After many months of negotiations, the town of Minocqua has an agreement with local broadband internet provider SonicNet on new tower construction and leasing rights, according to WXPR Radio. SonicNet of Eagle River provides wireless internet service to select areas within the township, as well as in areas of Vilas County and the eastern side of Iron County, Michigan.
The city’s development committee had been in negotiations with SonicNet on the leases since a five-year lease expired in November, 2015. The town board Tuesday, August 30 approved the new leases. The agreement calls for SonicNet to construct three, 180-foot guyed towers on town-owned land, convey ownership of the three towers at no cost to the town, and then lease the towers back for its transmitting and receiving equipment, WXPR reported. The towers are to be erected by October 1 of this year and SonicNet equipment placed by the following month. The new towers are stronger and can hold more communication equipment than the three, 180-foot towers the town built for SonicNet a decade ago.
They will be available for leasing if another broadband provider is interested, according to Pete Otis, chairman of the committee. The town also may place some of its own communication equipment. Under the original lease, the town received monthly payments of $1 for each SonicNet subscriber that received services via the three towers. The new leases are each for 10 years and two months, ending on November 1, 2026. Lease payments are $150 monthly for the first five years for each of the three towers, which will be sited at 7877 Gun Club Road, 8717 N. Bo-di-Lac Road and 11320 Kilawee Road. Then monthly payments will increase to $750 monthly for the last five years for the Gun Club Road site and to $375 for the other two towers, said WXPR.
The town will also receive free internet service at its maintenance shop at the Gun Club Road site. Otis said the town would use the lease payments to promote broadband services within the township.
Reader Interactions