County looking to hire manager to address foothill broadband issues

David Wilson, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Apr. 21—Most Yuba County residents who live in the foothills either do not have access to the internet or struggle with slow speeds.

Yuba County District 5 Supervisor Randy Fletcher said the county is currently looking for a manager to focus on the needs of constituents when it comes to the issue of broadband connectivity.

"Over the last few years, the county did not have one employee that was focused on this issue," Fletcher said. "There are some limited grants available, but we didn't have the focus to receive one. This is now a high priority to help our citizens throughout the county have access to better broadband."

Types of broadband include broadband over power lines, digital subscriber line, cable, fiber, wireless and satellite, according to Fletcher.

Fletcher's supervisorial district includes the District 10 area (north of Marysville), Hallwood, Loma Rica, Smartsville, Browns Valley, Challenge, Dobbins, Oregon House, Strawberry Valley, Camptonville, Rackerby and Forbestown.

Fletcher said people in the lower foothills have reasonable access to broadband but experience slow speeds. He said the more people that join a broadband provider, the slower the speed becomes. Residents in the upper foothills of Yuba County have limited access to broadband.

"The foothills are separated by a lot of space and objects to interfere with a signal i.e., trees, hills, valleys in between," Fletcher said. "As a result, the cost is greater than the profit and therefore companies prefer to spend capital where the population/profit is."

He said most of the residents in his district struggle to get a good connection and that it can depend on the time of day, a person's location and the provider.

"The county does not have the funds to install better broadband, so we rely on the private sector," Fletcher said. "For them to get involved they need to make a profit. If the price is too high, the public will not sign up, if the cost is too low the private sector will not spend the capital needed."

Federal grant money is expected to be available in the future, but Fletcher said the county has to be ready with a plan to be able to apply. The manager position the county is trying to fill would be tasked with securing grant funding, according to Fletcher.

"This seems to be the future of our country (work from home)," Fletcher said. "Therefore, we need to get positioned for our future. It is essential to have great broadband for our citizens."