A. The Board of County Commissioners, Shelby County, Ohio (the “Commissioners”) are issuing this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to seek a third party to lease existing vertical assets in Shelby County, specific to emergency communication towers, for a fixed wireless solution (collectively the "Broadband Infrastructure") to improve broadband access for education, job creation, healthcare, and more in Shelby County (collectively the "Project"). B. Given the topography, demographics, population density, and existing infrastructure within Shelby County, we anticipate a wireless deployment will be the most cost- and time-effective solution to meet local connectivity needs in the short-term and possibly the only solution to connect high-cost areas in Shelby County. C. Any selected Applicant (“Awardee”) shall be responsible for the construction, where applicable, maintenance and operation of the Broadband Infrastructure under the Project and the associated backhaul connectivity. Further Applicants may propose a privately owned and operated network solution, a publicly owned network solution, or a combination thereof (i.e., a public-private partnership or “P3”). The Commissioners will consider any reasonable and responsible proposal that addresses the priorities listed above and positions Shelby County for the future. Further, the Awardee should provide clear information to end users regarding monthly service rates and actual speeds supplied to users on the network.
