East Hartford, Connecticut, launches $42 million fiber optic infrastructure project

Construction on a $42 million, privately funded infrastructure project meant to bring fiber optic internet access to all homes and businesses in East Hartford (CT) is underway. The East Hartford FiberCity project will provide the town’s 19,046 households, 4,649 businesses and institutions with high-speed, affordable internet service. Fiber optic infrastructure developer SiFi Networks is installing the state’s first open access network, meaning its cables will be shared by multiple internet service providers to offer the best speeds at competitive prices. Speeds of up to 1,000 megabytes per second will be offered initially, increasing to 10 gigabytes per second over time. SiFi Networks, with its construction partner Lat Long Infrastructure, plans to phase in the fiber optic network by neighborhood, with town-wide completion in 2024. The program is intended to help bridge the digital divide, including students who began to rely more heavily on broadband internet during remote learning amid the COVID pandemic.