How Much will this Cost YOU?

Fiber optics coming to Loma Linda business center
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/20/2009 09:24:18 PM PST
Updated: 12/20/2009 09:27:33 PM PST

LOMA LINDA -The city is finding new ways to boost its revenue stream.
The City Council last week approved a license agreement that extends Loma Linda's fiber-optics network to businesses in the Corporate Business Center.

The contracts will generate about $60,000 a year in gross income, according to a report by Konrad Bolowich, director of information systems.

Fiber-optic connectivity provides high-speed Internet service and the opportunity to extend voice, video and other data services to businesses. The project encompasses all commercial spaces facing onto Commerce Street, Corporate Drive and Business Center Drive.

Bolowich said the connections give Loma Linda businesses a competitive advantage other communities can't offer.

Nine businesses in the area have signed agreements for the service or expressed interest in it. Bolowich said he expects most of the businesses in the center, located just south of the 10 Freeway, to sign up for the service in the next three years.

In April, the council awarded a nearly $250,000 contract to install the infrastructure needed to provide the fiber-optic connections.

The council already requires fiber-optic construction on all new residential and commercial structures. Major remodels are also included in the program.

Councilman Ovidiu Popescu said delivering fiber-optic connections to the Corporate Business Center is a positive sign for the city's economic fortunes.

"We're investing in infrastructure and generating income as a result," Popescu said. "That's a good business model."

The city's efforts to expand the program got another boost late last week.
Popescu said the city received word from its lobbyist that it will get a $900,000 federal grant to extend the fiber-optic network to Grand Terrace.