It seems there are still some citizens wondering what the downtown activity was all about during November. There was a great deal of digging, determination and unfortunate damage when the installation of the new fibre optic network began. After a broken gas pipe and severed telephone cable, the installation was put on hold. Hopefully the company will have more success when the work begins again after the process is reviewed. Installation of a fibre optic network was the second goal of the Economic Development Strategy undertaken by the city.
Objective:
Lit fibre‐optic cable available for businesses and
institutions to connect to starting in 2010, with
the central business area completely wired by
2015.
Part of the installation used a horizontal drilling machine which would avoid the need to excavate whole trenches. The conduit through which the cables run was pulled through after the drill had done its work. The massive amounts of machinery and buzz were very visible and audible during the process. No doubt it will be the same when work resumes.
how does this project benifit tax payers of cranbrook there is no savings
ReplyDeleteif cranbrook city support shop locally why get a company from away to install fibre there are local companys doing this that would keep money local
ReplyDeleteWhy would the city start up a business where they have no expertise and why are they getting into the business. The city has two companies providing said services throughout the city core, these two companies provide the city with huge tax dollars and they currently employ a significant amount of people in Cranbrook. If you think it will be cheaper give your head a shake, it might be for the business but it is going to cost the taxpayer in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall seeing anything in writing that says that the City of Cranbrook is getting into the business of providing internet services. They are helping to underwrite the costs of this important utility for the city. The businesses downtown that provide internet services already will be able to use the same lines to offer the same services, just as they use Telus's lines to do so now.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't about cheaper, its about faster. I would happily pay twice what I am paying now for a fiber optic connection that has a minimum speed of 15MB/S for both upload and download. We need this utility to attract modern businesses, particularly those in a high tech field. They have this installed all over the Columbia Valley already in places as small as Edgewater. We would be foolish to reject it here.
I do agree with the 2nd comment that wondered why the local firm that did the whole Columbia Valley wasn't hired to do this area.
And as a citizen waiting for this service I wish this could get done to the whole community, not just downtown, well before 2015.