Our goal is to make it about the same cost you’d have to pay on Aquidneck Island.”

Town Administrator Richard Rainer

PRUDENCE ISLAND — Island residents who have long been frustrated by slow internet service saw a light at the end of the tunnel during the Town Council’s annual meeting on Prudence Saturday.

Nearly 100 people crammed into the Union Church — the congregation celebrates its 90th birthday on Sunday — for the midday meeting, most of which focused on Prudence Island-related issues.

The council voted 5-0 to advertise a request for proposals (RFP) to attract vendors interested in bringing high-speed, broadband internet to the island using advanced wireless technology. Council members Michael Buddemeyer and Joseph Robicheau did not attend the meeting.

Verizon is the current internet service provider for Prudence, but islanders complain of slow performance due to the outdated DSL lines that transmit data over telephone lines running on an underwater cable to Prudence, according to resident Ed “Hap” Aldrich.

The service is so limited, he said, that it requires homes to be no more than five miles from the Verizon office at the corner of East Main Road at Sprague Street on the “mainland.” That effectively eliminates many island homes, he said.

Some islanders use hot spots for their service, but this costs extra money for the data they’re using.

Since there’s been “a lack of progress” with Cox Communications and Verizon on the matter, Mr. Aldrich said he’s been working on finding alternative internet technologies and vendors for a year in order to bring reliable internet service to the island at a reasonable cost. 

One of those vendors is Axiom Technologies, which he said has extensive experience working with island communities in Maine, so the company could be a good fit for Prudence. 

Town Administrator Richard Rainer has been doing his own research. “We are not going to get a big-name provider for internet service greater than what you already have on Prudence Island,” he said.

Under Mr. Rainer’s proposal, the island may be able to piggyback onto the OSHEAN network, a high-speed fiberoptic service that is used only by municipalities, including the Town of Portsmouth. 

“We’re thinking about how to feed off the high-speed internet at Town Hall and pipe that service to Prudence Island,” he said.

The town would send a beam to a receiver somewhere on a high point in the middle of Prudence Island, and then an island receiver would relay multiple beams to homes on Prudence. The town would build and own the installed infrastructure. Grant money may be available to undercut the cost of building a tower on Prudence if the town can prove it will enhance public safety, Mr. Rainer said.

Each home would need a small antenna and box that would connected to a modem, he said. 

“Obviously there would be an investment that would be passed onto those who utilize the service,” said Mr. Rainer, adding the goal is to have as few moving parts as necessary. “We’re trying to make this as sailor-proof as possible.”

A third-party company, contracted by the town, would act as a call center to manage and ensure quality and to provide maintenance services. Council member Kevin Aguiar wondered if a utility company such as Verizon would be interested in maintaining the system once it’s in place.

“If we build it, will they come?” he asked.

Mr. Rainer made one thing clear: “We don’t want to be in the utility business,” he said, adding that the idea would be to use the town as a hub, and an independent provider would bill the customers.

“Our goal is to make it about the same cost you’d have to pay on Aquidneck Island … somewhere in the $80 to $150 range,” said the administrator added. “Realistically I think we’re looking at $100 a month, at the high end.”

One islander asked if tax dollars would be used to bring this technology to the island. Council President Keith Hamilton responded that only those homeowners who choose to use the service would pay.

Enough demand?

When audience members were asked if they wanted to see such a system brought to the island, the vast majority of hands went up. However, whatever option the town chooses will be dependent on the existing demand for service. 

There are about 425 rooftops on Prudence, but realistically closer to 200 of them would use the service, said Mr. Hamilton. (According to the town planner’s office, there are about 218 full-time residents currently on the island, and about 1,540 seasonal residents.)

“It only works if you’re going to use it,” said Mr. Rainer. “We don’t know when the break-even point is.”