EAGLE-Net establishing fiber-optic network

EAGLE-Net Alliance, an intergovernmental entity based in Broomfield, received a $100.6 million grant from the federal government to build the network. The NTIA awarded the grant in September 2010 through its Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

EAGLE-Net stands for Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network.

The major beneficiaries of  network will be communities outside the Front Range that are not near the state's most densely wired cities, CEO Randy Zila said.

"It's to connect underserved and unserved parts of the state," Zila said. More than 170 communities will be hooked up in the network.

EAGLE-Net's central core is a peering ring that loops around the state and is being activated this week. From that ring, EAGLE-Net will build out lateral connections that link to community anchor institutions such as schools and libraries.

By the time the system is complete in August 2013, those institutions and the areas they serve will see a dramatic increase in improvement.

"It will mean faster speeds and considerably more bandwidth if a (community anchor institution) would require that and want that," Zila said.

Boulder Valley School District, St. Vrain Valley School District and the Nederland Community Library are the Boulder County institutions that will be part of the network, according to EAGLE-Net.

EAGLE-Net is building a "middle mile" network, which means it connects the major core networks to the "last mile" networks that connect individual homes and businesses in a community.

Zila likens the network to the smaller state highways that connect communities to major interstates like Interstates 25 and 70.

While the federal grant will help EAGLE-Net build its network, it must be able to sustain itself economically through fees and revenues after the grant expires, vice president of communications and public relations Gretchen Dirks said.

EAGLE-Net will be able to sell extra capacity to commercial carriers to generate revenue, Dirks said.

EAGLE-Net also works with private companies, such as Louisville-based Zayo Group, with which it has an agreement to provide 675 miles of fiber.

At the height of the construction season, there will be 25-35 crews in the field with at least 150-200 people working on the project, according to EAGLE-Net.

"A lot of progress is going to start happening very quickly," Dirks said.