Pilot program will bring high-speed internet to Duluth's Lincoln Park neighborhood — then maybe beyond - Star Tribune

DULUTH — The City of Duluth volition link up to 1,900 residents and businesses successful the Lincoln Park vicinity with high-speed net entree implicit the adjacent 2 years arsenic portion of its Duluth Fiber Lincoln Park aviator project.

But archetypal it's asking residents to sign a questionnaire truthful they tin find involvement successful the task that could perchance grow to incorporated the full city.

"In my State of the City address I was precise pointed and circumstantial successful the thought and perfect of broadband being thing each azygous nonmigratory of this assemblage needs, deserves, and should expect," Mayor Emily Larson said Tuesday day from Pocket Park, a tiny municipality gathering abstraction connected a country successful the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Just 6% of the metropolis has entree to high-speed fibre internet, Larson said. No one, she said, should person to beryllium extracurricular of a accelerated nutrient edifice to summation entree to its internet.

Fiber net requires infrastructure of fibre optic cables that transmit pulses of light. Construction connected the budgeted $5.5 cardinal aviator task is expected to statesman successful 2023 with customers capable to usage the high-speed net by the extremity of the year. Emily Nygren, an economical developer for the city, said that $1 cardinal from the American Rescue Plan has been acceptable speech for the project, and that the remainder of the wealth volition travel from antithetic to-be-determined gross streams.

Larson said she expects the summation of a city-owned fibre optic infrastructure to summation betwixt backstage net providers — which successful crook volition little monthly net charges for customers and let low-income residents to usage national net assistance programs to assistance wage for it.

Last year, the metropolis surveyed 1,700 residents and recovered that the overwhelming bulk believed that the outgo of net was unaffordable and 97 percent surveyed said they would enactment city-sponsored broadband. The mean net velocity for residents falls into underserved category, according to velocity trial information solicited by the city.

"We are moving connected this contented and we are moving connected this taxable due to the fact that it is critically important," Larson said.