Tis the season for groundbreakings – and a happy indication of ARRA-funded fiber deployment projects deploying successfully. The Chaska Herald reports on Carver County’s upcoming groundbreaking…

Both of Minnesota’s U.S. senators plan to attend the Aug. 16 kick-off ceremony for Carver County’s new fiber network.

The optic ring, over 122 miles long, will connect 86 entities at 56 sites throughout Carver County, including city, county and township governments, schools, fire departments, public safety towers and law enforcement agencies.

U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are among the planned speakers at the 2:30 p.m. Carver County Open Fiber Initiative event, held at the Carver County Public Works building, 11360 Highway 212 in Cologne.

Fiber optic construction equipment will be displayed, and workers will give demonstrations on how fiber optic cable is spliced together in the field.