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A ceremonial ribbon cutting was held Wednesday afternoon, July 17th, on the steps of the Franklin County Courthouse, celebrating KwiKom’s designation of Ottawa as their first “Gigabit City”, following the successful deployment of the company’s state-of-the-art fiber optic network. Ottawa Mayor Mike Skidmore says as KwiKom’s first ever Certified Gigbit City, it will not only enhance the community’s connectivity, but also be a driving economic force and improve our quality of life.
Kwikom officials say schools in Ottawa can enable advanced online learning and research opportunities for students and faculty, and healthcare providers can offer telehealth and telemedicine solutions. They say a Gigabit City also increases property values, making Ottawa more appealing to potential residents. Also, fiber infrastructure brings greater economic growth as startups and new technology companies, attracted to the new fiber optic internet, set up shop in Ottawa. They say it will foster a more competitive and innovative local economy, and also create new job opportunities for the city’s citizens.