For some time now, Delaware County has been looking for a way to grow its broadband Internet resources, but struggled to find the money to pay for it during a down economy.

So officials asked Ohio Wesleyan University if they could borrow some of theirs. OWU has obliged.

Delaware County commissioners this week approved a one-year agreement with OWU to borrow two of the university’s 72 fiber-optic strands. As an example of how much a strand is, OWU fulfills all of its Internet needs using four strands, county information director Steve Lewis said.

Fiber optics are a cutting-edge data transmission technology that allows broadband Internet access thousands of times faster than a typical broadband consumer service such as Time Warner Road Runner.

The county’s expanded fiber system will now be able to connect its top-of-the-line emergency communications system with systems in Dublin and Worthington, Lewis said.

Delaware County recently entered into an agreement to consolidate emergency radio communications with the two cities, which officials said will allow law enforcement and other first responders to better talk to each other during emergencies.

If OWU hadn’t agreed to share its fiber, Lewis said the county would have paid to lease the cable from a company like AT&T. This would have cost taxpayers somewhere around $50,000, he said.

The county will use OWU’s fiber to hook up to a cheaper state-bid Internet service provider, which will cut the county’s Internet bills by one-third.

“It’s a very nice gesture on (OWU’s) part,” Lewis said. “They didn’t have to do this. They don’t get anything out of this.”

OWU’s chief information officer, Theresa Byrd, said the university had been negotiating with the county over its Internet resources for a couple of years. She said the university wasn’t using its extra fiber strands.

“We see this as a good partnership and good community relations building between the county and Ohio Wesleyan,” she said.

This week’s acquisition is strictly reserved for government communications, but it may be a first step for the county’s goals of expanding fiber optics networks throughout the county. Delaware County will negotiate with OWU as time goes on to attempt to purchase or otherwise take control of OWU’s fiber, officials said.

Area government officials have referred to fiber as a “fourth utility” crucial to attracting cutting-edge businesses to the area. Delaware City, as well as OhioHealth and Consolidated Electric have formed a public/private consortium called DASH (Delaware Area SuperHighway) with the goal of promoting and administering fiber optic infrastructure.

Commissioner Todd Hanks said it was too early to say how the county might work with OWU as a means of developing a fiber network for economic development purposes, but called this week’s agreement a “first step.”

“It’s the first step in a long journey…but it’s a great start for a great future for Delaware County,” he said.

County commissioners want to move forward with building a network of broadband cable throughout the area, but earlier this year failed in a bid to get $700,000 in federal stimulus funding to help cover start-up costs. County commissioners have discussed hiring a consultant to help the county plan out a long-term fiber broadband Internet economic development strategy and financing options.

atobias@delgazette.com