At its next meeting Wednesday, the Ukiah City Council will consider a proposed public-private partnership in order to create more high-speed internet infrastructure that is expected to serve more than 1,500 locations, including hundreds of those described as \u201cunderserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the staff report prepared for the Aug. 20 meeting, the council will be asked to \u201capprove a public private partnership to design\/build the grant-funded Ukiah Gigabit Fiber Project for a not to exceed amount of $3,277,654, and to lease, operate and maintain the city\u2019s Fiber Optic Network for a 35-Year Term.\u201d<\/p>\n
As background, staff explained that the city \u201chas long recognized a critical need for robust broadband infrastructure to support economic development and enhance public services,\u201d and that \u201cthe lack of affordable, high-speed internet access has posed challenges for local businesses, educational and civic institutions, and residents, particularly those in underserved areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo address this need, the city pursued and was awarded a Local Agency Technical Assistance grant \u2026 to prepare a Broadband Master Plan .. and seek a qualified Internet Service Provider\u00a0to partner with the city to pursue grant opportunities to build the network, and operate and maintain it, in exchange for a long term lease to use the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the \u201cinitial prospective partner withdrew from the project,\u201d staff reports, more proposals were requested and \u201cVero Fiber Networks, LLC, (was) ultimately selected as the most qualified prospective partner,\u201d describing them as \u201csuccessfully completing other broadband builds of a similar size and scope, and are currently constructing an FFA Last Mile-funded network in Arcata Bay. That project, which parallels the proposed Ukiah build in both scale and schedule, gives Vero active, hands-on experience with CPUC construction processes and grant reporting requirements. For the Ukiah project, Vero will work with their subsidiary, Glass Roots Fiber, along with various subcontractors, to complete different aspects of the work.\u201d<\/p>\n