Gary awards contract for major fiber project
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The city of Gary on Wednesday awarded a $4.5 million contract for a fiber optic cable installation project it says will provide affordable, high-speed internet access for every resident, business, not-for-profit and school in the city.
The contract was awarded to Gary Digital Equity, and funding will come from the city’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act dollars. However, the Gary Common Council must officially appropriate the funds.
“This fiber optic infrastructure is a game changer for everyone in Gary, and we’re proud to celebrate this historic moment with the Gary Common Council and all of our residents, businesses and other partners,” Mayor Jerome Prince said in a news release. “With this kind of highspeed Internet, we’re going to significantly improve the quality of life for our residents, and it’s truly a huge economic development win for our city.”
Once the funding is officially allocated, the project will begin and is expected to be complete by May 2025.
Milton Thaxton, head of innovation and technology for the city, said residents are likely to pay about $35 per month for internet service once the project is complete. However, an internet service provider has yet to be determined.
“Our students will have access to amazing online tools. Our seniors will be able to use the best infrastructure for health care or keeping up with their families. Our businesses and nonprofits can reach more of their audiences. And, it’ll all on high-quality network at a very low cost,” Thaxton said.
Fiber access and digital connectivity has been a key focus for northwest Indiana in recent years.
Earlier this month, the city of Gary and telecommunications development firm Digital Equity LLC broke ground on the $8 million rehabilitation of the historic Gary Union Station to transform it into the Fiber Smart House, which will serve as a fiber access point for large networks, among other uses.
Digital Equity LLC is a different entity than Gary Digital Equity, according to a city spokesperson.
Not far away in Hammond, a group of high-tech companies known as Quantum Corridor Inc. completed testing of what it called the most secure fiber optic network in the Western Hemisphere with connectivity speeds more than 1,000 times faster than traditional fiber networks.
The transmission took place in late October between the Digital Crossroads data center in Hammond nd the Chicago ORD 10 Data Center, reaching speeds 500 times faster than the blink of an eye.