Homebuyers at Park Place, a 1,200-home neighborhood at the Ontario Ranch master planned community will be among the first residents to enjoy lightning-speed Internet service provided by the City of Ontario.
The homes, which are being developed by the Lewis Group and Stratham Communities, come pre-wired with ultra-fast fiber optic cable that provides Internet connections at a speed so fast movies download in six seconds and photos in the blink of an eye.
Ultimately all 47,000 homes at Ontario Ranch will be hardwired for the city’s internet service, as well as other new and existing homes and business throughout the city. Instead of paying a commercial ISP for Internet service, residents will pay the city a $60 per month fee. According to the city's communications consultant, Tom Reiman, president of the Broadband Group, only 10 new home communities nationally have gigabyte Internet service.
The city’s high-speed Internet Initiative was unveiled last Thursday by city officials and developers, who are required to pay for installation of high-bandwidth communications infrastructure within their own developments. This cost will be added to the cost of new homes, which is estimated to be about $3,500 for a $200k home, or about 1.8%. The city is investing the capital for laying 42 miles of backbone fiber infrastructure, and expects a return on investment to begin in eight years.
