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Seattle Seeks Private Partner to Help with Fiber Optic Broadband Network

8:00 am on May 25, 2006 | Category: Business, Internet, Telecom Services

The Mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels, along with the cityâ€™s council have announced that they are looking to work with private partners on a fiber optic broadband in the area.

“A state-of-the-art technology infrastructure is vital to taking Seattle into the future,” Nickels commented in a news release. “We are looking for a partner who has the vision and ability to join us in this exciting endeavor.”

The inspiration for this request came from the cityâ€™s Telecommunications and Innovation task force, led by Steve Clifford, who predicts that “broadband networks will soon become what roads, electric systems and telephone networks are today: core infrastructure of society.”

Local authorities have decided to use fiber optic cables in their network, rather than a wireless network. Fiber optics are faster and more secure than the wireless approach, but come with much higher costs, which is why the city needs a deep-pocketed partner from the private sector.

For the moment, Council hopes to gauge the interest of eligible corporations, and have opened the lines of communication to potential partners. Draft proposals will be accepted until July 7, at which time the city will evaluate financial possibilities for constructing a network.

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