Page 7 - May-June 2023 Vol 41 No 1

in place for a judge to work from Zoom. to others that just need to go from, say the area.”
Blount County had those connections in Chattanooga to Bristol, and then we Two companies have already taken the
place two years before, so we were able become a part of that pathway for people city up on this offer, Allevia Technology
to quickly turn around and do that,” said to travel and connect buildings all over and Spectrum Business Enterprise
Verekar. the place,” said McClain. He said that’s Solutions.
He said MACNet also helped when kids already happening on a smaller scale with Allevia is a Maryville-based IT
doing virtual school could use the school a connection to Sevier County Electric in company providing managed services and
and public library internet connections in Townsend. high-speed fiber internet in Downtown
the parking lots of those buildings. They What people in Blount County Maryville.
weren’t having to rely on hotspots, but may notice first is the possible Spectrum will lease the fiber from the
instead on the fiber optic broadband. commercialization of the fiber optic City of Maryville in order to provide voice
It’s also made a big difference for network and leasing it to provide internet and data services with speeds up to 10
emergency response. services. gigabits per second.
“Before Townsend was on MACNet, “Fiber is the pipes. Broadband is the “If you have a great idea about how
the only way for 911 to contact the water. Those two don’t have to be provided you can provide internet to citizens,
Townsend Fire Department was by radio,” by the same person,” said Verekar. households, and businesses, all you have
said Verekar. “Now they’re on the same McClain said it won’t be the to do is lease the fiber MACNet has
system as the rest of the county and the government giving internet to people in instead of having to build your own fiber,”
911 center can see exactly where the fire Blount County. It’ll be private companies said Verekar.
is or where the call came from.” working as the middlemen to lease As this slowly gains traction, Verekar
Now that the fiber infrastructure is set MACNet’s fiber and use it to distribute notes it’s unlikely he’ll see another city-
and MACNet is proving it’s worth more internet, paying the cities and county for county fiber partnership like MACNet.
than the about $4 million it cost to install use. He and McClain note that not every local
it, city and county leaders are looking to The City of Maryville has already municipality will work together the way
what’s next for the network. started this. The city’s website states Maryville, Alcoa, and Blount County do.
One thing McClain already sees they’ve “used existing infrastructure “It’s not to say that we all get along on
happening is the expansion outside to run fiber through a utility pipeline everything,” said McClain. “We don’t.
Blount County lines. around the downtown district. We arm wrestle like family does on a
“Now we’re talking about connecting Communications companies will have lot of things. But for the good of the
our system to others, to our south, to the opportunity to lease the fiber in order community, we’re willing to set those
our north, and becoming part of a bigger to provide high speed communications things aside and partner wherever we
network where we can lease fiber space service to residents and businesses within can.”

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