first on decorahnews.com: Metronet board decided to say "no for now" to a plan to hook into a network with other municipal fiber networks

A feasibility study has been completed on a proposal to connect Decorah's Metronet fiber optic cable system with other similar systems in New Hampton, Cedar Falls, Waverly and other Northeast Iowa communities.

Such a "Municipal Transport Network" would lower the cost of buying Internet connection for the Metronet to "pennies on the dollar" because the new network would be much larger and would have substantially better buying power.

But the Metronet Board on Thursday voted to "opt out at this time" on any agreement to proceed with such a network, which could cost $11 million to build.

Metronet members feel they can't give an answer about the future of their six-member shared Internet access network with the City of Decorah seriously exploring creating a communications utility. 

Decorah City Administrator Chad BIrd suggested Decorah might build a "minor ring" with communities such as Osage and New Hampton, then connect later if a Northeast Iowa Municipal Transport Network is built.

It's expected that five members of the Decorah Communications Utility Board will be chosen in July, with the board beginning work on the question of how to improve Internet access in the community.