David West, the county IT presenter, said Phase 1 of the countywide fiber project — which connected the mainland to St. Simons Island — completed quickly because the county negotiated shared right-of-way and fiber-strand exchanges, allowing construction in roughly 90 days rather than the years such projects can take.

West said the Phase 1 result allowed the county to build a geo-diverse routing for 911 and public-safety campuses that previously had resiliency but not redundancy. "So now we'll have full redundancy…We can actually deliver full redundancy now," he said, describing five 911 trunks at the paint building and five at the public safety compound.

Phase 2 aims to light every St. Simons Island site except Gasoline Bluff, create a hub at Fire Station 2, and feed fire stations, beaches, the casino and recreation campuses. West said some originally planned SPLOST-funded circuits may not be needed because of Phase 1 savings and that operating funds may cover some Phase 2 costs. He also noted benefits such as replacing microwave links (prone to lightning) with fiber and potential E‑rate savings by reducing redundant circuits to the casino.

Commissioners asked for cost breakdowns and to reflect the measures on the public project portal. West said circuits were ordered and fiber backbone work was under way, with lit sites expected after carrier circuit delivery and construction completion.