McLean County Times

Kathy Schiller, who is director of government affairs for Metronet, helped officially declare Bloomington a gigabit city after it partnered with the fiber optic company. 

Metronet is the biggest privately held fiber optic company in the country. They serve more than 250 communities in 16 states. The company began in 2005 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. It said it is committed to bringing quality telecommunication services across its 100% fiber optic network connecting directly to homes and businesses.

"Collaboration has been the key to this initiative," Schiller said. "I'm sure many of you have seen Metronet trucks during the deployment, as well as servicing our wonderful residents here and businesses. But we could not have done it without the help of the city staff who enabled us to get our permitting done as well as our construction. So it's our pleasure to now declare you a gigabit city."

Schiller made the declaration at a City Council meeting. She previously approached the city in 2016 to ask if Metronet could invest in Bloomington and build up its fiber optic network for the community.  

A certified gigabit city means that the majority of homes and businesses, according to U.S. Census data, have access to Metronet’s 100% fiber optic network. The significance of broadband infrastructure has only gone up over the course of the last several years, causing Metronet to be very excited to join with the community in this fresh certification.