Jeff Leget, VP of IT at CableLabs, talks about how teachers are using more technology in and out of their classrooms. Brian Powers,


Buried deep under Jackson residents' feet are miles and miles of a mysterious "dark fiber" — unused optical fiber potentially worth high-tech gold.

Forgotten over the years, the fiber optic cables are now being rediscovered, and city officials say they could be a potential game-changer for the city.

A new mayoral administration wants to tap into the cable lines and provide what they say will be some of the fastest internet capabilities in the country.

The ultra high-speed broadband access would be available for all K-12 schools, universities, hospitals, city institutions and businesses in the Jackson area. Residential service could come years down the road.

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The move is expected to usher in a "technological leap" forward for the city, said Chief Administrative Officer Robert Blaine, who is leading the broadband initiative. 

Blaine predicts a tenfold increase in internet capabilities — from 10 gigabits to 100 gigabits by as early as December.

"This will be a game changer, a new enterprise that will lead Jackson into a totally new arena. I like to call it a 'leapfrog technology.' We'll have one of the fastest broadband systems in the country," he said.

Fiber availability has been ignored for years

The city has had the cable lines for years, but city officials in the past never capitalized on them because of other priorities.  

The City Council on June 5 voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to execute a private-public partnership with internet service companies Cogent Communications of Washington, D.C. and LiteCloud, a Baltimore-based regional ISP provider. LiteCloud will facilitate Cogent's services with the city, according to the agenda minutes. The cost to the city is $3,550 per month for 36 months with an installation fee of $1,000. 

The partnership aims to extend and beef up the existing lines, what's called "lighting the fiber," and connect universities, hospitals, K-12 institutions and businesses in the city. 

The fiber optic cables were initially installed in 1998 by Capitol Cablevision, the forerunner to Time Warner and then Comcast. In what was a 15-year agreement with the company, the city was allowed to own the "I-Net," a fiber-optic link between 18 city-owned buildings. 

More recently, the council during former Mayor Tony Yarber's administration committed with C Spire to expand internet service to the existing network from 100 megabits to 1 gigabyte. But the network is limited in scope, as it only connects some city departments such as the police and fire departments.

The new upgrades would allow the city to multiply its broadband access by 10 without a change in pricing, Blaine said.

Low-cost, high-speed internet attractive to tech companies

It would also make Jackson more attractive to startup technology companies that may find pricing in popular tech hubs such as Silicon Valley too expensive.

Nationally, cities such as Austin, Texas, and Pittsburgh have popped up as technological hubs, following their move from private to public internet service. Jackson is modeling its transition on efforts Chattanooga, Tennessee, put into place. The city was one of the first municipalities to implement a city-owned and -operated broadband network in 2010. It is now considered one of the fastest internet cities in the world.  

Since Chattanooga deployed its fiber-optic technology, a vibrant tech community has emerged; once vacant factory buildings are now open to tech startup companies. The city has garnered the nickname Gig City, and holds an annual esports festival called TenGig to use for recruiting. Chattanooga has become home to startup accelerators and new venture capital funds.

Blaine said that as Jackson puts together a feasibility study on the technology upgrade, he has already been contacted by several tech firms interested in possibly relocating to Jackson, although he didn't release company names. 

John Gomez, associate director of Downtown Jackson Partners, said an increase in internet capabilities would benefit Jackson businesses by sparking competition between companies offering service and bringing down pricing across the board. 

"Some of our existing businesses hire multiple servers and another company to handle all their backup. It's really important to have some options, and with a premium service, would save money in the long run," he said. 

Net neutrality concerns raise interest in local broadband

The city plans to make incremental improvements to its system, about 30 gigabits at a time. The goal is to have 100 percent connection with area cell phone towers (now about 80 percent) and 100-gigabit service by December. 

For perspective, a gigabyte network runs about 100 times faster than an average broadband connection. It would allow users to download hundreds of images and HD-quality movies in seconds. 

The move would give the city the incentive of owning its own broadband infrastructure and becoming an internet supplier, which would generate revenue — which Blaine estimates to be in the millions — for the cash-strapped city. 

Interest in local broadband has grown in recent years, given the push by federal authorities to repeal net neutrality and broadband privacy protections.


Supporters say deregulation means telecommunication firms will be more willing to invest in expanding broadband capabilities to rural areas. 

But critics argue the move opens the door for companies to block or slow ISP connections, or add additional fees to current services. 

A recent Harvard University study concluded that community broadband networks tend to offer lower pricing and better service than their private-sector counterparts. The study also found that community broadband network pricing tends to be more transparent and less confusing than offers from internet service providers such as Comcast or AT&T.

Blaine said the city plans to hold tech conferences in Jackson as the network comes up to speed. The city will need a qualified workforce to run the network, which could mean hundreds of jobs. Blaine is in discussions with local colleges and universities about creating a workforce development program.

"We're talking about making Jackson one of the fastest in broadband systems in the country. This is something we are very excited about." 



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