Anoka County antes up for broadband

Anoka County is ready to put up $2 million toward a high-speed fiber optic cable system that would connect 152 city and county buildings, schools and colleges -- and later could be extended to reach businesses and homes.

The county has chosen a company that would install the system and has agreed to contribute about $4 million, officials said.

That still leaves a $14 million gap for the $20.2 million project, one officials will try to bridge with federal stimulus money.

The Anoka County Board approved an agreement with Zayo Bandwidth of Louisville, Colo., to build the 300-mile system, contingent upon obtaining the stimulus funds. The county will apply for the grant by a March 26 deadline.

The board voted 6-1 Thursday to sell bonds to cover $2 million for the system that would transmit data at up to 100 megabits per second, many times faster than wireless and other cable systems.

"High-speed broadband is one of the biggest drivers of economic development and will give Anoka County an edge over other counties in [attracting] business and job growth," Commissioner Robyn West said at the board meeting.

The county has scaled back initial estimates of cable distance, and plans to string about 40 percent of the cable above-ground to reduce costs, which improves the chances of winning stimulus funds, said Cindy Kevern, county information services director.

Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah cast the lone vote against the project, saying she thinks the county might end up competing with private business in providing Internet service.

"I have no interest in competing with the private sector," she said.

Kevern said the county would control about 25 percent of the fibers in the cable, which will vary from about 1 to 2 inches thick.

She noted that the agreement with Zayo bars the county from selling any of its fiber capacity to commercial users. "The language says we can only use it for government-related buildings," Kevern said.

However, Zayo could use the remaining 75 percent fiber capacity to serve and charge businesses by running spurs off the backbone cable network. Some of those businesses could, in turn, extend cable service to homes.

Commissioner Jim Kordiak said that Qwest and Comcast were invited to meetings on the system and didn't voice opposition.

All of the county's cities except Hilltop and Blaine have passed resolutions supporting the system, Kevern said.

She noted that there is strong competition from around the nation for the federal grants, coming from a pool of about $2.35 billion.

"It opens a great opportunity for Anoka County to finally get high-speed broadband service," she said. "Communities must have access to high-speed Internet connectivity to compete in the global economy."