A high-speed fiber optic internet service provided by Metronet is “on track” and should be available to Moline residents and businesses in a few months.
That’s the message from Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati, who gave a brief update on the Metronet project Monday morning, Feb. 6, during a news conference held at the Moline Police Department’s community room.
The Metronet project will be the subject of a planning meeting between Moline city staff and Metronet on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Construction is set to begin in about three to four weeks after that meeting, and Moline residents could see Metronet service this summer, the mayor added.
“This is a win for residents of Moline. … We’re on track. We’ve had good conversations (with Metronet) and Metronet is ready to get going,” Ms. Rayapati said, adding that the deal will come with no cost to the city or its residents.
Metronet will fully fund the multi-million-dollar construction and operation of the Moline network with private capital – as it has in communities throughout the Quad Cities, the city said in a December news release.
During Monday’s announcement, the mayor added that Metronet is taking part in a federal program that will give a discount to some households to get high-speed internet. The benefit, known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households, according to the Federal Communications Commission website.
In December, the Moline City Council approved an agreement to bring Metronet to the city.
Once completed, Metronet said Moline will join the rest of the Quad Cities in becoming Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet, with access to symmetrical, multi-gigabit internet speeds of up to 10 gigabits. Residents and businesses interested in Metronet services can visit Metronet.com to learn more.
“We applaud the City of Moline’s leadership whose vision for world-class internet infrastructure for Moline made today’s announcement possible,” John Cinelli, CEO of Metronet, said in a December news release.
