Main Street expanding service

Published 8:11 pm Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Main Street Broadband’s partnership with Decatur County on a high-speed wireless network continues to expand and improve, a company official shared at county commissioners’ Tuesday morning meeting.

Main Street now has nine antenna sites it is broadcasting the Internet from around the county, said Randy Lindsey, the company’s vice president for sales and marketing.

More than 800 residents have either registered interest for the service or are already enrolled and receiving service, Lindsey said.

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According to Main Street’s data, about 73 percent of Decatur County’s geographic area is covered by the company’s wireless signals. Based on that area, the company estimates about 88.5 percent of the county’s households could receive service presently. However, Lindsey noted that depending on geography, trees and other obstructions, some of those households cannot currently use the service reliably. That’s an issue the company will continue to work on, he said.

An antenna has been installed in Climax and is being tested and tuned this week.

New antennas in Faceville and Chattahoochee, Fla., are planned, which would extend wireless Internet to southwestern Decatur County.

The service has also been expanded into Donalsonville, and a new tower in southern Mitchell County is capable of serving some residents of the Vada community. The company is still working on a solution for Brinson, where the town council voted not to allow an antenna on its water tower.

Main Street is also working on enhancing the services it offers, Lindsey said.

Voice-over-Internet service is now available to residents. The company is also is working on setting up a Wide Area Network that could be used by businesses and organizations, while it continues to test a pilot project for agricultural customers.

The agricultural pilot is being conducted on the farm of Alan Davis and uses a technology developed by Main Street partners to implement a remote soil moisture monitoring system.

Main Street hopes to develop a comprehensive “Smart Farming” program that would include center pivot control, remote security cameras and soil monitoring, Lindsey said.

Main Street will open up a new information center in downtown Bainbridge this week; it’s located on the square off West Street.

For more information on the service, people can call 888-807-3278 or visit www.mainstreetbb.com/decatur/.