OnLight Aurora to sell broadband from city’s network
Technology directors for two Aurora school districts say they’re glad a new nonprofit is putting them first in line to buy broadband Internet service from the city’s fiber optic network.
The nonprofit OnLight Aurora received unanimous support Tuesday night from the Aurora City Council of its request for a loan, grant funding and a lease of 12 of the 144 strands on the fiber optic network.
The 20-year fiber lease and financial support will allow OnLight Aurora to offer broadband Internet to schools, medical facilities, businesses and nonprofit organizations at a cheaper rate than those organizations would be able to buy it from other companies.
That service, in turn will allow schools in East Aurora District 131 and West Aurora District 129 to combine their purchasing power for even better prices and improved Internet access.
“It allows us to connect our buildings a little bit more cheaply,” said Don Ringelstein, director of technology for District 129.
Buying service from OnLight Aurora also would provide a backup method for accessing financial information and student information, which both are stored electronically, in the event the district’s primary Internet service is malfunctioning, he said.
Access to better bandwidth at a cheaper price will trickle down into classrooms themselves because so much instructional material relies on the Internet, said Chuck Roberts, director of technology for District 131.
“More and more products we’re bringing to schools are web-related and this will enable us to do that quicker,” Roberts said.
OnLight Aurora was formed out of Mayor Tom Weisner’s broadband round-table and will receive a $25,000 grant and a three-year $150,000 loan under the agreement the city council approved Tuesday. The nonprofit includes Weisner, Alderman Rick Mervine, who abstained from Tuesday night’s vote, and city Chief Technology Officer Ted Beck as well as Aurora residents with expertise in broadband technology.
OnLight will rent 12 strands of fiber from the city for $500 a month for each strand once it has been in use for six months. The nonprofit then can seek to rent two more groups of 12 strands at prices to be determined later, Beck said.
Weisner said he thinks expanding access to the city’s fiber network “will prove both critical and also very beneficial for our community as we move forward.”
The city built the network between 2008 and 2011 for about $7 million, and providing access to groups outside city government always was part of the plan.
“I think it puts Aurora in the lead in a number of different ways, but most importantly, it allows our institutions to move forward,” Weisner said. “I look forward to seeing what evolves from this.”