Economic health is critical to the long-term future of Springfield. As we all move further into the information age, achieving that economic health requires continued investments in advanced telecom services for our community.
While Springfield Utility Board (SUB) has been engaged in providing telecommunications opportunities to government, schools, medical facilities, and some businesses for decades, a recent study by the City of Springfield has created renewed interest in telecommunication opportunities.
To that end, SUB is working with the City, service providers, and others to establish state-of-the-art broadband telecom services via the Springfield Telecommunications Enhancement Project (STEP).
The overall goal of STEP is to leverage public assets, infrastructure, and resources to facilitate private telecom competition, including expanding opportunities for service providers. Although the fiber optic ring that SUB owns was built primarily to support critical utility infrastructure needs, SUB continues to evaluate how the community can further benefit from this public asset. The STEP process is an extension of that effort.
The following documents provide additional information on the STEP process: