Portsmouth, VA, planning municipal fiber network

Earlier this year, the Portsmouth, VA, City Council adopted an initiative to take steps to become a smart city. Implementing a fiber design master plan, Portsmouth has sent out an RFP (request for proposal) to construct a community broadband network.

The project encompasses 55 miles of fiber optics to increase Internet connectivity around the city. The community broadband network will include connections to community anchor institutions such as hospitals and higher education centers. Construction on the $9 million multiphase capital project could begin as soon as July.

"It's a five-year build-out that will make Portsmouth a digital port as well as a seaport," said Daniel Jones, the city's chief information officer. "Our project will connect all municipal facilities including schools, libraries, and municipal housing authority properties. Right now, Portsmouth is Internet carrier dependent. The broadband network will improve municipal operations at substantial cost savings."