Arlington to sell fiber optic access as part of economic development

Arlington County will open its high-speed broadband network to federal agencies, businesses and organizations later in 2015 as part of an economic development initiative. The County Board voted unanimously to license access to Arlington’s 10-mile fiber-optic network in the county’s major commercial areas -- the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, Glebe Road, Columbia Pike and Crystal City -- as long as the final connection is to an entity located in Arlington.

The initiative is possible because Arlington’s fiber-optics, built to connect its buildings, schools, traffic signals and emergency response network, was intentionally created with extra capacity that can be sold as the “middle mile” of Internet access. Licensees would have to make the “last mile” connection to their offices, but buying this access is expected to drive down prices.