New contract should increase internet speeds at Gadsden City Hall, The Venue

Coming soon to Gadsden City Hall and The Venue at Coosa Landing: five times faster internet, according to Mayor Craig Ford.

A two-year contract with Sparklight will deliver a shared fiber network for City Hall and The Venue.

This move now positions the city to better facilitate other software enhancements the administration has planned, which will help residents interact and do business with its city government, according to a press release from City Hall.

Ford said the improved service will come at no greater impact on the city budget. The mayor said this is "one small step" toward his vision of making Gadsden a “gigabit city.”

“As our administration brings the City of Gadsden into the 21st Century, enhancing internet bandwidth for our city government was a must,” he said. “The fact that we were able to get a deal that provides 5 Gbps [Gigabits per second] at a less expensive monthly cost than our previous 1 Gbps of speed is what made this a no-brainer.

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"Additionally, it will make The Venue at Coosa Landing an even more attractive space for meetings and special events because hosts will have lightning-fast upload and download speeds for video, audience engagement, and other technologies," he said.

Ford thanked the city's Information Technology department for its "crucial work" on the deal.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Faster internet speeds at Gadsden facilities to create 'gigabit' city