Broadband Breakfast Club Webinar on Fiber-Optic Networks in Seattle and in Chicago: What’s the Future for Gigabit Networks?

SEATTLE and CHICAGO, January 9, 2014 – The City of Seattle has parted ways with Gigabit Squared, the private company tasked by the city with building a fiber-optic infrastructure in the city.

In Wednesday statement of the web site of City Mayor Ed Murray, the city declared:

The City is now at a crossroads and a new fiber strategy needs to be, and will be, explored…. While this initiative has encountered a speed bump along the way, please be assured that access to a fiber-to-the-home network in Seattle is not “dead” as has been reported over the last few days. The Mayor is committed to improving the infrastructure of this city and that includes improving the connectivity of its residents.

GeekWire, GigaOm and ChicagoGrid are among the news organizations that have followed the latest news in this development.

However, Seattle isn’t the only city affected by the fallout from the challenges associated with Gigabit Squared. In a project supported by the State of Illinois and the University of Chicago, Gigabit Squared had pledged to build similar fiber-optic infrastructure on Chicago’s South Side.

In an attempt to explore the issues associated with building fiber-optic networks in Seattle and in Chicago, the Broadband Breakfast Club will host a FREE webinar on Tuesday, January 14, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT.

We’ve reached out to leading government and private sector individuals in both Seattle and Chicago, and will be announcing webinar participants in coming days. Register now for this important event at http://gowoa.me/i/WLg.