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Contract - Radio Frequency Telemetry Contract
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher Clark, Union County Water - Water & Wastewater Operations, Director, 704-296-4215
ACTION REQUESTED:
Authorize the County Manager to 1) negotiate and execute an agreement substantially consistent with this agenda item, 2) exercise any renewal or extension term options set forth in the Agreement, and 3) terminate the Agreement if deemed in the best interest of the County, each in the County Manager's discretion.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
None.
BACKGROUND:
In order to efficiently manage our water and wastewater system spanning hundreds of miles, UC Water uses a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) network to send information via radio signals that allow our operators to communicate with and remotely control our infrastructure. This is standard practice in the utilities industry. Per the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Union County Water currently operates the radio signals of the SCADA system as a secondary licensed user in certain spectrums of the radio band.
While UC Water has historically experienced no issues with signal interference, earlier this year our low power signal was overwhelmed by signal interference operating at a much stronger wattage which rendered our system inoperable. Working with communications specialists, UC Water discovered that it was utilizing a radio frequency that is located on a specific spectrum licensed to Choctaw Holdings, LLC (“Choctaw”). Union County was licensed by the FCC as a secondary permitted user on this frequency, while Choctaw is licensed as the primary user. A secondary licensee cannot broadcast harmful interference to the primary license holder of any radio spectrum and must accept interference from the primary license holder in accordance with FCC regulations. This past April, Choctaw began operating on the frequency that Union County Water had been using which caused complete signal loss and shutdown UC Water’s telemetry control system.
Choctaw subsequently voluntarily shut off its signal for a period of time; however, Choctaw has indicated they cannot continue to leave their operations off indefinitely. If Choctaw were to commence operations, the County would potentially have to operate without SCADA for a period of time. While we can operate without SCADA for a short time, it is labor intensive and expensive as it requires staff to drive to each telemetry site in person.
After several months of negotiation, Union County Water and Choctaw have come to an agreement to secure lease of a radio frequency that is dedicated for our use on the spectrum licensed to Choctaw as a primary licensee free from any spectrum interference. An initial spectrum lease term of three years is required so that Union County Water can complete its new SCADA and telemetry system. The lease agreement also has two additional one-year options that the County may exercise in its discretion.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The anticipated annual cost for this service is $61,200. Since this contract contains a three-year term, with an additional two-year renewal option, a total of $306,000 is estimated to be spent. Funding is available in the adopted FY2026 budget appropriation with future expenditures subject to annual BOCC budget appropriation.