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Council advances ordinance to reflect new telecom tariffs and 10‑gigabit offering
Summary
On first reading the council approved ordinance language to codify interim tariffs and new service tiers (including 10‑gigabit residential/business service), remove IPTV code sections, and schedule a public hearing for final adoption.
Council members advanced on first reading an ordinance amending Chapter 11.12 of the municipal code to align rates and service descriptions with recent interim tariff changes and to allow the city‑owned telecom utility to offer higher‑speed plans. Staff said equipment improvements in the network core permit faster speeds for customers and that some lower‑tier plans could be cheaper while higher tiers remain priced for premium use.
The ordinance removes legacy IPTV sections from the municipal code and updates service and managed‑router price lines; staff acknowledged a billing glitch that briefly charged some customers at the new prices but said the issue would be corrected.
Councilors asked who would use a 10‑gigabit plan. Staff replied that heavy streamers, gaming users and large households running many connected devices would be primary users and that the network tests support the speeds. "We're offering 10 times what most of the U.S. can get," staff said, emphasizing Ketchikan's competitive advantage.
The ordinance passed on first reading; a public hearing and second reading will be scheduled before final adoption.
