IAMU Informer
Follow IAMU!
  • Informer News Feed
  • IAMU Website

MPW Board Approves Fiber-T0-The-Home Rebuild

12/8/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Muscatine will be at the forefront of a technological revolution when it begins building a world-class, citywide, fiber-optic communications network over the next three years.  The Board of Electric, Water and Communications Trustees unanimously approved the 2015 Communications Utility Budget which includes a plan to rebuild its current hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) distribution infrastructure, leveraging its past investment in a deep fiber distribution system and transforming Muscatine into a gigabit community. 

Picture
“The telecommunications industry has been moving toward Fiber to the Home (FTTH) for years and the communities that have access to it will have a distinct advantage,” said General Manager Sal LoBianco. “With it, we’ll be in the best position to attract new and retain existing business and industry; it will open up tremendous educational possibilities for our young people as well as once unimaginable technical innovations in our homes.”

Because fiber-optic technology uses pulses of light instead of electricity to transmit signals of information, it is capable of providing the fastest Internet speeds available and makes “gigabit Internet” (download speed of 1 gigabit, or 1,000 megabits, per second) possible.  The cutting edge technology will allow for larger two-way data streams moving at faster speeds with virtually no congestion; advantages not possible with the current HFC system.

“Muscatine has a long history of leadership in telecom and strong community support for keeping our system ahead of the curve,” said Director of Employee and Community Relations, Erika Cox. “We must remember that the Communications Utility was created out of concern by the public that the previous incumbent, for-profit providers weren’t willing to deliver the level of services the community was demanding.  By a 94% majority vote of the citizens, we were entrusted to build and maintain a state of the art system.  Fiber to the Home is a natural extension of that mandate and we’re excited about what it will mean for us and future generations.”

Worldwide, consumer and business demand for gigabit Internet is growing, along with the desire for new entertainment options like Ultra HD (4k) video, voice services, home automation and real-time remote management of other utilities and energy efficiency initiatives. FTTH will make all of this and more possible, enhancing the community’s quality of life and viability.

Consideration was also given to two other plans that would have either maintained or incrementally improved the existing HFC system.  As stewards of the public trust, the Board of Trustees felt the other options were costly short-term fixes and that FTTH was clearly the superior option.

“Tonight’s decision assures that Muscatine Power and Water will continue to be a leader in telecommunications,” said LoBianco, “the new system will be able meet the bandwidth needs of the community for years to come while reducing maintenance and improving reliability. It ensures that the communications capabilities in Muscatine are as good as in any large city which enjoys the benefits of FTTH technology.”

Detailed project planning and engineering will be conducted in 2015 with construction beginning in 2016. The new fiber system is expected to be fully operational in 2017. 

For more information, visit mpw.org or call 563-263-2631.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to The Informer!

    * indicates required

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    RSS Feed

Picture

Copyright 2025 Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities