Moline City Council members discuss a resolution during a committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
The Moline City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 13, ended a three-year-long search when it agreed to partner with Metronet to construct a 100% fiber optic network that will deliver multi-gigabit speed internet service to everyone in the city. Metronet will fully fund the multimillion-dollar construction and operation of the Moline network with private capital, as […]
The Moline City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 13, ended a three-year-long search when it agreed to partner with Metronet to construct a 100% fiber optic network that will deliver multi-gigabit speed internet service to everyone in the city.Metronet will fully fund the multimillion-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 Wednesday, Dec. 14, news release Wednesday. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2023 according to Metronet Fibernet, LLC.Since at least 2019, the city council had been unsuccessfully seeking a provider who could ensure that all residents and businesses within the city would have access to at least 1 gigabit fiber service.Then, in December 2021, Moline City Administrator Bob Vitas rebooted the search when he met with community broadband experts at CTC Technology & Energy to enlist their help in the effort to attract a high-speed internet builder and provider. On April 1, 2022, the city formally published a Request for Proposals seeking providers who would deploy, operate and maintain a broadband internet network that ensure all areas of the city are served by high-speed broadband. Among those responding, the city said, Metronet submitted the lowest and most responsible and responsive bid to construct and operate a fiber network for residential and commercial customers throughout Moline."Since 2021 and the creation of our strategic plan, the city council has sought to fulfill the desire of many residents for a second broadband provider in the city,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said in the Wednesday news release. “We are pleased to have been able to deliver on that strategic goal and look forward to a collaborative partnership with Metronet going forward." Mr. Vitas added: “With the city council’s approval of the Metronet Development Agreement to provide fiber to the premises of all homes and businesses in Moline, we are one step closer to becoming a smart city. We are excited to move forward in 2023 with the construction of the fiber network and to offer our citizens and businesses another alternative for all their technology needs.”Metronet’s citywide construction process will launch in the spring of 2023 with the first customers connected as early as fall of 2023. 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 the Wednesday news release.“We are grateful for the City of Moline’s support and look forward to providing them with a network that will support their goals for growth and prosperity.” Once pre-construction activities begin, Moline residents will see Metronet trucks throughout the area, the city said. Residents will receive communication by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to starting. Additional messaging, such as yard signs, will also be provided to notify residents when construction is beginning in their neighborhood. Metronet crews are identified by ID tags and branded Metronet vehicles.
