Michigan resident Jared Mauch doesn't want to settle for slow Internet connection from AT&T, but at the same time, he doesn't want to pay Comcast $50,000 to expand to his rural home.
Mauch did what he thought is the best option: start his own fiber internet service provider. He first made headline in January 2021 as the man who built a fiber-to-the-home Internet provider, according to Ars Technica.
Mauch Will Expand His ISP Service to 600 Properties
More than a year after Mauch built a fiber-to-the-home Internet provider, he is now expanding his service with the aid of the $2.6 million government money that he got.
Mauch was initially providing service to about 30 rural homes including his own house with his ISP, Washtenaw Fiber Properties LLC, as per Ars Technica. But now, he has about 70 customers.
With the government money provided to him, Mauch will expand his network to nearly 600 more properties. The money came from the American Rescue Plan's Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
According to Mauch, the US government allocated Michigan's Washtenaw County $71 million for different infrastructure projects. A portion of the budget was devoted to broadband.
Before the pandemic happened, the county conducted a broadband study to determine the unserved locations.
Upon availability of federal government money, a request for proposal (RFP) was issued by the county to seek contractors who will wire up addresses "that were known to be unserved or underserved based on the existing survey."
"They had this gap-filling RFP, and in my own wild stupidity or brilliance, I'm not sure which yet, I bid on the whole project [in my area] and managed to win through that competitive bidding process," Mauch said.
The ISP developed by Mauch is one of the four selected bidders by Washtenaw County to wire up different areas.
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Mauch Aims to Finish Installing ISP by the End of 2023
Currently, Mauch's network runs about 14 miles of fiber. To complete the government-funded project, he'll build another 38 miles, according to Ars Technica.
According to Mauch, the place is a thinly populated rural area and he has at least two homes where he has to build a half-mile to get to one house.
He noted that that it will cost "over $30,000 for each of those homes to get served," however, his installation fees are only usually $199, as per Engadget.
When customers want to avail the ISP service, they can choose from 100Mbps up/down internet speeds for $55 per month. Another option is the 1Gbps with unlimited data for $79 a month.
According to Engadget, Mauch is supposed to complete the contract by 2026. However, his goal is to finish the ISP installation by around the end of 2023.
Currently, he has already finished the works with some of the required addresses. He issued a press release when the connection was finished in June. The local commissioner called it "a transformational moment for our community."
Running an ISP isn't even connected to Mauch's day job. In fact, he is an Akamai network architect. However, his service has become necessary in the region.
"I'm definitely a lot more well-known by all my neighbors... I'm saved in people's cell phones as 'fiber cable guy,'" Mauch said.
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