Sallisaw City Commissioners, at their meeting last week and voting as the Sallisaw Municipal Authority (SMA), approved expanding DiamondNet wireless internet service north to Stilwell and west to Gore and Webbers Falls.
The service will also be available to all those along the way, and could be available in eight weeks or less. Working on building the network will begin immediately.
City Manager Clayton Lucas told the commissioners that DiamondNet currently offers high speed, wireless internet service to Vian, Gans, Akins, Hansen, Brushy, Marble City and other rural areas. There are about 300 wireless internet customers who currently subscribe to DiamondNet, with a projected revenue of more than $165,000 annually. This number increases monthly as more subscribers sign up.
It was recently announced that Stilwell’s only broadband internet service provider shut down on Oct. 18. Staff has received numerous phone calls from residents in the Stilwell area asking if DiamondNet will be available in their area. This began the discussion of DiamondNet's service area boundaries and how far out the Sallisaw Municipal Authority wanted to take DiamondNet's wireless internet product, specifically if the SMA wanted to expand outside of Sequoyah County.
Lucas said that, in order to expand to Gore, it would cost about $6,000, which would pay for itself with 10 customers over a one-year period. Expansion to Stilwell will cost about $10,000, which will pay for itself with 17 customers over a one-year period. Expanding to Webbers Falls will cost about $2,000, which will pay for itself with four customers over a one-year period.
Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director
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Please come further south to the Brent / Applegate Cove area.
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