City of Gainesville - File #: 180315.

• File #: 180315.
• Version: 3
• Type: Discussion Item
• Status: Filed
• File created: 8/28/2018
• In control: Broadband Connectivity Subcommittee
• On agenda: 8/15/2019
• Title: Broadband Study Next Steps (B)
• Related files: 170192

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
8/15/2019	3	City Commission	Discussed
6/20/2019	2	City Commission	Approved, as shown above	Pass
9/20/2018	1	City Commission	Approved as Recommended	Pass
9/13/2018	1	Utility Advisory Board

Title
Broadband Study Next Steps (B)

Explanation
At the City Commission meeting of June 20, 2019 the Commission received a Broadband Feasibility Study presentation from Doug Dawson, President of CCG Consulting, on the potential for the City providing broadband services to Gainesville and the surrounding area (the “Project”). This study was commissioned by the Broadband Subcommittee. Mr. Dawson’s study was to determine whether or not it was feasible to provide one gigabit product at the lowest price in the nation.
While he reported that it may be feasible, there are legal and financial hurdles that the commission and its staff have to address. The first step is to determine the public purpose for the provision of one gigabit of broadband. It is an important step because a municipality may not expend funds unless the expenditure is supported by a public purpose. For this particular expenditure, the City Attorney’s Office will be recommending that any moneys borrowed or bonds issued be validated through a bond validation proceeding in circuit court. The City Attorney’s office will walk the Commission through the necessary steps to identify the public purpose. We anticipate bringing this back to the Commission at the first meeting in October. The City Attorney’s Office will also reach out to the County Attorney’s Office to understand the County’s intent for the use of additional sales tax for this Project.
GRU Finance will be reviewing the financial models provided by the consultant during the same time frame as the City Attorney’s legal analysis. On a parallel track, GRUCom staff will initiate discussions with the City Commission to determine:
· Who may be eligible for digital divide pricing?
· What product will be offered to serve digital divide households?
Once GRU’s Financial Staff, GRUCom staff, and City Attorney’s Office have completed their reviews, if the City Commission determines to move forward with the Project, the Commission will need to a...