TECHNOLOGY: Neighborhood aims to be first with fiber-optic links

Community Center residents sign up for high-speed connections

by Adam Billington

A Palo Alto neighborhood has taken a big step toward apparently becoming the first in the world to connect to a fiber-optic network, as dozens of Community Center residents last week signed up to link their homes to the city's high-speed communications backbone. As soon as they are connected, computer users will be able to send information to each other at speeds many times faster than is possible using a conventional modem and phone line. The more savvy users also will have immediate access to the Internet, and the city eventually expects to recruit a commercial Internet service provider to provide an easy link for all users of the fiber-optic system.

Connecting to the backbone will not come cheap, at least not initially. The city Utilities Department expects to charge each home a $1,200 hook-up fee and a monthly service fee of $10 to $35, depending on the number of subscribers. But the cost was not enough to discourage 59 Community Center residents who, according to neighborhood association president Warren Kallenbach, had committed to the service as of Friday.

"We've talked about this possibility for over a year, and now we're so close," he said.

Before homes can be connected, the City Council must give its approval and set a schedule for beginning service. Van Hiemke, the city's telecommunications manager, said the council will likely review and approve the plan in September.

Completed in 1997, the fiber-optic backbone is accessible to all homes in the city except those in the hills, but so far only businesses have been connected to it. The city's goal is to link homes as well, and when Community Center residents pushed for the service, the city agreed to make it available in their neighborhood.

Hiemke said service can be expanded to homes in any other area of the city where there are enough interested neighbors to make the connections affordable for all.

"All neighborhoods are now capable of hooking up (to the fiber-backbone)," Hiemke said. "Those neighborhoods interested (in receiving service) should go to our Web site and complete the (sign-up) section." The Web site is at www.cpau.com/fth.

Service over the fiber-optic system will be available to residents at two speeds, 10 megabytes per second and 100 mps. The 10 megabyte service is about 350 times faster than data transmission over a conventional 28 kilobytes-per-second modem; the 100 megabyte service is about 3,500 times faster. The cost of each service will depend on the number of subscribers.

Hiemke said Palo Alto is the first community in the world to offer fiber-optic service to residents.

At a Community Center neighborhood meeting Wednesday night, utilities officials explained how the program would work, provided at least 50 residents agreed to participate. Officials also explained the installation and monthly charges and how the city hopes to sign up an Internet service provider, such as America Online, to offer Internet connections from the backbone.

Among the approximately 120 residents at the meeting, many questioned the notion of providing Internet access through an ISP, saying Internet connections are already possible without a commercial provider.

"I've got a lot of questions about what an ISP will provide except expense," said resident Mike Eager.

Hiemke acknowledged that individual computer users can reach the Internet without an ISP, but the city believes an ISP offers the easiest Internet link, and it wants to see if it can obtain the service at a favorable rate.

"There are over 60 ISPs (available) in Palo Alto. I feel pretty good if we allow for competition (among the providers to connect the backbone to the Internet), we'll get a good deal," Hiemke said.

Other residents said they would not participate until the city could commit to the services they would receive, such as Internet access.

"There's too much speculation. We need more solid answers," said Jeff Hoover.

But with the minimum number--and then some--of residents in the neighborhood committing to the service, proponents of connecting the backbone to homes are enthusiastic about the prospects.

"It will enable residents to be producers of information rather than just users," said Community Center resident Keith Cooley. "Every home could have its own Web site. There are rich possibilities for multimedia content for neighbors and friends. Maybe physicians will make house calls over the service."

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