FAQ

This list of questions will be updated as new requests arrive.  Please be sure to send us any quesitons you have.  You can use this contact form to send us new questions. 

What is the project schedule?
  • The estimate for completion of the mainline fiber construction has been pushed back one quarter, from Q4 2019 to Q1 2020.
  • Households in the Werkner and Island Lake zones are coming online now and will be connected by the end of this year.
  • Most drops in the Central Office and Boyce zones will be done this year with home installations continuing through the winter
  • As drops from the road to individual homes cannot be completed while the ground is frozen, households in the remaining zones will likely not be connected until the ground thaws in the spring. Many homes will be completed by the end of Q2, 2020 with remaining households completed in Q3, 2020.
  • The project is currently under budget and projected to be completed under budget.

The township has been divided into 11 zones that are the basis of the construction schedule. Construction will take place in the order below.

The 11 areas referenced below can be located on this map
LYNDON DESIGN 110518
Think of PONs as zones.

Werkner PON
Island Lake PON
Central Office PON
Boyce PON
Sugarloaf PON
Guinan PON
Long Lake PON
Wild Goose PON
Bruin PON
Joslin PON
Ellsworth PON

 

 

Are there penalties if construction is not completed on time ?

There is a penalty clause written into the Henkles & McCoy contract - this penalty is $300 dollars per day after the agreed upon completion date.  There are stipulations which do recognize credit for days they were unable to work due to acts of God.  The contract also includes some intermediary deadlines without financial penalties. Since additional financial penalties can increase risk for construction firms bidding on the project, the decision was made  to not tie penalties to these deadlines to encourage lower bid submissions.

What happens to funds if project comes in under budget?

The legal requirements of the bond are such that all bond monies be expended on the project.  There are no provisions for early repayment of the bond. Currently, additional expenditures are being considered to add more construction crews to bring as many residents online as possible before the ground is freezes, and as quickly as possible after the ground thaws. If any additional funds are available when all residents are connected, they will be devoted to building an additional backhaul  connection to increase the reliability of the township network.

What is the drop installation process?

The cable installation will travel from the main line to your house; this cable will be installed using trenching or directional boring.  This will result in minimal disturbance to your yard.  This installation to the house is called a “drop”.

You will be informed by the township when the service is available.  If you choose to subscribe to the service, you will sign a “service contract” in which you agree to subscribe to the service and have the cable installed on your property from the main line to your home.

During the signup process you will identify where you would like the service to enter your home.   The cable installers will contact MISS DIGG  to identify any buried public utilities, such as gas, telephone or electricity.  The homeowner will be responsible for marking  any buried systems that they may have installed, such as sprinklers and invisible fencing, propane, water or sewer.

For additional drop information, please review this presentation made by MEC in March.

March – Drop Installation Process

You can also read more here:

http://www.lyndonbroadband.org/2019/05/14/please-read-drop-installation-process-miss-dig/

 

What is the sequence of construction

The township has been divided into 11 zones or in networking terms, PONs (Passive Optical Networks), These zones represent the sequence in which construction and installations will occur. The layout of the 11 areas referenced below can be seen on this map:
LYNDON DESIGN 110518

  • WerknerIsland Lake
  • Central Office
  • Boyce
  • Sugarloaf
  • Guinan
  • Long Lake
  • Wild Goose
  • Bruin
  • Joslin
  • Ellsworth
Will the installation cover private roads and driveways?

Yes.

This project includes running fiber on:

  • All township roads that have existing structures
  • All private roads with existing structures
  • All driveways to  existing homes regardless of length. If you sign up for service before April 30, 2019, there will be no installation fees.  For anyone who signs up after this date, there will be a fee to bring service from the main line to your residence: $300 for up to 300 feet of line installation. Additional feet are charged at $1.00 per foot.This includes the installation of the cable from the main line to the home and the service box on the home.  These boxes are usually mounted where existing services enter the home.

     

Do I have to provide any equipment or pay additional charges to have the fiber installed at my house?

For everyone who initially subscribes to the service,  there will be no requirement to provide any additional equipment or pay any other charges other than the millage and monthly service fees.

If you sign up for service before April 30, 2019, there will be no installation fees.  For anyone who signs up after this date, there will be a fee to bring service from the main line to your residence: $300 for up to 300 feet of line installation. Additional feet are charged at $1.00 per foot.

For more information on home installation see April presentation slides:

April – Home Installation

 

Where and what size(s) of service boxes will be installed - both on our homes and in our yards?
There will be a service box mounted on your house,  It is  14”x10”x 2 ½”.  These are usually mounted in area where electric service enters the home although this location can be changed. There will also be a pedestal placed along shared property lines to service two homes.  The pedestals are 10.5” square by 32” tall. In more congested areas, a technology will be used that will service to 6 homes in either direction from a single pedestal.
Will they run a separate line to my outbuilding?

You will be able to  to run the service to your out buildings.  The property owner will be responsible for the additional cost of this work.  This is essentially running an Ethernet cable form your home to the outbuilding.  Ethernet cables are rated to span a distance of 100 meters.

 

Will the internet service provider provide each house with a wireless router?

A managed wireless router will be available to subscribers for an additional modest monthly fee.  Subscribers may choose to use their own wireless router.

 

 

Who will I call when there is a problem with my internet connectivity?

All questions regrading Internet Services for Lyndon Township can be directed to our Internets Service Provider-

Midwest Energy and Communications

1 800 492-5989

info@teammidwest.com

Or on the Web:

https://www.teammidwest.com/lyndon/

Will there be a minimum duration contract that I will have to sign ?

There will be a one year service contract.

What serices wil be available and what are the costs?

Lyndon Township broadband provider will be Midwest Energy and Communication (MEC).  The monthly rates to be provided by MEC for internet, phone and managed wi-fi are:

Unlimited Fiber Internet                                         

Basic Ultra GIG
25 Mbps 100Mbs 1Gps
$34.95 $44.95 $69.95

Unlimited Phone

Residential Business
$39.95 $49.95

Bundle Internet and Phone and receive a $10 discount

Managed Wi-FI
$5/month

Managed Wi-Fi service includes a high-tech router plus unlimited 24/7 remote support. Free for Gig Subscribers.

 Seasonal Rate $15/month (for each service)

Off-season pricing for up to six months each year for seasonal residents. Off-season service includes 2 Mbps (upload/download) speed and if you have phone service, you keep your phone number and can dial 911.

 

How will you decide which houses to hook up first?
The township has been divided into 11 zones that are the basis of the construction schedule. Construction will take place in the order below.
The 11 areas referenced below can be located on this map
Think of PONs as zones.
Werkner PON
Island Lake PON
Central Office PON
Boyce PON
Sugarloaf PON
Guinan PON
Long Lake PON
Wild Goose PON
Bruin PON
Joslin PON
Ellsworth PON
As the main line fiber is completed in each PON,  residences in that PON will be brought on line
When will I have to make my first payment on the millage?

The first millage payment will appear on you 2018 Winter tax bill

Will the fiber optic network be obsolete in a few years?

Today, no faster technology exists or is even on the horizon. Every internet backbone around the world is made up of fiber optic cables – millions of miles of this cable are buried underground, strung on utility poles, and laid under oceans. Every residential internet access technology – be it cable, DSL, wireless, satellite, or fiber – is just a way to reach this network of fiber optic cables. To use fiber optic as the residential internet access technology is akin to extending the internet backbone to your doorstep. It will only become outdated if and when a faster technology is invented and the millions of miles of fiber optic cables that make up the internet backbones are physically replaced. If and when a faster technology does become available, it will take many decades to replace the millions of miles of fiber optic cables – much longer than 20 years.

It is important to note that the electronics that send the signal across the fiber optic cables will become outdated over time – but replacement of these electronics is expected and built into the business model.

What will the cost be to the taxpayer?

Based on current property valuation information available from the township, the new bond will cost the average homeowner $263/year ($21.92/month).  Cost of the millage to pay the bond is calculated at $2.91 per $1000 of taxable value (taxable value is about ½ the home’s market value). 

After building the fiber network the township will partner with one or more service providers to deliver Internet access to residents.

Estimated monthly costs for basic Internet access will be about $35 - $45  for 100Mb of bandwidth. 1Gb bandwidth will be available for $60 -$70 a month. 

Total costs for a resident to get broadband service: millage bond costs + monthly costs for Internet access:  For the average homeowner in Lyndon Township 100Mb service will be around $57-$67 a month.

 
Will the millage be tax deductible?

Unlike fees that are paid directly to internet service providers, the millage for this broadband project will be deductible from federal and state taxes for those who itemize their tax returns.

Will improved internet access impact the SEV (state equalized valuation) of my property?

Area realtors report that there have been a significant number of home buyers who chose not to even look at – let alone purchase – homes or property when they discover that broadband access is not available. This translates into lower home values, and means that when a parcel has access to broadband, its value rises. A 2015 study from the University of Colorado found that this difference nationally is around 7.1% - so a home valued at $200,000 would increase in value by around $14,200. http://www.lightwaveonline.com/content/dam/lw/documents/FTTH_Report_06_26_2015.pdf

Can people opt out of the millage?

No.  Millages, by law, must be levied on all property owners within the jurisdiction