Hollister council members Monday continued a pursuit of becoming Charter free when it comes to accessing expensive fiber lines.
Council members Monday unanimously approved calling for sealed bids on the remainder of the fiber project—meant to maximize interconnectedness among Hollister departments—expected to cost about $250,000.
Officials in the discussion prior to the approval mentioned how the fiber line could be made available to the public if a company wants to provide the service. Information technology official Paul DiSilva said an unnamed company had expressed interest in leasing the equipment
The city has already developed a “Fiber Optic Conduit” from Hollister City Hall to the north end of town at the Hollister Police Department. The city is working to eventually complete a fiber-optic network throughout all city buildings so it no longer has to rely on access to Charter Communications’ equipment still costing $44,000 annually.
The cable company’s lines had been available to Hollister and other jurisdictions free of charge for a decade, in exchange for allowing Charter to install it, but that agreement ran out last year.
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