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Board staff outline fiber and public Wi-Fi pilot to narrow city's digital divide; committee hears progress and timeline
Summary
City staff told the committee about pilot fiber installs and a public Wi-Fi rollout this summer, described a plan to lease fiber conduits to providers, and said 13.3 miles of backbone fiber are expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
City technical staff told the Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disabilities Committee about ongoing pilot projects to expand municipal fiber infrastructure and a plan for public Wi-Fi aimed at narrowing Los Angeles's digital divide.
Peter Precios and Victor Churcio, representing the city body identified in the meeting as the Board of Public Lighting, described work to install fiber conduits, pilot Wi-Fi deployments in public spaces and partnerships with state initiatives to extend middle-mile infrastructure into underserved neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Committee members and public speakers emphasized that reliable internet access affects students, artists and small organizations in low-income neighborhoods and that municipal infrastructure can reduce costs and enable competition among service providers.
Presentation highlights included: staff reported more than 3.5 miles of newly installed underground fiber conduits in a pilot area and said the city's per-mile construction cost for that work is roughly 40% lower than comparable private-sector estimates. Staff said they plan to complete about 13.3 miles of city-managed backbone fiber by the end of 2026 through a combination of city and state projects and that some pilot Wi-Fi sites could go live this summer in the Crenshaw corridor.
Peter Precios said the city is structuring these conduits to be multi-tenant, which would allow the city to retain spare conduit capacity for municipal use while leasing other ducts to private providers. "Each of those spaces can be leased to a different provider," he told the committee, describing how shared ducting could lower barriers for small providers.
Staff said the implementation model is not direct city provision of broadband to residents but building backbone infrastructure and then leasing capacity to service providers under agreements the city will structure with the City Attorney and other partners. The CLA representative briefed committee members that the city is coordinating legal and contracting language with the City Attorney's office to support leasing and procurement.
Committee members asked about maintenance responsibilities, long-term sustainability and how the city will ensure the infrastructure benefits neighborhoods with the greatest need. Staff said maintenance will be split: private providers that use conduit space will handle their own inside-duct maintenance while the city will maintain its retained conduit assets; the agreements will set the terms.
Public commenters and advocacy groups urged a community-centered approach and updates to the city's digital equity report to reflect federal changes and localized needs. One public speaker described difficulty getting stable service: "Mi propia familia paga cien df3lares para Spectrum, para Internet, que falla cada vez que, este, llueve o que pasa el metro azul." (My family pays $100 to Spectrum for internet that fails when it rains or when the Blue Line runs.)
Next steps and timeline: staff said pilot Wi-Fi sites are targeted for this summer, the pilot fiber conduits are already in place in the initial service corridor, and a larger middle-mile partnership with the state will add miles this year and into 2026. Staff said they will work with the City Attorney on leasing agreements and with other city partners to identify opportunities to place conduit work alongside other public projects.
