City staff asked the Common Council to approve several measures to expand municipal broadband and provide redundant connections for the new Public Safety Building.

Jen Tif, director of strategic initiatives, presented a rooftop lease agreement with Loretto for space on the Bernardine apartments rooftop in the Valley to host a wireless installation. She said the expansion is reimbursable by a state grant and that the full municipal wireless deployment is designed to be capable of serving approximately 7,800 residents when complete. Tif said current program enrollment is "between 13 and 1,400" (she also said she would check the dashboard for an exact figure) and that the city currently offers a discounted tier and a non-discounted rate of $36.99 per month for those who do not qualify for discounts.

Dave Proak, Director of IT, asked council permission to enter an agreement with Spectrum to install fiber to 1153 Fayette Street (the new Public Safety Building). He said the city seeks multiple providers and diverse entry points into the building for redundancy. During the discussion Proak and councilors referenced current monthly costs at the downtown PSB and asked finance to confirm franchise-fee and payment status for Spectrum under the city's 2023 franchise agreement; Joe Barry said the 10-year franchise was entered in 2023 and that Finance should verify whether monthly franchise payments are current.

Commissioner of Finance Mike Kanazera also requested authority to pay outstanding invoices while the city issues an RFP to replace expired contracts for parking-garage and park connectivity. He noted there are a small number of invoices from FY2024 waiting for permission to pay; Finance will provide the exact totals and vendor invoices to council.

Tif and IT staff said they expect the network core and most installations to be in place by early next year and that subscription ramp-up could take additional months; the city is also exploring offering additional tiers of service and potential small-business connections and intends to work with SPD and other departments to leverage the city network where appropriate.

Council asked staff to return with the subscription dashboard, fiber and franchise-fee details and the proposed RFP timeline.