Page 6 - May-June 2023 Vol 41 No 1

BLOUNT COUNTY By Shannon Smith
Fiber Ties Blount County Together

This story seemed a natural follow up fiber. Our linemen put it up from just one have the same standards in terms of
to the article we ran in Tennessee Public building to the main office, and it never what equipment they have, which makes
Works Magazines’ Sept./Oct. 2019 issue, went down,” said McClain. the whole operation more secure,” said
in which we explored how Blount County That roll of fiber proved its reliability, Abhijit Verekar, Founder and CEO of
was becoming a “Smart City” with its 150 and McClain asked the commission Avero Advisors.
miles of fiber cable forming a Maryville- to start connecting all government Verekar’s company was hired in 2019
Alcoa-County Network, or MACNet. buildings. to create a strategic plan for all the fiber
We were especially curious as to how “And it only made sense to me that the cities and county had already installed
MACNet assisted the government and while we’re running fiber, if we happen over the years and prioritize how they can
citizens the following year with the advent to go by something that’s county-owned use it best.
of COVID-19 and its ensuring shutdowns or Maryville-owned, that we would see “What’s unique about Blount County
and virtual meetings. Our friends at if they wanted to be connected, too,” said is that [the county and cities] actually
Teknovation.biz agreed to the reprint of McClain. talk to each other,” said Verekar. “The
this story, which ran this spring. That 600 feet of fiber is now 150 miles players there were forward thinking and
of fiber connecting every municipal understood what needs to happen. It’s
It all started in 1996 with 600 feet of building in Alcoa, Maryville, and the rest very rare. It’s hard to replicate anywhere
fiber cable. of Blount County. It’s collectively called else.”
“I was the electric director for the the Maryville-Alcoa-County Network, or So how has MACNet made a difference
City of Alcoa, and every time it would MACNet. for the people who live in its orbit?
lightning, the phone lines would go down This means all government buildings, Verekar notes the value of the system
and we’d have communications problems. schools, police stations, fire stations, the truly shined when the COVID-19
And being in the utility business, we’ve 911 call center, and Blount Memorial pandemic hit.
got to have communication” said Greg Hospital are all on the same fiber optic “One Friday afternoon, the Supreme
McClain, who’s now Maryville’s City network. Court of Tennessee says, ‘Monday
Manager. “That allows them to become more morning, we’re going to go virtual.’ Most
“I convinced the City of Alcoa secure, communicate with each other counties in the state had to scramble
Commission to let me just buy a roll of more efficiently, and it allows them to because they didn’t have the connections

Far left: Abhijit Verekar, Founder and CEO of
Avero Advisors with Blount Mayor Ed Mitchell.
Left and above: Crew checking the manholes.
Photo page 7: Avero Team with Maryville City
Manager Greg McClain.

6 TPW May/June 2023