Question 1

What is the estimated cost a homeowner will have to pay to establish a fiber optic connection to their home?

Accepted Answer

The more homeowners that sign up for the connection the less expensive the connection fee will be. We are expecting the connection cost per home to be $3500 upon completion of all the connections for your district. The connection fee can be paid in full upon completion of the local improvement district connections, or it can be paid in payments on an annual basis. Payments will be amortized over a 10-year period. These numbers are based off 50% of homeowners within a local improvement district signing up for the connection. You will not start paying the connection fee until the completion of all home connections have been completed within the local improvement district your home falls under.

Question 2

What router will I need for my internet?

Accepted Answer

You will need to purchase a wireless router to support the service from your internet service provider (ISP). Any router that will support 1 GB of internet speeds will do, below are just some options.
We have seen good success with Netgear products. You will need to select your router based on the size of your home and the number of devices connected. For homes 1,500 sq. ft. and under consider the R6700. For homes up to 3,500 sq. ft. consider the R8000. Walmart (https://www.walmart.com/ip/NETGEAR-Dual-Band-4-Stream-AX1600-WiFi-6-Router-1-6-Gbps-RAX5/1363183437?athcpid=1363183437&athpgid=AthenaItempage&athcgid=null&athznid=si&athieid=v0_eeNjUwLjYzLDQ0MjgyLjMsMC4wMTQ4Nzc2MzMyNjczNDY4NDksMC41Xw&athstid=CS055%7ECS098&athguid=o8OFxs9K8kDZluBQyFyIshps270AQwJKTTJO&athancid=584566855&athposb=7&athena=true&athbdg=L1600&adsRedirect=true)has a few of these options.
For homes over 3,000 sq. ft. consider a mesh system like Google Wifi.(https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/6598D45A-D8B9-4114-9A6E-645ADBFDF5C9?ingress=2&visitId=4085c12d-19eb-4659-8267-5b1bd5adce15&ref_=ast_bln)(https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/6598D45A-D8B9-4114-9A6E-645ADBFDF5C9?ingress=2&visitId=4085c12d-19eb-4659-8267-5b1bd5adce15&ref_=ast_bln)
For those wanting cutting edge technology consider the Ubiquiti AmpliFi ALIEN Router.(https://store.amplifi.com/products/amplifi-alien)

While any wireless router will work, you will want to make sure you select a router that will meet your expectations because your wireless router is what connects your devices to your fiber service. Over 90% of customer complaints come from their WiFi router's performance, not from the actual fiber service.
Your internet service provider will not provide a router, but they will have equipment available for telephone service if you choose to bundle that in with your service.
We will provide the fiber cables.

Question 3

What is the breakdown of the total monthly cost?

Accepted Answer

The total monthly cost is separated into three main categories with different payment options:
 
Paid to the City: 
 
1.  Infrastructure Cost is estimated to be $3500 upon completion of connections within your local improvement district. This cost can be paid off all at once or it can be broken down into annual payments over 10 years or until paid off. Connection costs will be published upon establishment & approval of each local improvement district.
 
2.  Monthly Maintenance & Operations of the network (M&O) is $17.50 a month.
 
Paid to the Internet Service Provider:  
 
3.  Cost of Subscribed Services (Internet)
              a. There are different packages to choose from with current rates as low as $7.99 a month for a 1 GBPS symmetrical service. To view options visit the Mountain Home Fiber Optic Portal: https://portal.mountainhomefiber.com/login (https://portal.mountainhomefiber.com/login)
																	    Username: demo
																	     Password: demo

Question 4

What is included in the Maintenance & Operations expense?

Accepted Answer

Managing and monitoring the network, network repairs & upgrades, a customer service representative, and managing deployments to new customers.

Question 5

What happens when the fiber optic connection fee is paid off?

Accepted Answer

Once the connection fee is paid off, that portion of the cost goes away and the monthly bill decreases to the combined cost of the maintenance and operations fee of $17.50 a month and the internet provider fee of $10.00 a month.

Question 6

Will fiber fees increase over time?

Accepted Answer

As a public entity, the city can only legally charge a fee for maintenance and operations. If there are increases necessary due to rising costs of maintaining infrastructure, any fee increases would have to go to City Council for approval first.

Question 7

What are the boundaries of Local Improvement District 1?

Accepted Answer

The final boundaries for Local Improvement District 1 have not been determined yet. To minimize costs for homeowners, the district will consist of the areas within city limits that have the highest opt-in sign ups per area. You can track opt-ins with the map link below.
https://services.arcgis.com/zuVYcGbo1L9xuj72/arcgis/rest/services/LID_Status_Map/MapServer(https://services.arcgis.com/zuVYcGbo1L9xuj72/arcgis/rest/services/LID_Status_Map/MapServer)

Question 8

Why will this network be good for residents and businesses in Mountain Home?

Accepted Answer

The city is confident it will be able to achieve it's goals for this network.  
Those goals are: 
 • Lowering the cost of internet access for residents and businesses
 • Significantly increasing the speed and reliability of internet access
 • Creating real competition between service providers to give residents multiple options in selecting a provider - on demand and in real time
 • Build a state-of-the-art network to stimulate economic development, foster innovation and increase property values
 • Improving services provided to the city by way of public safety, transportation, healthcare, education, emergency communications, and new services that will become available by leveraging this advanced network.

Question 9

Will I be forced to participate in the network?

Accepted Answer

No, property owners who choose not to participate can easily opt-out of the network.

Question 10

How many options will I have for internet speeds?

Accepted Answer

Internet Service providers will set their plan options. However, the city anticipates that subscribers will have at least the following options –
 
> 20 x 20 Mbps
 
> 100 x 100 Mbps
 
> 250 x 250 Mbps
 
> 500 x 500 Mbps
 
> 1000 x 1000 Mbps (1 Gig)

Question 11

How many Internet Service Providers will I have access to?

Accepted Answer

1. The network will be open to any ISP’s who want to offer services that meet the minimum city requirements to be a provider over the network. There are currently four ISPs to choose from 
   1. Advanced Stream (https://www.advancedstream.com/mountain_home)
   2. Fybercom
   3. Sumo Fiber
   4. QWK.NET (QWK.NET)

You can see what packages they offer by logging onto the Demo Account Portal (username: demo password: demo).

Question 12

What is the process for switching my Internet Service Provider (ISP)?

Accepted Answer

To switch your ISP, you will simply access an online portal and with a click of the mouse unsubscribe from your current ISP.  You can then subscribe to another available provider in the same way.  Switching ISPs and service plans takes less than 60 seconds.

Question 13

How do I log on to the Demo Portal Account

Accepted Answer

Click on Portal Login from the Home page or visit: https://portal.mountainhomefiber.com/dashboard
Use credentials below for login:
Username: demo
Password: demo

Question 14

What does it mean that the network will be symmetrical?

Accepted Answer

This means your upload and download speeds will be identical and consistent.

Question 15

What does it mean that the network will not be shared?

Accepted Answer

Almost all ISP networks in the United States today are shared networks.  That means 32 or 64 homes have a shared connection and the demands put on the network by one home will effect the performance of the network on neighboring homes.  The model we are planning to deploy is not a shared model so your connection will be a dedicated private connection and far more reliable.

Question 16

Do I have to own my home to opt-in?

Accepted Answer

To opt-in to the Mountain Home Fiber services, you must either own the property you are requesting to sign up or have a signed affidavit and agreement from the homeowner allowing the renter to sign up for services. You can find that affidavit and contract here:

Question 17

What happens if I move?

Accepted Answer

The cost of the infrastructure stays with the home. If you move, the remaining infrastructure fees will be settled during closing.

Question 18

How many homes do you plan on connecting a year per local improvement district (LID)?

Accepted Answer

The first local improvement district will include 600-700 homes and following LID projects will include 1000-1100 homes. We will continue to create new local improvement districts until we have expanded the utility connection throughout city limits.

Question 19

Can I sign up at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but if you want to finance the infrastructure costs over 10 years, you will need to sign-up in the beginning.

Question 20

When will I know the exact cost of network connection to my home?

Accepted Answer

The City is currently in the process of assessing demand.  Once the City has a firm number of participants, it will be able to set a per premise costs of construction.  Actual assessment amount varies based on take-rate (the number of subscribers who participate).  Once our assessment is complete, the City will be able to derive a more accurate total per premise cost, as well as a monthly cost for those who opt to finance the infrastructure.

Question 21

What if I sign up and then decide I no longer want the service?

Accepted Answer

The cost of monthly Maintenance & Operations and Internet Services can be suspended by subscribers at any time. Infrastructure expenses cannot be suspended until the infrastructure(connection) debt is paid off in full.

Question 22

Who do I call if there is a problem?

Accepted Answer

Customers will have the ability to contact the network operations group directly by phone and email.

Question 23

Will the City be competing with the private sector?

Accepted Answer

The City seeks to increase competition among private sector service providers.  The role of the City will be to provide and maintain the fiber infrastructure, but the City will not offer services on the network which compete with private sector companies.

Question 24

What is a Fiber Champion?

Accepted Answer

A Fiber Champion is a homeowner advocate for bringing fiber optic internet service to their neighborhood. Fiber Champions help inform their neighbors of the cost and benefits of fiber optic internet infrastructure and how to opt in to the program.

Question 25

What are the benefits of becoming a Fiber Champion?

Accepted Answer

Becoming a Fiber Champion gives you an opportunity to prioritize your neighborhood and lower the cost of connection. The more people who opt in, the lower the individual cost is.

Question 26

How do I opt in for the connection?

Accepted Answer

1. Online Form: https://www.pdffiller.com/en/link_to_fill/718114293?skip_app=1(https://www.pdffiller.com/en/link_to_fill/718114293?skip_app=1)
2. City of Mountain Home Fiber Optic web page: www.mountainhomefiber.com(http://www.mountainhomefiber.com)
3. In Person at City Hall or Public Works office.

Question 27

What if I sign opt in form and decide I no longer want to get my home connected?

Accepted Answer

1. You can remove your opt in by sending in a written request to the City Fiber Optic department to be removed from the connection list as long as the connection to your home has not been started.

questions & answers

Frequently Asked Questions