By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — By February, the city and school district should be basking in the glow of their freshly lit fiber ring.
School board officials recently issued the contract to begin work on the ring, having received approval for their federal E-Rates grant in April. The E-Rates program was established to help poorer school districts pay for high-speed Internet connections. The grant will offset 80 percent of the expected $1.63 million in wiring costs associated with the project.
There are additional expenses that will be picked up by the city, which passed a $438,000 bond referendum to cover the obligation. The additional expenses include engineering costs and the expense of running lines from the ring to city buildings.
Construction of the ring, which will be designed with a hub at the Elberon School, is slated to begin immediately, according to Superintendent of Schools Joseph M. Ferraina.
Under the rules of the E-Rates program, the school district was able to award the project without bid to 4Connections LLC, Bernardsville.
On its Web site, the company describes itself as "A broadband technology enabler of advanced voice, data and video applications by providing first and last mile fiber capabilities utilizing unique and diverse right of ways."
The company is a recognized utility in the state along the lines of Verizon, the state’s dominant phone company.
Along with the ring being built in Long Branch, the company also is working on the installation of a fiber ring in Elizabeth.
Ferraina said he expected the construction of the ring to be complete by November. The additional time required to get the city’s part of the project up and running will be necessary because, unlike the school district’s work, the city will have to follow the usual bidding process for its part of the project.
According to City Administrator Howard H. Woolley Jr., the project will be coordinated with the public works department, which will make sure lines will be placed properly.
Since the city just recently has had several of its streets paved, installing underground wiring is a concern.
According to Woolley, the preliminary configuration map of the ring does not show any conflicts where roads have been paved.
Once the dark fiber is lit and in operation, other city agencies will join online, as well as businesses.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses who depend on the Internet," Woolley said. "[The ring will be] providing high speed connections at a low cost."
During a city council meeting last September, Gil Santaliz, president of 4Connections, estimated that the city would pay $12,000 per month for all 10 city buildings to be connected through the fibers.