

Flint said he's sympathetic to a potential 15 percent increase and the PUD has options it needs to investigate.

"We also want to make sure we're covering our (operations and maintenance) and pay for our system," he said.