Chanute deals with new costs for fiber optic

Chanute city commissioners contemplated the issue of fiber optic internet service to homes during Monday evening’s meeting after bids for the project came in higher than expected.

City Manager Jeff Cantrell previously brought the question to the commission about fiber service to two neighborhoods. An engineer estimated the project to total $551,000 for both neighborhoods, but new cost estimates come in at $777,000. Cantrell said by trimming some of the count, the project would cost $650,000.

Information Technology Manager Rick Willis said that part of the price increase is because the project originally planned on using one-gigabyte equipment, which suppliers are phasing out in favor of 10-gigabyte equipment.