The City and County of Alpena might withdraw from the Northeast Michigan Fiber Consortium.

City Council Monday, approved sending a letter of withdrawal to the group.  The county’s finance committee Wednesday, did the same. 

The city and country are trying to force the consortium to make a change to its bylaws that would allow for the lease of fiber optic cable.  The consortium requires members to donate strands of fiber that can then be used by other members at no charge. 

The city and county are working on a joint venture to install fiber optic cable from the courthouse to the airport.  The State of Michigan has already expressed an interest in using the fiber for a fee. 

The city and county believe fees are warranted to help cover the cost of the project and to build a fund that would be used to maintain the fiber network.  County IT Director Sol Orlowski says the two municipalities can’t afford to continue giving away cable access for free. 

The full board of commissioners will vote to withdraw from the consortium when it meets next Tuesday.

The Northeast Michigan Fiber Consortium, formally the Alpena Regional Fiber Consortium was formed in 2006.