The V.I. Next Generation Network awarded Custom Builders a $633,531 contract to build "facility access points" on St. John to connect the island to its publicly owned fiber-optic broadband network, according to the government-owned company.
The company’s board of directors authorized the contract for labor and materials at its regular meeting Friday, the board announced Friday.
Once completed, St. John will be able to connect to the overall territory-wide broadband network infrastructure.
"(W)e are now working towards completing the overall connectivity phase of the project which brings us ever closer to high-speed Internet access for all," viNGN President Larry Kupfer said in a statement.
The viNGN is a corporate subsidiary of the Public Finance Authority responsible for oversight of development of the “middle mile” fiber network. The fiber optic cables will run along all major roads in the territory, with private Internet service providers able to connect to the network and sell higher capacity Internet access to their customers on the retail market at a lower price.
The project is partially funded through four grants awarded the territory by the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The 29th Legislature approved issuing a $38 million bond as a required matching contribution in April of 2011.