The DCEDC Technology Council is a group of IT professionals from leading area companies, local elected officials and other concerned citizen who have been working since 2000 to improve reliability and access to the most up-to-date telecommunications technology for the entire county.

Council members have taken the lead in educating the community on the importance of broadband telecommunications for future economic development. The Council has commissioned and released studies on the available telecommunications infrastructure in the County, click here, a Technology Needs and Market Study, click here, and a feasibility study for a new fiber-to-the-home telecommunications deployment, click here.

The Technology Council also engages with incumbent service providers to continually lobby for service upgrades and improvements. The Council has worked to speed up the deployment of DSL service to the City of Sturgeon Bay, supported a new redundant fiber link recently installed in the County and encouraged the extension of cable services in Northern Door County. In 2007, Charter Communications, supprted by DCEDC, completed a $33,000 upgrade to their facilities to include the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park for deployment of their “triple-play” data/voice/video services.

Additionally, in December 2007, the Door County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the hiring of Access Engineering LLC to write and release a request for proposals from service providers for a countywide fiber optics telecommunications network. Access has requested details from companies interested in deploying a state-of-the-art fiber to the premises network that would dramatically improve the speed of information and data for County businesses and residents. The proposed network would help to advance the ability of existing businesses to grow and also provide an appealing lure for potential new business opportunities. Responses to the RFP are expected to be submitted to the County by June 30, 2008, and several providers have shown strong interest in responding.

Other current activities of the Technology Council include:

• Support the County of Door fiber-to-the-home infrastructure initiative;

• Development of a study for the economic impact and potential of high-speed broadband deployment;
  
  
• Identify potential telecommunications improvement solutions for underserved areas of the County;

• Monitor and actively promote state and federal legislative initiatives that facilitate our local plans.

To join the DCEDC Technology Council, please contact Sam Perlman.