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Hermiston staff outlines plan for city-owned open-access fiber; seeks RFP to pin down costs
Summary
City staff presented a multi-year plan for a city‑owned, open‑access fiber network to expand broadband availability in Hermiston and invited council feedback on issuing a request for proposals to design, build and operate the system. Estimated build cost for Hermiston plus Umatilla was presented as about $22 million.
City Manager Nate Smith briefed the Hermiston City Council on March 24 on a multi‑year effort to expand digital infrastructure through a city‑owned, open‑access fiber network and asked the council for direction on issuing a request for proposals to finalize cost and operating details.
Smith said the city has studied connectivity since 2020 with consultant Strategic Networks Group and identified gaps that the Federal Communications Commission maps do not show. “So right now, we feel like we're at the point where we're at a a decision matrix to move forward,” Smith said, as staff recommended an RFP to produce firm costs for design, construction, operation and maintenance.
The proposal would have the city own the physical fiber (the “utility” or layer‑1 infrastructure) and invite private or nonprofit service providers to…
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