House in search of dark fiber infrastructure

The House of Representatives is seeking industry input on the availability of dark fiber infrastructure within the Washington metropolitan area that could be incorporated into the House's wide area network.

In a posting earlier this month on FedBizOpps.gov, the House procurement officer said the institution wants information about any commercially available dark fiber?fiber-optic cable that is not being used to transmit data?between Capitol Hill and an unidentified nearby data center.

While the House is not looking to sign any contracts right away, the posting is aimed at providing its communications and business continuity staff "with a general understanding of dark fiber services that are available within the area, and the complexity of acquiring and activating dark fiber for future use," the notice said.

This information could serve as the foundation and a scalable solution that may be incorporated into its WAN, the House said.

Responses are due Jan. 16, 2006.