Happy Friday (at time of writing) everybody!!
A quick update on the process and the status of Marshall’s most exciting development (FiberNet)!!
SO the process we go through to get customers online goes like this: We go through a thorough and rigorous design/analysis phase first, where we make several critical determinations, i.e. Fiber path, electronics requirements, safety, and efficiency in design. Once this is completed, we gather the list of materials required, and then we bid out both the material side and the labor side of the individual phases of the project. At that point (after the RFP process and bid award process are complete) we embark on the next step which is to work with our construction partners and our material suppliers to get the network built. Each individual structure, both residential and commercial must be engineered for taking into account our mandate to provide the service levels approved by council and expected by customers. This process takes some time, as we do not want to be wasteful with our construction dollars and we do not want to waste time re-doing parts of the network after they are in place to resolve issues that were overlooked. Currently we have a few Beta customers online, and are taking this opportunity to flesh out the remaining missing pieces of a complex network being built from scratch. Technological advances and in some cases shortages have affected the project timeline and will only make us better in the long run!!
We are in the second phase of the project now, and while it has taken longer than we would have liked, we believe we are building a world-class network that will be efficient to manage, and perform better than any network within the state at a cost that is sustainable and affordable to the community. We will be endeavoring to play “Catch-up” through the winter and all of the coming year as we try to complete our targeted 1400+ installations. We will be announcing the onboarding of our technician staff in the next few weeks, and look forward to getting them up to speed as we continue to clear hurdles in the design and construction arena.
The staff here at Marshall FiberNet would like to thank you for your patience as we complete this process. We know how excited the community is, we hear from you daily!! (we love the interaction, it shows your passion for something we are passionate about!!)
Have a safe and joyous holiday season!!
~Team FiberNet~