Fiber-to-Home Internet

Fiber-to-Home Internet
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Fiber-to-Home Internet Service Coming to Coralville
In 2021, two telecommunications companies notified the City of Coralville of their plans to extend fiber-to-the-home internet service to Coralville residents. In 2022, ImOn Communications (based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and MetroNet (based in Evansville, Indiana) started construction.

Benefits of Fiber-to-Home
Both MetroNet and ImOn Communications entered into an agreement with the City to build a fiber-to-home network, which installs fiber optic-enabled internet service throughout Coralville. A direct fiber connection brings:

  • Newer technology
  • Robust bandwidth
  • Faster speeds
  • Reduced slowdowns during peak hours
  • Increased reliability throughout the community
  • More convenience -- whether whether for business, working from home, or downloading high-definition movies.

Connecting Your Home or Business
The network is being built through Coralville, but not to homes and businesses. Residents and businesses can opt to get connected to services from MetroNet or ImOn Communications. Both companies plan to make fiber-to-home service available as individual areas are built out, but full build-out of Coralville won’t be completed until sometime in 2023. 

There is no requirement for residents or businesses to sign up for fiber-to-home service once construction is complete. Each company owns and manages their network to bring a reliable connection throughout Coralville. 

What Is Being Installed
An additional telecommunications line made up of fiber optic cabling is being installed in the city’s right-of-way and utility easements. Where utilities are overhead, they will be installed on existing telephone poles; in areas where utilities are buried, cables will be installed underground.

What You Can Expect

  1. Communications: Residents and businesses in construction areas will receive communications from MetroNet and ImOn Communications, including mail and yard signs, before work begins in their area. 
  2. Utility Locates: Crews will mark underground utility locations with temporary paint and utility flags. Do not remove utility locates flags in your yard. They identify the locations of underground utilities such as public water main, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, or private utilities like electric, gas, phone, cable, or internet.
  3. Installation: MetroNet and ImOn Communications contractors will install fiber optic network cables. The construction phase is temporary. Underground boring machines install the fiber-optic cables just below the surface to minimize disturbing properties.  MetroNet and ImOn Communcations contractors will do their best to minimize any impact to property as they work within the utility easement areas. 
  4. After Installation: Contractors will rake, seed, and straw lawns as needed in areas where digging occurred. 
    • Depending on the time of year the construction occurred, lawn restoration may not happen immediately; some lawn restoration work may need to wait until appropriate temperatures or weather conditions. 
    • If you have installation concerns, contact MetroNet or ImOn Communications directly. Who to contact

What Will Be Installed In My Yard?
The contractor may install a vertical utility pedestal or cabinet, or a buried box covered with a plate that is flush with the ground. The utility box will be within the utility easements platted at the time of the subdivision. The City requested that pedestals/cabinets or plates be clustered with other utility boxes.

Refer to ImOn's website to see why they have their contractor install vertical pedestals/cabinets, and MetroNet's video (at 2:36) to learn why they have their contractor install in-ground boxes with plates.

Resident notices

ImOne door hangers fiber to home

Contractor Access
MetroNet and ImOn Communcations crews will be identifiable by ID tags and vehicles marked with the company names. Both companies have permits from the City to build in the public right-of-way, and they also have access rights to build within utility easements.

Right-of-Way
The right-of-way is a strip of land from one property frontage and across the street to the other property frontage. It includes land on which a city street is located, strips of land on either side of the street, the sidewalk, and a strip of land into the front yard. The right-of-way width varies by location. These are all in the right-of-way:

  • Street
  • Parkway next to the road (the area between the sidewalk and the street curb)
  • Sidewalk
  • Parkway next to the lot (the area between the back of the sidewalk and the property line into your yard). In most subdivisions built since the 1990s, the right-of-way line is typically one foot into the front yard from the edge of the sidewalk closest to the house. 

Easements
Easements commonly run parallel to the street and within the lot, and down side lot lines or along rear lot lines. If you have a utility easement on your property, conditions apply to use this part of the land. Easements give another party the right to access or use your property for a specific purpose. Almost all properties have easements on them that stay with the land, even when the property is sold.

When can you remove utility locates flags from your yard?
When a utility company puts marks on any non-paved surface such as grass, their only responsibility to the entity that requested the locates is to ensure the markings last a minimum of 5 calendar days. Flags and spray paint are the only two methods used. 

However, the locate request ticket is valid for 20 calendar days. If a property owner removes flags or mows their lawn (which removes paint marks) during the 20-day ticket window, the utility companies are required to re-mark the locates.

To balance the need for residents to mow their lawns within a reasonable time while giving a utility company enough time to complete their work after the locates are marked, please leave the locates flags and paint marks alone for 14 days. Removing the flags/marks could result in delays completing the work and fixing any lawn disturbance. 

Easement examples

Underground utilities marked between house
Utilities in easement

Who to Contact
ImOn Communications

MetroNet

  • Information or concerns: Submit concerns related to MetroNet’s construction online or by phone. This generates a ticket that goes to MetroNet's local construction manager; you can track progress of your ticket and provide follow-up if needed.
  • Map & construction / availability: To see a map of MetroNet’s planned construction areas, or to be notified when your address is eligible to schedule installation, visit https://construction.metronetinc.com/l/CoralvilleIA. Additional planned construction areas will be added as plans develop. 

City of Coralville
For other questions, contact the Coralville Engineering Department at 319.248.1720.

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Updates
June 24, 2022: ImOn is actively working on three zones in Coralville (circled in red): Zone F (south of Holiday Road, west of 12th Avenue), and Zones C and V (south of I-80). Zones C & V are primarily aerial buildouts.Fiber to home areas June July 2022

June 21, 2022: MetroNet currently has four contractors working in Coralville. ImOn has two contractors working in Coralville.

May 23, 2022:  

  • ImOn started working last week in their 21-6 Fiberhood Zone F.  This is the southern half of the first zone that MetroNet is working on. ImOn also started building out in their 21-6 Fiberhood Zone V. Initially this will involve attaching fiber cables onto existing MidAmerican Energy poles that run through backyards in the eastern half of this zone. Both ImOn and MetroNet plan to make use of overhead poles whenever possible. See ImOn maps at https://connect2fiber.imon.net/iowa-city/.
  • MetroNet is continuing in their zones CZ017, CZ016, and CZ018. See MetroNet maps at https://construction.metronetinc.com/l/CoralvilleIA.

May 16, 2022: ImOn is starting work in their first buildout area in Coralville. ImOn completed resident notifications in this area on May 14, 2022.  They are working in zone 21-6F; see zone map at https://connect2fiber.imon.net/iowa-city/. 

May 12, 2022: MetroNet contractors are working in Coralville; ImOn contractors have not yet begun work in Coralville.

April 28, 2022: ImOn Communications plans to start constructing fiber-to-home in the same general area where MetroNet has been working the past several weeks (west of 12th Avenue, north of I-80).  Because ImOn will call in their own utility locate requests, some properties that have already had the locate flags removed from MetroNet’s project will have more locate flags re-appear due to ImOn’s upcoming work. Or, if you don't notice the flags were removed and replaced, it may look like the flags have been in place for weeks.