High-speed internet is on the way for many homes and businesses in Sussex County's rural areas.

Under a new county incentive-based program, four wireless internet service providers are set to enter the southern Delaware market in coming weeks to offer high-speed access, especially in underserved pockets of the county.

Providers will supply their own equipment and independently market themselves to customers, while the county will provide space or pay rental costs for up to two years on a mix of county and state-owned towers.

BridgeMaxx, Bloosurf, Nuvisions/Broad Valley and Lewes-based DelmarvaVoIP/Conxx have submitted qualifying proposals to the county to provide high-speed access ranging from download speeds of 2 megabits to 100 megabits per second. The providers will broadcast signals to customers using towers throughout the county, focusing on areas not served or underserved by cable or mobile telephone companies.

A network of micro cells will be established, similar to access from cellphone service. New customers will obtain fixed wireless internet service via receivers mounted on their houses pointed at towers in the system.

BridgeMaxx President Jim Connor said providers are looking at a base of 3,000 to 5,000 residents who are currently not able to access high-speed internet and about 10,000 residents who may choose to upgrade their service.

Initially, among the areas targeted are: in and around Bridgeville, Dagsboro, Georgetown, Greenwood, Gumboro, Laurel, Lincoln, Long Neck, Roxana and Seaford. A pilot project is already underway in the Seaford area.

Providers said they are prepared to roll out marketing and service within a few weeks to provide competitive rates compared to cable internet customers.

As providers expand their networks and enroll more subscribers, other areas of the county would join the list of internet-served communities, said Dwayne Kilgo, the county’s information technology director.

Under the plan, the county will subsidize the cost of renting space on two state-owned communications towers for up to two years. After that, providers whose equipment remains on those towers would have to pay the rental costs, Kilgo said.

Space will be available on approximately 12 county-owned towers, giving providers the infrastructure to build a network array that serves a wider geographic area.

“This will benefit this county a great deal,” said Council President Mike Vincent. “Residents and businesses will get internet, and our partners will make money. All will be happy. It's a great stepping stone. High-speed internet has become as much a necessity in this century as running water and electricity were 100 years ago.”

“Here, we saw a real need within our community and had a unique opportunity to work with the state and providers, not to create a new government service, but to be a facilitator that can help draw in the private sector to satisfy consumer needs. We are proud of this new incentive program and what it represents, which is to make broadband internet available no matter where you are in Sussex County,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson.

In 2017, Sussex County Council budgeted $1 million – collected through the county’s share of the realty transfer tax – to upgrade wireless communications infrastructure.

Go to sussexcountyde.gov/broadband for more information.