Grand Forks, North Dakota to start fiber-optic installation in early AugustCreated: 7/28/2010 6:32:43 PMCity officials in Grand Forks, North Dakota recently announced the installation of new fiber-optic cables will commence on August 3, the Grand Forks Gazette reports.
The new fiber lines will connect municipal facilities throughout the area with Grand Forks schools. The project will cost a total of $1.1 million, with the school district and the city each paying for $250,000 of the total.
The joint cost of the project allows for both the school district and city buildings to enjoy the benefits of fiber connections.
“We have the same taxpayer base essentially, using taxpayer money, so we’re just leveraging our resources and extending what we can do,” said Michael Strukoff, School District 51 superintendent, the Grand Forks Gazette relays.
Strukoff said the new fiber connections would allow for larger volumes of data, both voice-based and data-based. In addition, when the network is finished, the city and schools will have increased bandwidth.
“Right now we have a hose, whereas here you can have a big pipe and everything will be faster - you can move stuff quicker,” he told the Grand Forks Gazette.
Cities throughout the United States have recently begun construction projects on new fiber-optic networks as a way of making local businesses and schools more competitive. Many of the projects have been funded by federal stimulus money stemming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
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