Longmont, Colo.-based municipal electric and broadband utility Longmont Power & Communications (LPC) is moving ahead with its 1 Gbps fiber to the home (FTTH) plan leveraging Calix's GPON gear.
The service provider, which won a vote in 2011 to lift state restrictions on the use of its 17-mile fiber network it built, will deploy Calix's E7-20 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP), 836GE Residential Services Gateways (SG) and 700GE family of indoor optical network terminals (ONTs).
In addition to Calix, LPC is using Cisco's routing platform and Cyan's transport equipment.
Today, the service provider is delivering GPON-based services to a select number of residential and business customers. Being one of the largest U.S. communities to build a municipal fiber network, LPC is building out the network in six phases with phase one beginning in August.
Interestingly, the service provider has built the network with the ability to withstand natural elements. In the midst of a major flooding incident in September, LPC said the Calix equipment and network remained unharmed.
Longmont's FTTH movement into the broadband market comes at a time when the battle between incumbent telcos and cable MSOs and communities has continued to rise. A number of states have passed laws that either limit or ban communities from building their own networks.
Recent moves to ban muni broadband in Kansas and Georgia failed after local public protest, while Minnesota's HF 2695 explicitly bars any community from building a broadband network to serve their needs.
At the same time, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler continues to tout his competition mantra with a call to challenge more than 20 state laws that prevent or discourage municipalities from building out their own broadband networks.
For more:
- see the release
Editor's Corner: Middle mile, cloud will take center stage at FTTH Council 2014
Related articles:
Longmont, CO chalks up referendum win over Comcast for muni fiber
Calix's Q1 revenues drop 5.2% to $85.8M
Calix's Q4 revenue jumps 3 percent year-over-year to $94M
CenturyLink names Calix as its PON supplier for Omaha FTTH pilot