Gainesville Regional Utility committee members and employees discussed Gainesville's accessibility to broadband Internet Wednesday afternoon.
Congress's Stimulus Bill allotted $7.2 billion in grants and loans, some of which will be used to bring broadband Internet to rural and underdeveloped areas.
During an April meeting, members of the Committee said that research should be done to work toward adding Internet into older neighborhoods in downtown and East Gainesville.
GRU's Internet service, GRUCom, provides access to many existing student apartment complexes near UF and Santa Fe College.
It's harder to add Internet into older, already established developments many times because of infrastructure or wiring, said committee member Lauren Poe.
"I would want us to look for ways to make this economically feasible for other customers as well," said Craig Lowe, the committee's chair. "We're essentially providing development potential to other areas. I'm looking to perhaps increase our focus to areas and businesses we're not reaching."
Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan, who also serves as a member of the committee, agreed with Lowe, adding she would like to offer incentives that the city could provide for land developers to use GRUCom as their Internet provider.
