Fiber internet goes live at City Hall

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

The city of Sandpoint enjoyed a major speed upgrade this week with the launch of its new fiber internet connection.

Upgrading city internet speeds from 10 megabit-per-second downloads to a full gigabit per second, the new internet service is a massive boost for the same cost the city paid for its previous contract, according to Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton. Provided by FatBeam, one of four ISPs to put forward proposals, the city internet contract will hopefully pave the way for cheaper and faster consumer and business internet service, Stapleton said.

Faster internet will allow city employees to work more efficiently, but it also could reduce expenses by running necessary programs through cloud computing, which minimizes the need to purchase powerful and expensive hardware.

The public will enjoy benefits from the new internet setup as well. Residents should enjoy faster mapping for the city’s geographic information system, a feature long requested by Realtors. They’ll also see improved streaming of city council meetings and faster wifi access at City Hall, as well as planned public wifi for Jeff Jones Town Square. Meanwhile, city workers will be able to deploy more webcams in strategic locations within city limits.

“If we want to feature something in town online, this [internet service] would give us the ability to do it,” Stapleton said.