Williams, Tulsa, OK, will accelerate the expansion of its fiber-optic network by investing $2.7

Williams, Tulsa, OK, will accelerate the expansion of its fiber-optic network by investing $2.7 billion in a 32,000-mi system by 2001. Williams expects to have approximately 20,000 route-mi in service by the end of the first quarter of 1999, and 32,000 mi over the next four years. Newly announced projects include laying additional fiber in Florida and connecting it with its existing network in the Southeast; building a new Midwest route from Chicago, IL, westward, and completing diverse routes. Specifically, Williams plans to link Jacksonville, FL, to Williams`s existing fiber in Atlanta, GA. It will also complete a Gulf Coast loop starting in Miami, FL; running through Fort Myers, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Pensacola, FL; and Mobile, AL; and ending in New Orleans, LA. New fiber will link Daytona Beach, Orlando, and Tampa, FL, by the end of the first quarter next year. New development in the Midwest will link Chicago with Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Kansas City, MO; Denver, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT.