The most intriguing aspect of Worcester's new five-year cable television contract is not what is in it but what is to be taken out.

For Charter Communications customers, the changes are apt to be largely invisible. The key elements are equipment upgrades for the public access, education and government channels and provisions to smooth the transition of the PEG channels to the digital tier over the next year.

In a radical departure, however, the city's cable-based "institutional network," owned and operated by Charter, will be phased out under the new contract. I-NET, the city's communications link since 1993, was a technological leap forward in its day, but it now is inadequate for the city's communications and business needs.

Replacing the I-NET will be a 20-mile fiber-optic loop linking about 100 municipal and school buildings. The cost of installing and operating the new network will be borne by a vendor to be selected through a bidding process. The vendor will recoup the cost by selling the vast excess capacity of the fiber-optic loop to public and private entities. Fees paid by the city for use of the network are to be offset by savings resulting from the phaseout of its existing infrastructure.

It would be only a slight exaggeration to say the change will be a revolution in municipal communications. The high-speed/high broadband network will transmit all forms of data, including e-mail and telephone links. It also will be available for security and energy-management monitoring, fire detection, wireless technology and more.

The possibilities are vast. Police officers making arrests or traffic stops will have access to real-time data via on-board computers. Teachers will extend their reach via interactive teaching. Municipal managers will conduct training sessions simultaneously at multiple departmental facilities.

The fiber-optic loop also will be a potent selling point for economic development.

Meeting with the Telegram & Gazette editorial board, James Baller of Baller Herbst Law Group, the city's cable consultant, noted that everything in telecommunications is moving to digital transmission —and the fiber-optic loop will give Worcester the state-of-the-art infrastructure needed to deal with the changes.

At a time of rapid change in telecommunications, the new contract continues Worcester's relationship with Charter on favorable terms. More important, it will put the city in the forefront of the telecommunication infrastructure that is essential in today's knowledge economy.