Council OK’s fiber optic site lease

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“This is something excellent for our community…”

Residents of Cotulla will soon have an opportunity to purchase high-speed fiber optic internet connectivity from a company with whom city councilors have agreed on a property lease for a transmission station.
A site belonging to the city on Engineer Lane near the La Salle County Fairgrounds is the agreed-upon location for Vero Fiber Networks, LLC, to place equipment and begin its conduit of fiber optic cables providing broadband internet and telecommunications transmission in the city.
Company representative Jeremy McDonald told councilors at their meeting Thursday, October 23, that he expects the service to provide connectivity superior to present carriers in Cotulla, which include AT&T and Spectrum, and to do so at a lower cost to consumers than other services presently available.
“Our goal is to provide fiber optic to all of the city,” McDonald said, and we expect to offer monthly plans.”
Rates for the service are priced from $30 to $40 upwards for standard connections, with a one-gigabyte service connection costing approximately $80 per month, McDonald said in response to queries from councilors.
City Administrator David Wright said he believes many area residents are presently paying higher prices.
“We are paying $80 a month now… I know I am,” Wright told the council. “Vero Fiber wants to lease a piece of city property. This is something excellent for our community.”
The city administrator described lease negotiations between City Hall and Vero Fiber in the days leading up to last week’s meeting as “productive,” adding that government offices will be offered the service free of charge as part of the deal that includes a $500 monthly lease for the real estate.
That lease price will increase by five percent each year, Wright added, with a contract lasting 15 years.
Councilors voted unanimously in favor of the lease agreement.