The Orange County Broadband Task Force reviewed different models to deploy broadband technology and chose to seek alternatives that delivered upload and download speeds of at least 100 mbps, consistent with the terms of the American Rescue Act Plan. The Task Force designed a request for proposal (RFP) to seek providers that could meet that standard and serve the County' s unserved and underserved homes. The Task Force also created a detailed scoring matrix and appointed a member to serve on the evaluation and contract negotiation team.
The RFP was issued on Sept. 13, 2021, with one amendment added Oct. 11, 2021. The County received four proposals from internet service providers in response to the RFP. The evaluation team scored the proposals and began contract negotiations with North State Communications Advanced Services, LLC.