Structure
OnLight Aurora, NFP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the steward of Aurora’s community fiber network. It holds the mission, ensures public accountability, and manages the strategic direction of the system. OnLight, L3C is a low-profit limited liability company wholly controlled by the nonprofit. It functions as the operational and commercial arm of the organization, handling customer contracts, technical projects, and network expansion work. Revenues from the L3C flow back to the nonprofit to sustain the network and advance its public mission. Together, the NFP and L3C form a unified structure.
Transparency
It is our renewed goal to steward the incredible asset that is the Aurora Network like never before. Going forward, we hope to more transparently inform the public of OnLight’s goals, progress, and financial status on a continual basis.
Keep on eye on our renewed commitment to transparency in 2026.
Board of Directors
Per the OnLight Aurora bylaws, the Board of Directors shall always contain the mayor, the Chief Information Officer, and one alderman from the City of Aurora. Directors are unpaid and owe a fiduciary duty to act solely in the organization’s interest.
Active Board Members: Mayor John Laesch, CIO Ram Tyagi, Alderman Keith Larson
The Board appoints additional directors (e.g., leaders in the education, healthcare, business, technology, and civic spaces) to reflect community needs and expertise. Please reach out if you are interested in joining the Board.
Conflict of Interest Policy
The policy requires board members, officers, and committee members to disclose any personal or financial interests that could influence their judgment. Individuals with such interests must abstain from related discussions or votes while the board determines whether a conflict exists. The policy requires that meeting records document all disclosures and decisions for accountability. The policy requires that each year, leadership affirms their understanding and compliance with the policy.
Our History
Pictured is an illustration from the City’s 2005 Master Plan for Downtown Aurora
2005-2011 / Backbone
“We could talk about this now and not do it, but five years from now, we'd be doing it” - Mayor Tom Wesiner
Aurora’s digital transformation began with a city plan to treat broadband like core civic infrastructure. Under Mayor Tom Weisner, the City pursued a fiber-optic backbone for government operations alongside a citywide Wi-Fi concept. To fund the backbone, the City Council earmarked nearly $8 million within a broader bond package. Over the same period, millions of dollars in grants helped fiber-enabled projects advance and reduced pressure on local funds. In the end, the City’s contractor for the planned city-wide free Wi-Fi initiative collapsed, so the City shifted its focus entirely to fiber. The City’s lofty goals included connecting every school, hospital, and university in Aurora to the network, and making excess capacity available to businesses. By 2011, the City built and lit a 43-mile underground fiber ring, connecting more than 50 municipal facilities, resulting in savings of around $500k/yr and a huge opportunity or expansion.
2012 Board of Directors & Staff
-Tom Weisner: Mayor, City of Aurora; Chairman
-Peter Lynch: President
-Rick Mervine: Alderman, City of Aurora; Vice President
-Ted Beck: CTO, City of Aurora; Treasurer
-Mark McCoy: Secretary
2012-2016 / Foundation
“We have to make sure when it comes to ultra-high speed Internet that we see the possibilities… for law enforcement, public safety, possibilities for health care and definitely for education.” - Gov. Pat Quinn
In 2012 OnLight Aurora was formed to leverage the Aurora Network for non-city use, leasing up to 36 of 144 strands and providing start-up support included a $150k loan and $25k grant. OnLight also received a $1 million Illinois Gigabit Communities Challenge grant. In 2013, OnLight connected its first customers: West Aurora SD 129 and the Illinois Math and Science Academy. In 2014, OnLight connected new customers including Rush Copley Medical Center, Indian Prairie SD 204, and the Aurora Civic Center Authority. During this period, OnLight received a Program Related Investment from the Dunham Fund and signed a Revised Master Agreement with the City of Aurora that allowed for revenue generation via dark fiber and tower IRUs. By the end of 2016, OnLight served 30+ local schools, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and small businesses - sustaining a positive net operating income and resulting in thousands per month of revenue shared back to the city.
2017-2019 / Progression
“Our IT Division worked closely with OnLight Aurora to grow opportunities related to the fiber-optic network, working to put Aurora on the map as a ‘Smart City.’” - Mayor Richard Irvin
OnLight Aurora underwent Board and staffing changes beginning in 2017, and despite some other legal issues, income remained stable and new opportunities were explored. Expansion into multiple Aurora-area data centers and connection to the Kane County and Naperville fiber networks created growth in OnLight’s commercial customer segment. In 2017, OnLight connected ALDI corporate locations in Batavia and Aurora, with help from the City of Aurora in the form of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) grant. Scientel Solutions, a global telecommunications company, moved their headquarters to Aurora in-part because of the strong Aurora Network - then partnered with OnLight as both a customer and a vendor. In 2019, OnLight began providing network services to the City of Aurora’s new CityPost Kiosks, coinciding with the City’s new Technology Strategic Plan and the launch of the 605 Innovation District. By the end of 2019, OnLight purportedly used more than 80 miles of fiber on the Aurora Network.
2019 Board of Directors & Staff (not pictured)
Board: Michael Pegues (CIO), Richard Irvin (Mayor), Sherman Jenkins (Alderman), Kevin Fitzpatrick, Don Ringelestein, Roger Fahnestock, Lawrence Bergie
Staff: Keith Gerald (Executive Director), Jim Hurley (CFO), Nora Saddler (Executive Assistant)
2024 Board of Directors & Staff (not pictured)
Board: Michael Pegues (CIO), Richard Irvin (Mayor), Sherman Jenkins, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Roger Fahnestock, [missing an alderman]
Staff: Charles Baker (Executive Director), Jim Hurley (CFO)
2020-2025 / Choices to Learn From
OnLight partnered with the City of Aurora and Scientel Solutions during the pandemic to provide free internet to multiple local organizations and businesses through a program that was called No Child Left Offline.
Despite that program, OnLight’s goals shifted away from providing service to community anchor institutions during this period. Instead, the Board and staff focused their efforts on an initiative called Internet for All / Broadband as a Utility / Fiber to the Home / Lightspeed Aurora. OnLight hired multiple consulting firms to conduct community surveys and develop plans for a City-partnered initiative that would bring fiber internet service to every residence and business in Aurora. To that end, OnLight leadership took out over $1 million in city-guaranteed loans and traveled across the globe to learn how to use local funding to bring internet to disenfranchised communities in Aurora. In the meantime, technical resources and customer relationships dilapidated.
Present / Bringing OnLight Back Online
In 2025, OnLight Aurora entered a period of correction and renewal. Following years of financial strain and deferred maintenance, we have begun refocusing on its original purpose of delivering affordable and reliable connectivity to schools, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and small businesses in Aurora. We’re going to continue what was started in 2005, because even though a lot has changed in the past 20 years, we know there are still under-served anchor institutions and residential areas across the city.
The road ahead is challenging but full of promise. The fiber backbone of the Aurora Network remains a tremendous asset and it must be driven squarely toward the public good. Aurorans have learned that technology alone isn’t enough, effective leadership and accountability must accompany it. The ultimate goal is the same as it was in the beginning: to bridge the digital divide for all Aurorans in every setting.
We've made big strides already, like reducing operating expenses by >50%, but we'll need some help facing the challenges ahead. We need tech- and finance-savvy Aurorans with expertise or enthusiasm to contribute their time and ideas to OnLight Aurora. Please reach out if you are interested in volunteering or joining the Board.
2025 Board of Directors & Staff (not pictured)
Board: John Laesch (Mayor), Ram Tyagi (CIO), Keith Larson (Alderman)
Staff: Austin FitzCorbett (Volunteer Director), Jim Hurley (CFO)