West Des Moines plans to invest nearly $ 40 million in a partnership with Google Fiber to bring the ultrafast network available in just 18 other US cities to the city, authorities announced Thursday.
A deal expected to be approved by the West Des Moines City Council on Monday names Google Fiber as the city’s first network licensee. Other providers are expected to obtain a license later, creating what city officials envision as universal high-speed Internet access at competitive prices.
After its launch on the Kansas City subway in 2012, Google Fiber has expanded to technology hubs like Austin, Texas; Atlanta Portland, Oregon; And Seattle Now, it’s coming to West Des Moines, which has attracted other tech giants, including Microsoft, in recent years.
The project marks the debut of Google Fiber in Iowa. Provider speeds of one gigabit per second are approximately 100 times faster than the average broadband connection in the US, and fiber-optic internet rarely experiences interruptions. which can be common with cable connections.
The city plans to solicit bids to lay the underground conduit that would house fiber optic cables and begin public rights-of-way installations later this year, city deputy director Jamie Letzring told the Des Moines Registry.
She outlined three basic objectives of the collaboration: “We would like to make sure that digital equity is taken into account: it was necessary to go to every household. … We would need an approach that created a kind of open system that allowed for as much competition as possible. … And finally, a system that would be financially sustainable if it had some financial backing. ”
Monthly, Google Fiber would pay the city $ 2.25 for each home that connects to the network. The company would install connecting equipment in those directions, said project consultant David Lyons, who previously headed the Iowa Division of Insurance and the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
During the 20-year deal, Google Fiber would pay a minimum of $ 4.5 million to the city, he said. Other licensed providers may pay a fee to install their fiber in the city conduit once the system is complete.
Households could buy fiber optic internet from Google Fiber or any other provider that offers it, and some households may choose to take advantage of the free connection for future use but stay with their current internet service, Lyons explained.
Iowa cities are increasingly focused on providing ubiquitous broadband to residents, and some municipalities, such as Cedar Falls, own their networks and treat the Internet as a utility. The public-private partnership in West Des Moines is a rare model, but it allows each party to play with its own strengths, with cities that run infrastructure and technology companies that provide services, Lyons said.
“We believe that municipal collaborations, such as the one proposed in West Des Moines, and our current project in Huntsville, Alabama, provide incredible opportunities to offer super-fast gigabit internet to many more people,” a Google Fiber spokesperson said in an email to Check in.
The city expects to pay between $ 35 million and $ 42 million to install the conduit, which consists primarily of PVC pipes, according to Lyons. The final cost will depend on the amount of existing fiber optic infrastructure that can be incorporated, he said.
The city hopes to issue taxable general obligation bonds to pay for the project, Letzring said. The work would be divided into seven parts, and the final section of the facility is expected to be completed in 2.5 years, he said.
Google Fiber Gigabit Internet would be provided at $ 70 a month, a spokesperson said.
Lyons said the fiber optic system can withstand floods and storms, although frost can pose problems. Once a part is installed, Google Fiber workers test the reliability of the connection before the project is complete, he said.
West Des Moines detailed its goal of having equal access to quality broadband in its 2036 strategic plan. This partnership with Google Fiber, Letzring said, speeds up the timeline for that to be possible.
In a press release, Mayor Steven Gaer praised the effort and called high-speed Internet access “critical.”
“It is amazing that in just four years, West Des Moines is on track to achieve the WDM 2036 Plan goal of finding an innovative way to provide broadband access to all of our residents and businesses,” said the mayor.
State and local government leaders who spoke in a virtual announcement of the project on Thursday noted how vital a reliable internet connection has been during the coronavirus pandemic.
Plus: Iowa Coronavirus: Up-to-date COVID-19 maps and charts track cases and data in Iowa and the U.S.
Gaer read a statement from Gov. Kim Reynolds, who applauded the city’s “prospective leadership” and said that equal access to broadband is more important than ever.
“If we ever needed a reason to focus on connectivity and Internet access, COVID-19 gave it to us,” said the Reynolds statement. “As Iowa residents do, we turn obstacles into opportunities.”
West Des Moines Community School District Superintendent Lisa Remy said the initiative would “open doors” for students who would spend more time learning at home as education officials search for safe reopening strategies.
“It will help us as we continue to expand online learning opportunities for all of our students,” he said.
To subscribe to project updates, go to google.com/fiber/wdm.
Shelby Fleig covers the western suburbs of Des Moines for the Record. Contact her at [email protected] or 515-214-8933.
