The City of Ripon’s not-so-distant future could feature a fiber optic network.

Doug McAllister, who is Vice President of External Affairs at Frontier Communications, is hoping to do just that.

At last month’s Ripon City Council meeting, he mentioned bringing fiber optic internet to every residential home, adding the advantage of this over the current cable internet.

“Fiber optic over cable (would) include faster download and uploading speeds and the ability to connect multiple devices at any time without a slowdown in speed,” McAllister said during his power-point presentation.

He called it “an ambitious project” but believes it could be successful here.

McAllister pointed out that Frontier’s approach of working with cities have been that of a collaborative effort. The important aspect is communication with residents – he noted that Frontier has worked diligently in improving customer service.

Frontier’s overall build, according to McAllister, would require 25 percent aerial placement, 50 percent placement in the existing conduit, and 25 percent of required new conduit via bore or trench.

Planning Director Ken Zuidervaart said his staff is working with Frontier’s engineering group on the details of the work and its various phases.

“Some of the build would require some boring and trenching so encroachment permits would be required,” he said, adding that some of the lines could be installed overhead with minimal impact.

Fiber optic internet advantages include speed, reliability, and downloading, especially for those working online from home, gaming or watching TV via livestream.

Based on that, McAllister is expecting Frontier to do quite well in Ripon.

He’s looking forward to working with staff and residents.