There's no in-studio guest on the program this week... but, News Director Terry Frank has in-depth comments from Jamestown Board of Public Utilities' Deputy GM, Kris Sellstrom, about the project to bring "open-access, high-speed Internet to the electric division's service territory, which includes the city, Falconer, West Ellicott and Celoron. Sellstrom says the project is well underway, with 321 utility poles already in place. He adds that the city had been awarded a nearly 30-million grant from the New York State "ConnectAll" program to build an open-access, fiber-optic broadband network. Sellstrom said they are working with EntryPoint Networks and Quanta Telecom Solutions on getting the high-speed Internet boxes and hook-ups in place. He says pretty much all the fiber has now been hung in the Hall and Newland Avenues areas. Underground infrastructure is also being installed in at least one area. Sellstrom says the BPU will own and operate the fiber network... and, it will be "open-access" meaning that customers will have a variety of Internet providers to chose from. He says construction of the network is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Sellstrom made the presentation to the City Council at last week's work session. The project focuses on providing affordable and reliable internet, with projected monthly costs of just over 50 for 300 Mbps and 65 for 2 Gbps.
Copy episode link
