DC Fiber Network Waiting for ISPs to Join

Washington (DC) might finish its 100 gigabits-per-second fiber network ahead of schedule, said the district’s CTO. But to fully realize the potential of the blazing-fast network, Rob Mancini is hoping Internet service providers (ISPs) decide to utilize the district’s middle-mile capacity ahead of the project’s 2013 deadline.

Installation of the fiber network, called the DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN), began last year. So far, 24 anchor sites — public health-care clinics, charter schools and other institutions — have been connected and 37 miles of fiber have been laid, Mancini said. When completed, the network will have 173 miles of fiber and is expected to connect to 223 sites within the entire district. “I’d like to see us get done by the end of September 2013,” Mancini said. “If we keep going at the rate we are, we should make that.” The deadline is important in order to fulfill grant obligations attached to $17.5 million in federal stimulus money that’s funding the project. The fiber network’s total cost is $25 million. The network’s aim is to help bring broadband to underserved areas, but officials also anticipate that it will make possible new government applications. Already, the district has started connecting sites in areas east of the Anacostia River where broadband adoption rates are less than 40 percent, according to an announcement this month from Mancini’s office. The project is managed by the District Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCTO) DC-Net program.