Author: Valery Zulia
Jared Mauch, a Michigan citizen who built a fiber internet service, is expanding with the help of $2.6 million in federal funds since Comcast and AT&T couldn’t provide him with a dependable internet connection.
In 2021 he made national headlines when it was discovered that he had provided internet service to about thirty remote homes via his ISP, Washtenaw Fiber Properties LLC.
In this article, we will talk more about Jared Mauch’s substantial split from the ISP and the reasons why his services are better than AT&T and Comcast’s.
What are the main reasons for creating ISP?
The federal government provided $71 million to Washtenaw County for several infrastructure projects. Nevertheless, some amounts were provided for broadband because the County had problems getting a connection to a trustworthy internet provider.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the County conducted a broadband analysis to assess underserved areas. When government funding became available, a request for proposals (RFP) was released to identify contractors who could wire up homes without a broadband connection.
According to Mauch, in his interview ARS, “the county had enough space to fill in its request for proposals, and in my folly or genius, I chose to take on the complete project in my region and won through the bidding procedure.”
Washtenaw County selected Mauch’s as one of four ISPs to offer internet access in various places. A total of 14 miles of fiber have already been added to his network, and he still needs to add 38 miles to complete the project.
What does the contract include?
In May 2022, Mauch signed the contract with the government. According to it, he must extend his network to more than 500 homes in the townships of Lodi, Lima, Scio, and Freedom. Even though this contract only provides service to 417 locations, Mauch claimed that his fiber routes would provide for more than 550 users.
In accordance with the terms of the deal, Mauch will provide 100Mbps internet service for $55 per month and 1Gbps internet service for $79 per month. All internet packages would have unlimited plans.
At the same time, the average cost of his installation is between $199 and $299.
Mauch also offers simple internet subscription charges and no extra fees, in contrast to other ISPs. Mauch must finish the project by the end of 2026.
What did Comcast offer?
Mauch does not run an ISP; rather, he works as a network architect for Akamai. He started making plans to build his network around five years ago after realizing that none of the major ISPs would offer him service.
Additionally, he stated that Comcast intended to charge him $50,000 but that he would have opted for their service if they had just charged him $10,000 for expanding their cable network to his home.
Conclusion
After winning a deal with Washtenaw County, Michigan resident Jared Mauch founded an ISP. His internet service provider (ISP) is among the four that the County has selected to provide internet connectivity to underserved areas. Mauch will have to offer his clients inexpensive, fee-free internet service. But even so, due to inflation and other variables, the price of delivering this service increases every year. Since he began offering the service, Mauch claims that his life has changed a little; the ISP business is flourishing.