Fiber, internet and phones for Ohio cities, townships and counties.
My company gets quotes from the carriers that serve each of your city buildings and helps you pick. The contract is in the city's name. The city pays $0 because the carriers pay us. We're based in Sugar Grove, Ohio.
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Network and phone service for city buildings
We get quotes from the carriers that serve each address. What you can get depends on the building.
Dedicated Internet Access
For City Hall, police, fire, utilities and the other buildings that can't go down.
Private fiber between buildings
Ties your buildings together over Ethernet, MPLS, dark fiber (rings too) or wavelength.
Diverse paths
A second internet line on a separate route, so one cut line doesn't take the city offline.
Hybrid cloud and colocation
Connections to data centers and the cloud if you're moving servers or software out of City Hall.
SD-WAN
Ties all your sites together and switches to a backup line on its own if one goes down. See SD-WAN.
NG911 connectivity
Network connections for dispatch and public safety sites. NG911 itself is run by the county and the state.
OARnet links
A connection to OARnet, Ohio's research and education network, if your city uses it.
Phones and smaller sites
Phone service and fiber internet for the smaller buildings, and copper line replacement.
How it works
The city stays in charge of the purchase the whole way.
Tell us about your buildings
Tell us your buildings and what's coming up for renewal. We write down every circuit, phone line and contract end date.
We get the quotes
We get quotes from the carriers that serve each building and follow your purchasing rules.
We take the calls after
The city signs in its own name. After that, if something breaks or a contract is up, you call us.
Your purchasing rules come first. We work inside your bid or quote process and tell you in writing how we get paid. It's a good idea to have your law director look over any arrangement where a vendor pays us. If you need a place to start on a request, use our telecom RFP template.
What the state runs for NG911, and what the city still owns
NG911 is the upgrade to the network that carries 911 calls to dispatch centers. The city doesn't buy it. The phones in city buildings are still the city's job, though.
In Ohio, the Ohio 9-1-1 Program Office, part of the Department of Administrative Services, manages the state's move to NG911. It reports that work in ten pilot counties began in early 2025, and that Ohio's other counties have five years to migrate. The state's map shows which counties are on NG911 today. Your county 9-1-1 coordinator can tell you when your county goes.
At the federal level, FCC rules adopted in July 2024 require phone and internet providers to start delivering 911 calls in an IP format after a 911 authority makes a valid request. The rules set two phases, with deadlines for each type of provider.
On September 28, 2026, the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau issued new NG911 guidance. It reminds organizations with multi-line phone systems that they are still responsible for sending accurate location with 911 calls. It also encourages moving older TDM phone systems to IP.
What the city owns in its own buildings
- Every phone dials 911 directly, with no 9 or other prefix first. (Kari's Law)
- A 911 call alerts someone on site or at a set place, like a front desk or security. (Kari's Law)
- The call sends a location dispatchers can use: street address plus floor, suite, or room. (RAY BAUM'S Act)
- Remote and softphone users send a location too.
- Alarm panels, elevators, and other copper lines have a plan as copper retires.
- If the city runs a dispatch center, the NG911 plan comes from the county and the Ohio 9-1-1 Program Office.
The federal rules apply to multi-line phone systems installed or sold after February 16, 2020. The FCC explains them on its multi-line telephone system 911 rules page. Buckeye doesn't sell NG911 core services or 911 call-handling equipment. We help cities pick phone systems for their buildings and replace copper lines. See 911, fire panels and elevators. Sources checked October 8, 2026.
OARnet for city networks
OARnet is Ohio's research and education network. It is a division of the Ohio Department of Higher Education's Ohio Technology Consortium. Its fiber backbone runs more than 5,500 miles and serves education, health care, public broadcasting, and state and local government.
Government sites get to OARnet over a last-mile connection from a private carrier. We can quote that connection along with the rest of the city's circuits.
What our partner Bluebird Fiber has done for cities
Bluebird Fiber is a business-only fiber provider based in Kansas City. In March 2026 it completed its purchase of substantially all of Everstream's assets, so Ohio markets once served by Everstream now run as Bluebird Fiber. The combined network has more than 36,000 route miles in 12 states.
Everything in this section is Bluebird Fiber's work, as reported by Bluebird. It is not Buckeye's work. Our part is the buying side. We get quotes from Bluebird and other carriers for each city building and tell you honestly where Bluebird fits and where it doesn't. We stay with the city after you sign. We aren't tied to Bluebird or any other carrier.
Bluebird's case study with a Midwest city
Public safety upgrades, cameras, E-911 changes, citizen apps, and new sites were pushing the city past what its network could handle. The city chose Bluebird for Dedicated Internet Access and managed network services.
What Bluebird delivered
A 1 Gbps DIA connection for city operations and public safety buildings, 10 Gbps managed network infrastructure, 24x7 NOC monitoring, support for public Wi-Fi and smart city projects, and financing that moved the cost from capital to operating budget.
Results Bluebird reports
Bluebird says the city got more capacity and better reliability, can see more of what's happening on its network, and city IT staff spend less time on day-to-day work.
Bluebird in Ohio today
Bluebird reports supporting a Central Ohio municipality with multi-site MPLS and diverse DIA, working with a municipality on SD-WAN that supports hybrid cloud and colocation, and supporting another municipality with NG911 connectivity and dark fiber to OARnet.
Sources: Bluebird Fiber, March 6, 2026, and case study and Ohio municipal work provided to Buckeye by Bluebird Fiber. Availability depends on the address.
The owner runs it, and there are no outside investors.
We only work with businesses and public agencies. We don't do residential. Sugar Grove, Ohio 43155.
What city staff ask first
Can a city or township use a telecom broker?
Does NG911 mean we need a new phone system?
Do we have to use Bluebird Fiber?
Is the case study on this page Buckeye's work?
What does the city pay Buckeye?
Do you work with residents?
Related
Business phone systems.
How we help you pick between hosted voice, Teams Phone and SIP.
Read → CopperCopper line replacement.
What to do with alarm panels and elevator phones as copper goes away.
Read → NetworkSD-WAN for multiple sites.
Ties your buildings together with automatic backup.
Read → Free toolTelecom RFP template.
A starting point for a request to carriers.
Read →Send us your list of buildings. We'll come back with options.
The city pays $0 for our help, and the carriers pay us.
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