We tried to get people to understand the issue. 'We started off wanting to get people the right to vote. 'I think we won,' Tim Supple of Fiber 411 told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. But local phone company BellSouth and cable operator Cox Communications challenged the city-owned utility, which plans to build and operate the network.Īfter a legal tussle earlier this year, a special election was called to decide whether the city could issue $125 million worth of bonds to fund the project.įiber 411, the citizens group that opposed the project, characterized the loss as a victory. The city of 116,000 residents known for its vibrant Cajun culture has been planning to build its own fiber-optic network for more than a year. Voters approved the measure 12,290 to 7,507, or 62 percent to 38 percent, according to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Voters in Lafayette, La., on Saturday approved a bond offering to fund a citywide fiber-optic project, an issue that was the source of considerable friction during the past year.