ResTech president Bryan Schenker could not be reached for comment.

The city has already paid for most of the contract and it’s unclear if it will seek to recover money from ResTech, Kronberger said. The network has been installed and could be used for the larger Fiber To Premises initiative if it moves forward, he said.

The city’s Digital Technology Committee is set to get an update on the initiative and discuss the contract termination at its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday. Some of the meeting may be in closed session.

After two years and spending more than $500,000, Madison is well short of goals for the pilot program. ResTech had delays in extending fiber cable to the neighborhoods, and once there, found unexpected barriers in getting permission from property owners to connect to buildings and so far has signed up few customers.

Those problems were outlined in a story in the Wisconsin State Journal on Nov. 20, the same day the termination letter was sent.