Gigabit internet coming to Bloomington-Normal

(Photo by lizzardo/flickr)
(Photo by lizzardo/flickr)

By Joe Ragusa

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington-Normal will soon have Gigabit internet. Kathy Sheller with Evansville-based Metronet says the internet company plans to install fiber infrastructure by this Spring.

Sheller said the internet service is similar to what Google Fiber is providing larger cities like Austin and Kansas City.

“Everybody hears about that. Everybody tries for that,” Sheller said. “What we’ve found is that in these secondary markets where you have just as tech-savvy but not the number of population that they’re looking for, Metronet has come in and is providing the exact same service to communities the size of Bloomington-Normal.”

PODCAST: WJBC’s Terry James speaks with Metronet spokeswoman Kathy Sheller about gigabit internet that’s coming to Bloomington-Normal soon.

The maximum download speed of one gigabit per second, or 1,000 megabits per second is at least six times the speed of what other internet providers offer in the area. Sheller said speeds that high should help the area’s businesses.

“You have State Farm, their world headquarters there, well a lot of tech-saavy people are (working) there,” Sheller said. “You also have a lot of different businesses and people, young and up-and-coming, and families where this type of infrastructure and broadband speeds are very important.”

Sheller said it will be ready as early as this Spring.

PODCAST: WJBC’s Joe Ragusa speaks with Austin Grammer, Economic Development Coordinator for the city of Bloomington about gigabit internet.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…