County officials are weighing questions about the possible expansion of the Metronet

(Note: This story was written by Paul Scott, who is also serving on a citizens' study group looking into the future of the Metronet)

Winneshiek County supervisors agreed Monday to set a date for a future discussion of whether--and how--the Metronet should be expanded.

The network of fiber optic cables has been installed to connect six local non-profit organizations, including Winneshiek County.  But there have also been requests to expand the network further, possibly allowing residential and commercial Internet users to join the network.

Monday county supervisors discussed a letter they received from City Manager Chad Bird, outlining the questions that need to be discussed.  While the network was built with the possibility of expansion in mind, no decisions have been made yet about whether to expand--and how to do that, if expansion is approved.