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| ARF- 3761 |
Regular Agenda Item 4. A.
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| Regular BOS Meeting |
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| Information |
| Request/Subject |
| Increase broadband Internet and point-to-point access services for outlying County facilities in the Globe area. |
| Background Information |
Over the course of the last few years, the Information Technology Department has worked hard to upgrade the network infrastructure and provide better and faster services to the outlying buildings and areas. Most of those improvements have centered on the Payson area. Now that Payson is operating more efficiently in terms of accessing County resources on the network, we need to bring the outlying buildings in Globe up to speed for their connections to the County network, and also improve our overall Internet bandwidth connection that is shared County-wide by all facilities.
Currently, the County shares a 20Mbps Internet connection, and it has become more than evident that it is not sufficiently providing proper Internet access across all facilities. This makes it increasing difficult for employees outside of the Courthouse to perform required duties in a timely manner. Also, inadequate are the network connections from the Central Heights and Public Works facilities that connect to the Courthouse and provide not only Internet access but network access for all affected employees in those buildings. Those facilities currently connect to the Courthouse with a 10Mbps connection and staff can find it hard to work efficiently as they have slow speeds and will frequently wait for the computer to give them access to shared network resources.
With this in mind, staff is proposing an increase in both Internet access bandwidth and the point-to-point network connections that feed Central Heights and Public Works. There are currently 2 options for achieving these results. One option is to increase bandwidth with our current provider, CableOne, and the other option is to switch to a new provider, Triplet Mountain Communications, Inc. (TMCI). Both companies have provided quotes for both 3- and 5-year terms that will increase our bandwidth greatly. While the CableOne quotes are lower than the TMCI quotes, they do not reflect sales tax and city surcharges, and also do not provide as much bandwidth as the TMCI quotes. Current costs with CableOne are $3752 per month for the stated 20Mbps Internet access and 10Mbps point-to-point access to Central Heights and Public Works facilities. CableOne offers a 5-year contract that will provide 100Mbps Internet access and 50Mbps point-to-point access to aforementioned facilities for a cost of $4500 per month, not including taxes and surcharges, which would come out to approximately $4901.13 per month after taxes and surcharges. TMCI offers a 5-year contract that will provide 150Mbps Internet access and 1Gbps point-to-point access to outlying facilities for a cost of $5331 per month with all taxes and surcharges included.
| Provider |
Current |
CableOne |
TMCI |
| Internet Speed |
20Mbps |
100Mbps |
150Mbps |
| Point to Point Speed |
10Mbps |
50Mbps |
1Gbps (1000Mbps) |
| Cost |
$3752 |
$4901 |
$5331 |
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| Evaluation |
The value of the additional bandwidth with the TMCI quote is more than worth the additional cost per month as it relates to the other option. For the additional $430 per month, the County would have an additional 50 Mbps of Internet access speed as well as an additional 950 Mbps of point-to-point access between the Courthouse and the outlying facilities. Comparing the 2 quotes, staff feels that the higher cost of TMCI’s offer per month is worth the greater increase in cost per month for the increased bandwidth that the quote offers. While the new CableOne quote has a lower monthly cost than the TMCI quote, it also provides less Internet access and significantly less point-to-point access speeds. Related costs with the TMCI quote will increase from our currently monthly cost of $3,752 to $5,331. This is a cost increase of $1,579 per month. Current speeds will increase from 20Mbps to 150Mbps (750% increase) for Internet access and 10Mbps to 1Gbps (10,000% increase) for point-to-point connections to the outlying facilities.
The contract between Triplet Mountain Communications, Inc. (TMCI) and Gila County would become a necessary first step in getting Gila County up to appropriate broadband Internet speeds so that County employees can function more effectively in their day-to-day assignments that require Internet connectivity. Current speeds are slow enough that most departments have a hard time completing work that involves Internet access in a timely manner. Staff feels that the recommended contract with Internet speeds of 150Mbps should give employees Countywide the ability to function more effectively than current speeds allow. Also, by increasing the Central Heights complex and Public Works Administration complex to 1Gbps connection speeds, those outlying buildings will have the same level of access to County network resources as buildings that are directly connected to the Courthouse. |
| Conclusion |
| The contract with Triplet Mountain Communications, Inc. (TMCI) would provide increased broadband Internet speeds across all connected County buildings. It would also significantly improve communications between the Public Works, Central Heights and Courthouse facilities. |
| Recommendation |
| The Information Technology Director recommends the Board of Supervisors' approval and the Chairman's signature on the contract between Triplet Mountain Communications, Inc. (TMCI) and Gila County to increase Countywide broadband Internet speeds as well as point-to-point speeds between the County Courthouse, Central Heights and Public Works. |
| Suggested Motion |
| Information/Discussion/Action to approve a contract between Triplet Mountain Communications, Inc. and Gila County in the total amount of $319,892.10 to provide broadband Internet speeds of 150Mbps and point-to-point service speeds of 1Gbps from the Gila County Courthouse to the Central Heights and Public Works Administration facilities for a period of five years, from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2021. (Kelly Riggs) |
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