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MetroNet, future competition for Cox, begins construction of fiber optic infrastructure in Norfolk

FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, file photo, Travis Sheetz, a worker with the Mason County (Wash.) Public Utility District, installs fiber optic cable on a utility pole, while working with a team to bring broadband internet service to homes in a rural area surrounding Lake Christine near Belfair, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — MetroNet has begun construction on its fiber optic infrastructure in Norfolk.

In a release Monday, officials from MetroNet say the company will fully fund the $90 million construction project that will provide Norfolk residents and businesses with access to “100 percent fiber optic internet.”

With the new construction, Norfolk is set to become the first city in Virginia that will have access to MetroNet’s services, earning the nickname “Gigabit city.”

Officials say construction has begun near the Five Points Neighborhood Spot and will expand rapidly over the next two years with the first customers online in the fall of 2022. 

Residents and businesses can CLICK HERE to receive updates on construction in their area.

The company expects its network to be available to more than one million residential households and business locations.

Residents in construction areas will receive communication by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to the start of construction.

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