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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2001)
EWEB redefines fiber-optic plans ■ The public utility will move more slowly in buildinga system for high-speed Internet and cable services By Rebecca Newell Oregon Daily Emerald Despite winning voter approval last November to provide fiber-op tic Internet service, the Eugene Water and Electric Board won’t be building the infrastructure needed for such a system any time in the near future. EWEB officials decided last week that building the system within the next three years, as the original plan intended, wasn’t fi nancially feasible. Instead, EWEB officials are considering a 10-year timeline to provide high-speed In ternet and cable services, EWEB spokeswoman Cathy Hamilton said. * “The [original plan] would have been a full build out within three years,” Hamilton said. “We’re re defining that plan.” EWEB is now refocusing on a network that would ‘build out,’ or expand, in phases, rather than at all at once. The public utility board cur rently has a core system of 70 miles of fiber optics connecting several EWEB substations, Hamil ton said. EWEB uses this core to run its electric utility service and for security, but the utility could expand the system to offer telecommunications services. Nine months ago, voters ap proved giving EWEB charter au thority to provide a publicly owned telecommunications sys tem to the city of Eugene. Since gaining voter approval, EWEB has looked into providing cable television, but utility offi cials decided that there wasn’t enough revenue to pay for the sys tem, Hamilton said. There is the possibility EWEB would provide television in the future, but further research is needed, she said. “Right now we’re just talking about the infrastructure, not the service,” Hamilton said. “Regard less of who provides the service, a fiber-optic infrastructure provides EWEB timeline May 2000: Eugene voters approve a charter amendment allowing EWEB to provide telecommunications service. May 2000 through January 2001: EWEB researches the financial feasibility of providing citywide telecommunications service. Feb. 6,2001: The EWEB board votes to postpone building the telecommunications system. The original plan gave the project a three-year timeline, but EWEB officials now plan to build the system within 10 years. speed that is unprecedented — un like anything that is existing now.” Though some have suggested EWEB cut costs by investing in older technology, utility officials said they want to offer cutting edge technology. ‘‘They’ve committed to building a next-generation system, similar to Ethernet in the [University resi dence halls],” said Dale Smith, as sistant director of Network Ser vices for the University. “Called ‘Metronet,’ it will not compete with Qwest or AT&T because it is a new offering of services which you can’t get from anyone else right now.” But this technology doesn’t exist in a cost-effective form, Smith said. The potential service that EWEB is considering is similar to those offered by Qwest and AT&T, but uses technology offering much higher speeds of access, Smith said. “As far as EWEB goes, as long as they have to abide by the same rules, we don’t have a problem with them entering the market,” said Bill Prows, Qwest’s area man ager for Eugene. EWEB has also discussed the possibility of allowing other serv ice providers to access the EWEB fiber optic lines to provide service. “We would be looking at if the cost would be appropriate, be cause we are doing it in other areas of the state,” Prows said. 005469 romantic evening calls for a perfect bottle of wine. Candlelight, soft music, that sick-to-your-stomach, first real-date feeling. Ah, yes. Romance.You’ve planned the perfect night. Gone over every situation.You know what to say, how to act, even how to cook the chicken. And then, as you pour the last glass of wine it hits you! What do I do with the empty bottle? 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