Consultant to examine broadband bids

The exterior of The Commons with the Bartholomew County Courthouse pictured in the background in downtown Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Mike Wolanin | The Republic Mike Wolanin | The Republic

A Brown County man who once held a cabinet-level position in Indiana state government will work to bring the best high-speed internet to Bartholomew County residents.

Scott Rudd, the CEO of Rudd Consulting LLC of Nashville, has been hired to examine two proposals on how Bartholomew County government should invest $4 million from the (federal) American Rescue Plan for broadband expansion into rural areas.

Rudd will be paid $125 an hour to examine the bids opened Dec. 20 from Meridiam Infrastructure North America Corp. and AT&T Internet Services. The professional services agreement from the Bartholomew County commissioners for the broadband evaluation is not to exceed $10,000, the commissioners said.

After bids were open on Dec. 20, county attorney Grant Tucker said both proposals were so lengthy and complex, he needed assistance in deciphering them.

While commissioner Tony London chairs the county’s broadband initiative committee, he said he could comprehend only a small portion of what was written on both bids.

“There’s an awful lot of technical information I do not understand,” London said. “We would be doing a great injustice to the people of Bartholomew County if we did not get an expert, because (these bids) will make a huge and permanent impact.”

Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said both proposals are more than 100 pages long, with one stretching out to almost 150 pages.

While working in the office of Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Rudd served as Director of Broadband Opportunities from August 2018 to October of this year. He has also been a member of the broadband deployment advisory committee for the Federal Communications Commission.

In his own community, Rudd is on the Brown County Council and spent four years at town manager and economic development director for the town of Nashville.

“Having (Rudd) on board helps us make sure we’re getting the most for our constituents as we can possibly get,” commissioners Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said. “He will uncover and discover things that we would never find.”

Rudd is one of only two men in Indiana that London said he would trust as a consultant on broadband internet. The other is Roberto Gallardo, director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development, he said.

Last week, London stressed the commissioners are not limiting the number of internet providers in Bartholomew County.

“The only thing we’re talking about is our financial participation of $4 million that (county government) is receiving from the American Rescue Plan,” London said. “Nothing is stopping any provider from going out and digging and signing up people.”

London says it will likely take Rudd about a month to go through both proposals thoroughly before he makes his recommendations.