(The following story by John R. Pulliam appeared on The Register-Mail website on June 29.)
GALESBURG, Ill. — A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That’s what officials called plans unveiled Wednesday for a cooperative effort between the BNSF Railway and communities along the railroad’s line between Galesburg and Chicago – along U.S. 34 – for a fiber-optic network for high-speed Internet service.
“It’s the first of its kind with the BNSF Railway,” said John Hicks, BNSF’s director of telecommunication engineering. “It’s a commercial-community partnership.”
A meeting about the proposed 120-mile network was held at the Lake Storey Pavilion. One question addressed is why the “fiber-optic backbone” is needed?
“The key to economic development at the end of the day, it’s jobs, jobs, jobs,” said Irshad Ansari of NI Solutions, who has worked with the city as a consultant on a number of projects. “The goal is to make sure if a large industry or business wants to locate in Galesburg, they have broadband access.”
He said the system is critical to economic development because communities that can partner with BNSF have limited options for high-speed Internet, especially their commercial sectors. Increased competition is expected to mean lower prices, as well.
Greater capacity
Galesburg City Manager Gary Goddard said this morning if a large company wants to locate in Galesburg now or elsewhere along the system, and needs to move large amounts of data, even though other broadband service may be available, “it’s going to cost a lot of money. … We’re looking at just being one more leg in economic development.”
He added that this system will offer “a larger line with a lot of capacity.”
Ansari said Wednesday the capacity of this system is like a fire hose, rather than a garden hose.
Hicks said a “high-level” estimate is it could cost $9.6 million to $10.8 million to build the fiber-optic network. He estimated the annual cost for a third party to operate the system at $1.4 million. The costs would be shared by the participating communities, with larger cities, such as Galesburg, paying more than smaller towns, such as Oneida or Wataga.
The project could begin by 2008, or even sooner if the communities have everything in place.
Hicks told reporters after the meeting that until there are engineering designs, it is difficult to know how accurate his estimates are. He also said he is unable to say at this time what it would cost each town to build its own network.
“Everybody in, nobody left out when it comes to broadband access,” Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said. “We are on the cusp of embarking on a major project that will virtually connect communities that are already literally connected through rail lines. It makes sense to bridge the digital divide by building new networks along the pioneering railway tracks that have connected us for so long.”
There are about 35 to 40 towns along the route, officials said.
“There’s a lot to this,” Goddard said. “One big part of it is just getting everybody together and see who is interested.”
Grants available
Goddard said after that, communities still interested can talk money.
“There is money available,” Goddard said. “The viability of this is there. I would caution everybody, let’s not talk about the money first. Are you interested in getting on the pipeline, on this information superhighway” should be the first decision.
Quinn, chairman of the state’s Broadband Deployment Conference, said the state has a number of grants available to help towns get an “on-ramp” to the information superhighway.
Those in attendance were told how in the 1800s, towns bypassed by the railroads often were doomed to failure, and towns in the 1960s and ’70s without interstate entrance and exit ramps faced much the same fate. Quinn said the state’s goal is to ensure rural communities are not left out of the economic development generator of the 21st century.
Hicks said discussions with Galesburg officials initially focused on building a fiber-optic ring to connect facilities within the city. Mayor Gary Smith said money for the fiber-optic ring will be included in the city’s 2007 budget. The concept grew, however.
The land for the system is owned by the railroad, meaning no expense to buy easements. If enough towns sign on for the project, individual communities will save money by working together.
Representatives from Princeton, Kewanee, Galva, and the state of Illinois, among others, attended the meeting.
The railroad is willing to dig trenches along its former Burlington Northern line between Galesburg and Chicago. Fiber-optic cable would be installed and the cable would enter participating towns and end at a manhole. The towns would then build their own networks. Smaller towns could share a line. Towers owned by the railroad and the state also can be used to set up wireless Internet zones.
Hicks said if the fiber-optic project is not built, the railroad will use microwave towers. He said the fiber-optics will help railroad operations run more smoothly than microwave towers.
Goddard urged everyone at the meeting to talk to people in neighboring towns not represented Wednesday. He said the city of Galesburg will get information and an agenda out before the next meeting.
“This is not an exclusive club by any means,” he said. “I hope you’re all excited about this. I know I am.”