When the Joint Committee on Technology of the West Virginia Legislature met at Citynet Monday afternoon it wasn’t just for a photo opportunity and a few goodies. Sure there were cameras present and some sweets available, but the real action was a meat and potatoes discussion on Bridgeport’s plans to become the first “Gigabit” city in West Virginia.

 

Shortly after a tour of the headquarters and a presentation on the company’s history by Citynet President and CEO Jim Martin, Bridgeport Assistant City Manager Jimmy Smith talked about Bridgeport’s own history as it relates to technology. And he brought it to the point where City Manager Kim Haws was able to deliver the main course – talk on the recently announced Gigabit Pilot Program.

 

For nearly 15 minutes, roughly 20 members of the Technology Committee listened as Haws talked about the pilot program that would give residents in Bridgeport Internet at speeds up to 200 times faster than they currently utilize. The program is going to be tested in an area consisting of 100 homes. A gigabit is a term that describes the fast rate of the data being transferred and processed by the newly proposed connection.

 

The “Gigabit” concept isn’t new, but it would be new to West Virginia. Chattanooga, Tenn., was actually the first to have their entire city wired with the super high speed internet. Now, Bridgeport and others – such as Syracuse – are looking at doing the same.

 

“We aren’t seeing this as a nicety or a want; it’s essential for economic development,” Haws told the groups in Bridgeport for the August interim session of the Legislature. “If you’re not trying to get out in front of this technological curve they you’re always going to be running from behind of the curve.”

 

Whether Bridgeport gets ahead of the curve will have its first step taken this evening. Bridgeport City Council will be asked to approve $100,000 for the program. The money will be used to lay the fiber optic cable needed to produce the high speeds for the test area chosen. Council member Diana Marra, who was at the meeting, said she anticipates full support by Council at the meeting.

 

When and if approval is given, the program is anticipated to begin in January. Haws said the pilot program will run for roughly six months and then data will be gathered, likely in July, to see if it can be applied city wide. Although a cost for doing that hasn’t been discussed, it would likely be a seven-figure proposition. However, Haws said that if it moves forward that once the service is made available and fees charges – which could range from $5 to $75 – that it could begin cash flowing itself.

 

Members of the Committee were impressed with the idea. However, there seemed to be some concession that a program like this that could be taken throughout the state is going to find difficulty in rural areas. Even with that issue, those involved not only were impressed, but Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Bob Williams (D-Taylor) said Bridgeport officials are welcome to come to Charleston – or the committee could return to Bridgeport – to review the findings.

 

“I’m very impressed with the aggressive nature of this program the City of Bridgeport is proposing. They’re right. This is no longer a question of wanting this type of technology, it’s a question of need,” said Williams, who said many in the committee had plenty to think about; particularly as many such as himself represent rural areas.

 

Haws said the city will share their results. He said based on initial feedback things look good, but that there’s still plenty of work to do and he won’t assume the final results will be what the city hopes they will be.

 

“We’re going to make this happen,” said Haws. “The question as to how far we go is what type of response we get.”

 

Martin told those gathered the applications with the technology go beyond high internet speeds. He said this would enable the city to do meter reads on utilities in real time and if there was an anomaly with something that could be created by a water leak the city could notify the customer immediately as opposed to when the bill comes. He said the applications are endless.

 

“This could make Bridgeport a smart city,” said Martin.

 

Eventually, Haws said the hope is to export this to other parts of the state if it works. Williams said he was all for that and said the benefits would be huge.

 

“Every day we here concerns about how can we get faster internet and it’s not just for someone who wants to look at the internet. This is for business purposes that you’re hearing this,” said Williams, who also chairs the Senate’s Economic Development Committee. “We have people that love going to places like Canaan or Snowshoe, but if they can’t get their iPad, their smart phone or their computers to work in a manner to do business there or enjoy themselves while they’re there, they may come once, but they won’t come back. We can’t afford to lose those types of opportunities for business in our state.”

 

Bridgeport is teaming up with Citynet on this project. Citynet will operate and maintain the network at no cost to the City.

 

The 100 homes for the pilot program will be on the streets of Valley, Vista, Village and parts of Ridgeway Drive. Those living there do not have to take part. However, for those looking to take part, residents can sign up for the service in a price range from $5 to $75. City officials said those fees will be used to defray the cost of material and equipment in the pilot project. 

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is of Bridgeport City Manager Kim Haws during his presentation, while Citynet CEO and President Jim Martin talks about the history of the Bridgeport-based company. State Senator Bob Williams asks the Committee a question following Haws' presentation, while the bottom photo shows members of the committee and other Legislative personnel during the hour and a half gathering.