High-speed Internet meandering its way through Cook County

Crews are working all over Cook County to install the fiber optic infrastructure for the Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. broadband Internet project. Many excited county residents are looking forward to having fast and reliable Internet service. The percentage of electric co-op members who have signed up for broadband service is 75%.

As most Cook County residents know, broadband Internet will soon be available throughout the county thanks to a fiber optic cable being installed all the way up the North Shore. Making this possible for anyone on the electric grid in Cook County is a partnership between Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Inc.—Cook County’s electrical and Internet cooperative—and Northeast Service Cooperative (NESC)—a government initiated regional service cooperative that helps government and other agencies find the best prices on goods and services.

Both entities received federal funding to install fiber optic cable. They have signed a 22-year contract in which Arrowhead Electric will use Northeast Service Cooperative’s fiber optic lines running along Highway 61 through Lake and St. Louis counties and Northeast Service Cooperative will use Arrowhead Electric’s fiber optic lines running along Highway 61 through Cook County.

Arrowhead Electric Director of Member Services Joe Buttweiler said, “The deal saves Arrowhead millions of dollars by avoiding costly transport of data from our office in Lutsen to Duluth using another provider.

Meanwhile, NESC is able to use Arrowhead’s fiber optic network through Cook County. It’s a great example of cooperation amongst cooperatives!

“Similar to Arrowhead Electric Cooperative,” Buttweiler continued, “NESC has to continually perform its due diligence to make sure its project is financially viable to protect its members (the hospitals, schools, and local governments of northeastern Minnesota).

“…The type of service NESC provides its members is much different from the high-speed Internet services Arrowhead Electric Cooperative will provide. Rather than providing Internet service, NESC provides a physical fiber optic cable between its members. It is the NESC member’s responsibility to then connect to the Internet, which requires equipment purchases and additional monthly expenses.

“Some examples are directly connecting the Cook County North Shore Hospital to the SISU Medical Solutions data center in Duluth or connecting Cook County with the state of Minnesota in Duluth.” Buttweiler explained that SISU and the state contract with other companies to bring Internet service into their offices. Paying NESC for the lines that connect the hospital and the county to the data centers they need to be connected to is “a cost-effective and good way for disparate locations to receive services,” Buttweiler said.

Hospital’s contract with NESC

Arrowhead Electric contacted the Cook County News-Herald hoping for clarification regarding an article in the October 27 News-Herald that referred to the hospital entering a contract with NESC for a computer connection with SISU as a choice to “go cheap” rather than “go local.”

Unlike Arrowhead Electric, NESC already had equipment at SISU to provide a T1 line – a fast, direct, and secure connection – to North Shore Hospital and other area medical facilities. North Shore Hospital is currently connected to SISU via a T1 line supplied by Boreal, Cook County’s local Internet service provider, but according to the hospital, the fiber optic T1 line NESC will provide is 600 times larger. The T1 line is what confidential medical information is transmitted on.

North Shore Hospital solicited quotes from both NESC and Arrowhead Electric for a T1 line, and NESC offered a cheaper rate and a direct connection with SISU. The hospital indicated that their Internet service connecting them to the worldwide web is provided by SISU as well.

Progress being made

Buttweiler said Arrowhead Electric would need to wait for NESC to finish its work up the North Shore and in Grand Marais and Duluth before it can offer its new broadband service throughout Cook County. The main (“transport”) lines are in place from Lake County to Grand Marais and from Grand Marais to mid-Gunflint Trail. Distribution lines off those lines are in place from Lake County through the Pike Lake/Cascade and Maple Hill areas. “Drop” lines to individual homes and other buildings are complete from Lake County to Tofte.

The cable is being laid underground in some places and overhead in others. “Construction of underground fiber will begin shutting down as the weather changes,” Buttweiler said. “Aerial construction will continue work so long as reasonable progress can be made throughout the winter.

“To date, our construction budget is on track and Arrowhead Electric Cooperative is receiving funds from RUS [the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, the funding source] as we request funds.”

Buttweiler said Arrowhead Electric is “still evaluating our TV options, which is why we are hesitant to discuss [the] price of Internet and phone.” He was not able to say when the broadband service would be available, and when asked if it was possible that TV would not be included in the service, he answered, “TV options are being evaluated.”

Percentage of Cook County property owners already on the electric grid who have requested fiber optic drops to their homes, cabins, or businesses:

(Grand Marais residents are part of the Grand Marais Public Utilities Cooperative rather than the Arrowhead Electric Cooperative but will be able to purchase broadband services from Arrowhead Electric Cooperative.)