City of Bloomington, Indiana VIDEO UPDATES with Mayor Hamilton, 11 Oct 2022

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From YouTube: VIDEO UPDATE: Hoosier Networks Transformational Fiber-Network

Description

Join Mayor John Hamilton and Meridiam North America CEO Nicolas Rubio as they discuss the upcoming transformational $50-million-plus network bringing high-speed internet access to all of Bloomington.

Hoosier Networks, the fiber network utility provider established by Meridiam, and the City continue to collaborate on a groundbreaking digital equity program, one of the most innovative broadband public-private collaborations in the country, to help low-income and digitally-disadvantaged households access top-quality internet services.

GigabitNow will deliver fiber-based broadband services when construction is completed to the first residents at the end of January 2023. GigabitNow will offer service of at least 1 gigabit per second symmetrical speed (equal upload and download) everywhere the Hoosier Network network reaches. The cost-of-service rates with the initial ISP will be competitive locally and regionally.

Eligible low-income residents may qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) to get a symmetrical 250 megabits per second (Mbps) plan at reduced or no cost to them. The City and Hoosier Networks will together provide the “drop” connection to qualifying households.

All residents can learn more and pre-register at no cost or obligation at gigabitnow.com/bloomington. Learn more about this project at: https://bton.in/QL0n0

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Hamilton and I'm up here on a roof with my partner, Nicholas Rubio of meridium and I, just wanted to explain a little bit Nicholas and talk a little bit about what brought you to town. We're talking about the new fiber in the city and Nicholas is the North American CEO. It's CEO.

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Of North America from.

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Iridium and tell us what brought you to Bloomington, what what's interesting here about.

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This, let me thank you first and congratulate you for everything you have been doing uh pushing forward. I know: you've been working hard over the years to get this Fiverr coming to the homes of bloomingtonians and I'm sure, there's going to be a game changer.

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Thank you. Thank you.

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uh Meridian is a an infrastructure fund. We've been around for 15 years.

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Based in France originally.

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Based in we're originally based in Paris.

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Okay, but we've been International, we've.

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Been in the US for 15 years,.

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Across we have 20 different Assets in the United States.

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Canada and the hospital in Chile so.

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All right, okay and uh our aim, uh our our main focus- is to invest in projects that have an impact that we're very much governed by trying to improve the sustainable goals. The U.N sustainable.

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These are 17 different goals to improve ESG, environment governance and the society, and that's our main goal: that's what we do on a daily basis. We try to invest the funds of our limited partners in a way that is going to create an impact now.

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And you're you're doing I think about 50 million dollars here, 90 million in Indiana there's two other cities um for us. This is so big because it you think about it as infrastructure.

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um Most of our providers, don't think about it as infrastructure. That is part of the public asset. Almost I mean part of the. You know that other people can use and I know, there's a period when it's exclusive, but how? Why do you think about it that way or how do you think about it as infrastructure.

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Yes, well, we believe that it's not necessarily good to mix the infrastructure itself, with the content of the.

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Infrastructure, it.

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May be necessary to develop a market, that's what we're doing right, but on the long term we believe in Open Access letting.

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Other people so you're not you're, not even really using when you build it. Other entities use.

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And you build the infrastructure and then, like the internet service provider, is not you. That's.

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It we still need a good good international service provider and I think we have the best yeah yeah to develop that market to show to our the citizens that this is something that works, that we're giving good service and that's what we're going to be focused on in the coming months and years. But on the long term, we believe in Open Access in net neutrality. Okay,.

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What we're trying to implement well.

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We're very proud, I. Thank you so much for the work together, because you know some of the characteristics that are special to us and important are the ubiquitous, the building, the whole city, not leaving anybody out the the digital Equity program, which is fantastic, which we're both investing in to help make sure low-income households get essentially net free, excellent internet and it's just a game changer, as you said, and we so appreciate your partnership and investment here.

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Thank you, I would say not only a game changer, but ahead of the curve. I, don't think there are other cities that, like like Bloomington with that kind of programs, and it's going to be regarded by all the.

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You very much so you can get more information on the screen. I will share that Nicholas Rubio. Thank you. So much for.

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Coming to Bloomington.

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And being here and part of this project, it's.

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Appreciate it, thank you very much.