Bloomington's Mayor John Hamilton signed a letter of intent Thursday with Calgary-based Axia to construct a city-wide, open-architecture, Gigabit-class fiber optic broadband service.
Under the plan, Axia will invest in upgrading the internet infrastructure in the city, allowing it or other internet providers to greatly increase speed.
Hamilton worked with national and local experts since January to make the project possible. In a statement, Hamilton says the agreement is a "major step forward for economic development and quality of life in Bloomington."
Starting in March, Axia will first complete a detailed analysis to evaluate the perceived level of interest within the community for the project, asking residents if they would be willing to pay a service provider more in exchange for faster service.
If the level of community interest reaches 40 percent, Axia will begin its construction of the fiber-optic infrastructure which will take approximately 24-36 months.