Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Edmonds to share fiber network By Scott Pesznecker Herald Writer EDMONDS -- Connections to the city's fiber optic network will be offered to hospitals, nonprofits, police departments and other public agencies before being marketed for consumer use. The city has plans to hook up Stevens Hospital and the Edmonds School District to its fiber network. Netriver Inc. is already on the network and is providing Internet service in Lynnwood. Today, the Edmonds City Council could approve a five-year agreement with Edmonds Community College for fiber optic service. The city plans to monitor its public customers for the remainder of this year. "We've been looking to get a core group together and online to make sure we have everything running properly and that the system's working," said Dan Clements, administrative services director for the city of Edmonds. "Then, we'll look at expanding from there." The city's fiber network was recently designated as a State Intergovernmental Network. With that level of security certification, clients can use the network to access sensitive state data such as fingerprint records, Clements said. Meanwhile, the city is not dropping its plans to eventually provide fiber optic infrastructure to Internet service providers. Edmonds residents can still be connected to the city's fiber optic network on a case-by-case basis, Clements said. The city plans to install more underground fiber optic lines around Edmonds as it replaces waterlines during the next 15 years. In 2005, when the Washington State Department of Transportation installed fiber optic lines from I-5 to the Edmonds ferry dock, the state gave the city 23 fiber optic strands in exchange for right-of-way for the broadband lines. The trade saved Edmonds hundreds of thousands of dollars and sparked the creation of the city's fiber optic network. Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.

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