3/9/18 – 5:10 A.M.

The Hancock County Commissioners approved a new phone system for county offices during their Thursday meeting. The five-year deal with TSC Communications will cost around $566,000. That includes a $185,000 price tag for equipment.

The county is upgrading from an analog system to digital. The deal covers the replacement of 296 handsets and 322 phone lines.

The county’s contract with AT&T expires at the end of September. Commissioner Brian Robertson says extending that contract would have cost an extra $90,000 per month.

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