East Hartford, Conn. (WTIC Radio)-Construction starts this week to lay 500 miles of underground fiber to provide faster internet service to all residents, an official said.
The effort has been eight years in the making and should take up to 24 months, said East Hartford's Mayor Chief of Staff Connor Martin.
Martin said a private firm is paying for the construction, at no cost to residents. He added the construction effort on each street should last only a day. According to Martin, a micro-trencher will dig a one inch slit underground. He said that effort will provide minimal disruption to roads and lawns. When crews are working on their street, Martin indicated subscribers can tap into another zone to avoid internet disruption.
"We're currently looking at about 420 demand points, in which we'll need fiber access. This can help control our streetlights, flood control and provide Wi-Fi hot spots throughout the town," Martin said.
He added the effort should be transformative, allowing each subscriber to choose their own internet service provider.