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Public commenters urge LAFCo to prioritize citywide public broadband as Clean Power SF launches
Summary
Public advocates told LAFCo that Google’s planned fiber installs and an unclear ‘Dig Once’ implementation make it urgent for the city to agendize community broadband; advocates asked LAFCo to revisit the Amiano broadband study and pursue a public buildout.
Multiple public commenters told the Local Agency Formation Commission on Feb. 26 that city leaders should make public broadband a priority as Clean Power SF launches.
An unnamed commenter said Google has announced plans to install fiber to some condominiums, apartments and low-income housing in San Francisco and that the city’s Dig Once ordinance is being treated as opt-in by the Department of Technology. The commenter asked LAFCo to examine the ordinance’s implementation and to place community broadband on a future agenda.
Eric Brooks, speaking for several advocacy groups including the San Francisco Green Party and Our City, praised the commission and SFPUC staff for launching Clean Power SF and urged LAFCo to coordinate on a local renewable-buildout plan. Brooks said the city should revise the Amiano broadband study and pursue a publicly owned broadband network so private providers cannot “corner the market.” He recommended seeking feed-in tariff and net-metering numbers to help market the CCA to potential customers.
Brooks also asserted private internet-service providers were seeking to undermine net-neutrality rules and were trying to minimize payments for rooftop solar net-metering; there was no on-the-record denial by the mentioned companies in the LAFCo record. Staff acknowledged public interest and said advocates and staff would meet to discuss financing and local-buildout possibilities, but no formal directive to create a broadband plan was recorded at the meeting.
Zoe Johnson also addressed the commission with concerns about local services and neighborhood needs during public comment. The commission did not vote on a broadband item at this meeting.
