Kerr-Tar June 2020 Updates

Franklin County

As we approach the end of June, we are on schedule to begin the installation of our first antennas in the county. Final preparations are being completed and we should be getting started shortly after July 4th.

The first of four main broadcast antennas will be the main central antenna tower located at the County 911 Emergency Center on T. Kemp Rd; then the county tower on White Level Rdf ollowed by the county tower on Cone Dr, and the Bible Broadcasting tower in Alert, NC.

Once we have these the antennas installed and tested, we can then begin moving forward with residential and business site surveys and installations to begin in early July 2020.

The Franklin County 911 Emergency Center will host the main fiber optic link of our Fixed Wireless broadcast network.

Once the towers at the 911 Emergency center and White Level Rd are completed, we will be able to start installing the Public Wi-Fi system at Owens Park. Additionally; once that is completed, homes in these areas will be able to receive service. As we complete the Owens Park installation, the other tower at Cone Dr and the BBN tower will be installed and service from those will commence shortly thereafter.

Owens Recreational Park

We encourage residents and commercial businesses, if you haven’t already, please visit our website https://openbb.net/home-internet/ and enter your name on our Sign-Up List for Franklin County; this way we can be sure to include you in our testing schedule. Currently we have 932 sign-ups on our Wait List.

Also, you can keep up to date on progress by visiting our Blog https://openbb.net/blog/.

Additionally, as we expand, if you or someone you know is interested in working for Open Broadband as a site surveyor and/or installer and being part of this initiative for your community and surrounding areas; interested candidates can view our job postings and apply via our website careers page: https://careers.openbb.net

In Granville County we implemented a pilot project at the Granville County Expo & Convention Center in Oxford and looking at plans to expand from there..

Open Broadband is providing public Wi-Fi within the facility for all users that attend privately held functions as well as providing service during county meetings. This facility also serves as a hub or distribution point for nearby homeowners to subscribe to our service.

Granville County is beginning to ramp up efforts and plans to bring service in to the county within the coming month. We are also beginning to work with the city of Oxford to identify antenna locations there and we have been contacted by the Oxford Housing Authority to provide a plan to bring Wi-Fi in to four housing complexes within the city.

Broughton Terrace Apartments
Maple Ridge Apartments
Juniper Court Apartments
Villas of Knotts Grove Apartments

The expected time frame for installing the first broadcast antennas at the Warrenton Rd Water Tank and the Hwy 39 & Morgan Rd Water Tank is in the late summer early fall time frame. We will post our progress in this monthly newsletter and through the county website and social media outlets as things progress. https://openbb.net/blog/.

We currently have 770 sign-ups on our wait list, so if you have neighbors or relatives that haven’t signed up, please encourage them to visit our website https://openbb.net/home-internet/ to have them enter their name on our Sign-Up List for Granville County; this way we can be sure to include them in our testing schedule.

As we begin and start to expand, we will be looking to hire local people to assist us in providing site surveys and installation services. Interested candidates can view our job postings and apply via our website careers page: https://careers.openbb.net/

Wi-Fi at the G.A.P

Open Broadband is working very closely with the county to provide free Public Wi-Fi at the Granville Athletic Park

Open Broadband is getting closer to antenna installation in Vance County. We continue to have meetings with the County Manager and with the Chamber of Commerce.

We are still on schedule to begin broadcast antenna installation in mid-summer time frame Stay tuned !… we’ll be out there soon.
We will post our progress in this monthly newsletter and through the county website and social media outlets as things progress. https://openbb.net/blog/.

We currently have 355 sign-ups on our wait list, so if you have neighbors or relatives that haven’t signed up, please encourage them to visit our website https://openbb.net/home-internet/ to have them enter their name on our Sign-Up List for Vance County; this way we can be sure to include them in our testing schedule.

Getting Connected…is as easy as 1-2-3 !

The process to connect residences up are very simple and only requires three steps to get you up and running.

Here are some examples of the antennas we use. Different antennas provide signal for different applications and frequencies.

A Message from Open Broadband concerning COVID-19

Staying connected even when apart

COVID-19 has brought many changes to our communities, affecting the ways we live, work and interact. But throughout these changes, one thing has stayed constant: Our determination to serve you and your internet needs in a safe manner.Working in your community

As one of the many essential services responding to this national emergency, our work continues – even in those areas with stay-at-home ordinances. You may still see some of our field technicians working in and around your neighborhood. Their work is helping to ensure that residential communities, businesses and critical facilities have the internet they need throughout this time.

As a precaution, if you do see our workers, please avoid approaching them and their work areas. If there is a need to speak with them, be aware that they will be maintaining at least 6 feet of separation. We’ll also be keeping this recommended distance anytime direct interaction for essential services is required on customer properties, inside homes and businesses, consistent with CDC and other public health guidelines.

You will be contacted once service is available

Once service is available at your address, we will contact you to schedule a signal test to ensure sufficient wireless signal for broadband.

Once the signal level is confirmed we’ll set up an in-home installation appointment. A team of installers will set up the system, attaching an antenna to the exterior of your house in addition to an interior gateway device.

If we have not contacted you that means service is not available yet. Please be patient and we will contact you when we can schedule your address. We will provide as much advance notice as possible.

If your neighbors have not joined the signup list, encourage them to do so.

As we continue to expand, we are looking to interview candidates for Part Time positions of surveyors and installers. Interested candidates can view our job postings and apply via our website careers page: https://careers.openbb.net/

This is a long journey to build a new network from scratch using fixed-wireless technology in a challenging terrain. We believe everyone deserves access to broadband speeds and our small company is doing our part to fill in gaps where the 50-100 year old large companies have not implemented.

Open Broadband would like to extend our gratitude to all citizens of Franklin, Granville and Vance counties for their patience while we implement this project. We understand the needs and reliance that everyone has for High-Speed Internet and how it affects your daily lives for commerce, work, education, business, pleasure and entertainment. We are here to help bridge that gap in the underserved rural communities. to your area and we look forward to serving many of you in 2020.