The West Central Tribune reports…

The West Central Tribune reports…

The city of Willmar announced Wednesday that it opened bids for phase one of the city-wide, open-access broadband project known as Willmar Connect, with the apparent low bid coming in under the estimated costs for phase one construction.

Phase one involves constructing the network operations center and installing fiber throughout all the neighborhoods west of First Street South, between U.S. Highway 12 and 19th Avenue. Phase one may expand into areas within phase two of the project if there are clusters of residents and businesses who have completed the advance sign-up for the service.

The infrastructure will be owned by the city and the network will be managed by Hometown Fiber. Multiple internet service providers can contract with the city to offer services on the network for a fee, which will be used to pay the principal and interest on the bonds that will fund the construction of the project. Eventually, those fees are expected to generate revenue for the city, as well.

If approved by the Willmar City Council on Dec. 15, construction of phase one of the Willmar Connect project will begin in early 2026. The project has been a long time coming since it was first considered in 2022, with thorough vetting and research completed by the city to ensure its success.