[Davisgig] Municipal Fiber Feasibility Study Update

[Steve McMahon]

Hi DavisGIG folks,

As part of the City of Davis' municipal fiber feasibility study, a
pre-engineering survey is being conducted to get a ballpark figure for the
cost of building the network. Yesterday, the Finley Engineering team for
that survey met with a room full of COD folks as part of a site visit. I
attended as an observer for the Broadband Advisory Task Force and wanted to
let you know some of what I learned.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Public Works, the City
Manager's office, City IT and the City's Innovation Officer and
vice-officer. Finley's two engineers reported that they're getting great
assistance from the COD folks and are enthusiastic about their findings
to-date.

They expect to recommend that the project be entirely undergrounded (not on
poles, even in neighborhoods that have them), using directional boring. The
effect on streets should be minimal. They anticipate that there will be no
above-ground "lawn furniture" (pedestals), instead using small underground
vaults similar to (and possibly often next to) the vaults used for water
meters.

They're looking at a major backbone loop through the contiguous part of the
city with extension loops crossing 113 and 80 to West and South Davis.
Distribution nodes of the backbone would be located in 4-5 locations. It
looks like the city already owns all the locations we should need for that.
De-commissioned wells are a particularly good possibility. Individual
fibers would run from those locations to each premises. Distribution would
probably be a mix of GPON
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_optical_network> and active,
depending on the needs of the consumer/business at the end of the line.
Switching from one to another would be as easy as switching electronic
cards. The engineers are including residential areas that adjoin the city,
but aren't part of it (El Macero excluded as they're doing their own with
Comcast).

Individual units in Multi-Dwelling Units (aka apartment buildings) may be
connected in many ways (or not connected at all if landlords don't do it),
ranging from fiber in the walls to forms of ultra-fast DSL on pre-existing
copper lines. That will largely be the responsibility of the owners.

Connections to single-family homes and businesses will go to network
demarcation boxes, like those we already have for telephone, typically on
the side of houses.

Let me emphasize that this is just some early information from the people
doing the feasibility study. It is not complete engineering and it tells us
little about whether or not we'll be able to come up with a business plan
that works for Davis. But if you're like me, the details of possibilities
are still exciting!

Steve
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