City Council Meeting Date: July 13, 2021
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Presentation by MetroNet Related to Community-Wide Construction of High Speed Fiber-Optic Internet, Television and Phone Service.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council receives a presentation regarding the community-wide construction of high speed fiber-optic internet, television and phone service from MetroNet.
Summary Report:
Dan Casciato, Governmental Affairs Manager, will be present at the meeting reviewing the construction schedule for Metronet high speed fiber-optic internet, television and phone service to be installed community-wide in Northfield. This is a similar presentation provided by John Jensen, VP of Economic Development and Steve Mohr, Project Manager of Minnesota. More detail will be spent on the process and information. Mr. Jensen and Mr. Mohr also will be in attendance at the meeting in case there are questions they might be able to answer.
Northfield City Council approved an agreement for a fiber optic telecommunication company, MetroNet, to begin construction of a network for high-speed fiber optic internet, TV and phone service throughout the community. His presentation is attached as Attachment 1.
The company offers 100 percent fiber-optic connections directly to homes and businesses with speeds ranging from 100 Megabits to 1 Gigabit per second.
MetroNet is a private sector provider based in Indiana. The construction and operation of their 100 percent fiber-optic network is funded by MetroNet and its investors and requires no funding commitment from the City of Northfield. MetroNet plans to begin construction in July 2021 and expects the build-out to take approximately one year.
More information about the construction project can be found on the City’s website. When construction of the fiber optic network begins, residents and businesses will be able to visit MetroNet’s website and indicate their interest in receiving information about becoming a MetroNet customer and construction in their area.
Alternative Options:
N/A
Financial Impacts:
N/A
Tentative Timelines:
See attached presentation.