Omni Fiber of Cincinnati will soon be installing a fiber optic network in Masury, giving residents another option for high-speed internet service.
Karl Kopchak, director of construction for Omni Fiber, met with township trustees April 23 to present the program. Kopchak said construction, most of which will be done below ground, will commence once the township and Trumbull County issue permits.
“This is roughly going to be a 2-and-a-half-, 3-month build,” Kopchak said.
Fiber optics converts electrical signals into light beams carried in glass threads to send information to its ending point, where it is converted back to electrical signals, according to Wikipedia. The glass threads will be encased in insulation and housed in conduit.
The company is focusing on Masury based on its population, population density, poverty levels and other factors, he said. The northernmost boundary for the project is Lincoln Street. The east boundary is Stateline Road to Route 62 to Masury Hubbard Road. The west boundary is Yankee Run Road to Brookfield Avenue. The business district and neighborhoods along Route 62 are included.
Builds of this size typically cost about $6 million, Kopchak said.
Most work will be done in the road rights-of-way just off the edge of the road, but there will be some road and driveway cuts, Kopchak said. Restoration will be done shortly after the line is installed, he said.
Mailers will go out to households affected by the construction, and door tags will be placed on homes two days before construction to alert homeowners of the impending work, Kopchak said.
Although many companies are using government grants to extend internet service, Omni Fiber is only using private money, he said.
“As soon as that’s built, we’ll start selling service immediately,” he said.
Township Road Supt. Jaime Fredenburg, who will be the township’s main contact person, said he has discussed the project with Kopchak in depth and is working to make sure the construction is complete before the township starts paving roads.
Omni Fiber is accepting preorders through its website, omnifiber.com
Trustee Dan Suttles thanked Kopchak for the investment in the community, adding competition for internet service and reaching out to inform the trustees about the project.
