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Fiber-optic line to link Medford schools All but four schools will be online with high-speed cable by next fall, the rest in 2003 By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune With an increased load on Internet lines thanks to a new program of online state testing, the Medford School District has contracted with Hunter Communications to link all of its schools by high-speed fiber-optic cable. All but four of the district's 18 schools should be linked by the beginning of the next school year, with the rest being online by March 2003. School officials say the state online testing began about six months ago and placed increased demands on an already inadequate system. To increase capacity, the district agreed on March 5 to a 20-year lease with Hunter Communications and Core Digital Services for the work, which began Monday. The fiber optics will replace T1 lines that were provided by Qwest for about $4,100 per month and will cost about the same, officials said. "In order to do online testing with computers, we have to have a system that provides us with more speed - which is why we had to move to something else," said Galen Anderson, director of business and facilities for the school district. Anderson said the district will be paying the same amount for a faster service. "It's been a real nice find for us. Hunter will do the installation and provide services for the same cost, and we'll be able to use equipment we already have. We're excited about it. We'll now be able to transmit data at warp speed," he said. Richard Ryan, chief executive officer of Hunter Communications and Core Digital Services, said service to all 18 schools and five district buildings should be complete by March 2003. In addition to Medford schools, Hunter has a franchise agreement with the city of Central Point to provide high-speed Internet service in the next year or so.The Central Point system would provide data and Internet service to schools and government first, then to residents. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.