HAMILTON — The installation of more than 100 miles of cable for Butler County's fiber-optics network will be completed by the end of July.

        All county offices should be hooked up to the network by early August, said Greg Sullivan, county information services manager.

        The $10 million fiber-optic network, which will provide a high-quality, high-speed transmission of voice, video and data, is a critical part of the county's plans to attract new businesses.

        Three of the network's main segments — from Oxford to Hamilton, from Hamilton to Cincinnati Bell's facility in Evendale and from Evendale to Middletown — have been completed.

        The leg from Hamilton along Ohio 4 to Middletown will be finished by the end of this month, and the final segment, from Middletown to Oxford, will be completed by the end of July.

        An extra leg of cable also was laid to connect the new county jail, which will open June 21, to the fiber-optics network.

        “Everything is on schedule,” said Dennis Nichols, the county commissioners' administrative assistant who is managing the project.

        Miami University, the system's first user, is utilizing voice and data services on its Oxford and Hamilton campuses. The Middletown campus will be ready to use the network later this month or in July.

        With this system, students can obtain high-resolution graphics or images over the Internet in a matter of seconds, said Tom Walsh, Miami's manager of telecommunications.

        “Before this, the delay in getting these graphics on the screen might have stopped them from using them,” he said. “Now we're talking seconds.”

        Cincinnati Bell is installing the cable for Normap Inc.

        The network initially will serve Miami University, government offices, businesses and schools. County officials hope eventually to provide access to residents throughout the county.

        Butler, which invested $2.7 million in the project, will own about 25 percent of the system, and Normap Inc. will own the rest. Miami is leasing its access to the system from the county.

        The completion of the loop means that damage to one segment of the network won't stop the transmissions, Mr. Sullivan said.

        “All the traffic can be rerouted in the other direction to continue to provide data services,” he said. “With a loop, the data can travel in either direction.”

New allegation puts priest on leave
Parishioners learn of allegations
Halting violence is mom's new goal
Heroin: Tristate users up; addicts getting younger
'Mall war' strategies outlined
Event breeds a doggone fun day for canines
Fiber-optic network nearly done
Hamilton chamber leader retires
Hope for a peaceful end
Sidewalks link homes with parks
Acquitted mother enjoys life
Residents petition against proposed landfill
Tristate A.M. Report
At vo-tech, brothers weld awards, skill
Kentucky plans possible bioterrorism response
New N.Ky. group to push gay rights
Program expands education in Ohio
Two men found dead in Indy hotel room
BRONSON: Boycott battle
You Asked For It