The Banner Mountain community could be the first in Nevada County to get a high speed internet connection as part of the county’s Last Mile Broadband program. It is the plan of Andrew Wilkinson to hook up the area around Red Dog Road south of Banner Quaker Hill Road, including Bear Claw Road, Oak Ridge Road, Skeeter Hollow Road, Tumbling Creek, and others. Wilkinson describes himself as an entrepeneur, and is a former Hewlett Packard employee…

Wilkinson has been knocking on doors and leaving notes, and also has support of the Friends of Banner Mountain group. Wilkinson says he’s got about 20 households interested, but needs more…

Last week, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved 250-thousand dollars of Transient Occupancy Tax funds for the purpose of completing broadband connections that otherwise internet service providers say would not be economically viable. Wilkinson says construcion could be completed early next year, and then he hopes the success will spawn connections into other communities.

–gf