Jun 20, 2009 7:25 pm US/Central
Court Upholds City's Right To Install Broadband
MONTICELLO, Minn. (WCCO) ―
-
-
Somerville, along with 74 percent of all Monticello residents, voted to bring a fiber-optic system to town back in 2007. The city raised $26 million in bond sales to fund it. (File)
Jupiter Images
The city of Monticello, just 45 minutes northwest of Minneapolis, is looking forward to its own "triple play." This week the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld the city's right to install its own fiber-optic network.
That means every home and business will soon be totally wired for high-speed internet, phone and TV service.
Bob Somerville can't wait to get fiber optics into his home in Monticello. He said there's not a lot of competition in rural areas.
"You're set to a, like a monopolized system versus down in the cities you have a choice of two or three or four places to go to get different types of internet or TV, or whatever. And yeah, we're kind of stuck in a spot where the only thing we can get is what they serve us, or what they sell," he
Somerville, along with 74 percent of all Monticello residents, voted to bring a fiber-optic system to town back in 2007. The city raised $26 million in bond sales to fund it.
But the company that currently provides phone and internet service has been fighting to stop the plan. TDS Telecommunications appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
After the court's decision to allow Monticello to go ahead, TDS spokesman Drew Peterson said the decision "... endangers the appropriate relationship between municipalities and private enterprise."
Don Patton is the general manager of FiberNet Monticello.
"We view it very much like water or lights or sewer. You should be able to turn on the switch and it should be able to be there and it should be working all the time," said Patton.
The plan is to start laying fiber-optic cable by July 1 to every home and business in town. Installation is free. By the fall, they expect to have up to 15 new employees working at the city's new technical headquarters.
"In a rural community there's a lot of interest in maintaining local accountability for things, local customer service, local technicians, a local office where the people can come in and do their business. And that's what we bring back to this community," explained Patton.
Residents hope the new competition will bring down prices. Many believe Monticello is leading the way for other rural communities to provide fiber-optic networks just like other public utilities.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Salvation Army Taking Plastic At Kettles
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
