Broadband On Hold
June 22, 2018
The Tusayan Town Council is unable to reach a consensus on the best way to bring broadband internet service to town. Mayor Craig Sanderson and Councilman David Chavez was the town to subsidize internet service for residents while Vice Mayor Becky Wirth and Councilman Al Montoya oppose the idea.
The opposition stems from the fact that the current internet service in Tusayan comes from a wireless feed. Montoya and Wirth want to wait until fiber optics arrive. However it could take several years for fiber optics to arrive as federal and state grants are needed to help bring fiber optics to Tusayan.
Wirth says any subsidized service without fiber optics would be wasted money, “This is a temporary fix. I still want to see the fiber go through and when the fiber goes through is when we step in and pay for it.”
Mayor Sanderson wants to act now, “What can we do the make the quality of life for our people better.”
In the end the council voted to have the Town Manager study the issue further.