This week, Metronet made a big announcement about Bartlett, Ill. It said that construction on a multimillion-dollar fiber network would commence in a few weeks, bringing multigigabit internet service to the city’s homes and businesses. But when so many cities are in need of the faster internet service, how does a company like Metronet decide which city to build next?
In Bartlett’s case, the answer begins back in 2022. That’s when Metronet first partnered with School District U-46, the second-largest school district in Illinois, to build a 100% fiber network to connect to its schools to each other and the internet. Over the next two years, Metronet worked with the district to build a network that would deliver ultrafast internet speeds to 65 locations across 11 towns, including Bartlett, supporting more than 30,000 students and teachers.
It was a massive effort, but it also sent Metronet in a direction it hadn’t anticipated. During the two years it took to build the school district’s network, Metronet’s construction team began to field some interesting questions from passersby in Bartlett while they strung fiber-optic cable on telephone poles and through conduit underground. “Why are you only building the schools?” And “When are you coming to my neighborhood?” The questions began to add up.
And it wasn’t just the residents of Bartlett that asked Metronet to bring fiber to their neighborhoods. It was businesses too. One local bank in desperate need of an internet circuit used a consultant to email Metronet monthly for more than a year to urge us to build beyond the school system as fast as we could.
The decision to build a fiber-optic network in a city like Bartlett takes a great deal of analysis and engineering, not to mention the approval of Metronet’s board of directors for the capital expenditure. Factoring into those decisions are thresholds of housing density and an assessment of current internet speeds offered by existing providers.
But the truth is, a city can rise to the top of Metronet’s list for consideration when residents and businesses reach out to the company directly, with one clear voice. And this time, it worked.
Though construction of Metronet’s U-46 fiber network concluded in 2024, the company is about to re-start its local construction teams to extend the network throughout Bartlett. Soon, the homes and businesses there will have access to synchronous, multi-gigabit internet speeds from Metronet, the fastest ISP in the nation.*
But it all began with a school district that committed to modern education tools and resources, including giving Chromebooks to most students. At any moment, more than 24,000 devices may be on a network that needs to be fast, secure and reliable. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to preparing students for a digitally connected world and equipping educators with the tools they need to facilitate effective instruction.
Metronet is proud to support Bartlett’s digital future, and is looking forward to re-starting its construction team in the coming weeks.