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<p>Hi All <br>
</p>
<p>This went out to the announce list just now. Please share far
and wide.<br>
</p>
<p>I'll make a modification that is suitable for next door and fb
and post that next</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>RAN<br>
</p>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Subject:
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<td>Task Force Positive - City Staff Negative - Next Step
for Community Broadband Needs your Help</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Date: </th>
<td>Fri, 31 May 2019 18:32:16 -0700</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">From: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:help@dcn.org">help@dcn.org</a></td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">Organization:
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<td>DavisGIG Committee of DCN</td>
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<th valign="BASELINE" nowrap="nowrap" align="RIGHT">To: </th>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:davisgig-announce@list.davisgig.org">davisgig-announce@list.davisgig.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:davisgig-announce@list.davisgig.org"><davisgig-announce@list.davisgig.org></a></td>
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<p> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">Hi Davisites <br>
</font></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">We need your input at the
next City Council meeting on Tuesday 6/4/19.<br>
</font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">Last Wed was the final
Broadband Advisory Task Force meeting. After fulfilling its
charge The BATF unanimously approved its final product, a 3
page letter, which unequivocally states a Fiber Based
Community Broadband network is feasible, should be further
analyzed and pursued by technical and financial professionals
in coordination with city engineering staff, and urges timely
action.</font></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">This process went on 3 full
years and was entering its 4<sup>th</sup>. It produced an
excellent Feasibility Study Report, evaluated information,
talked to vendors, and generated and reviewed the results of a
phone survey and online poll in its final analysis. </font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">Personally, I’m truly
thankful these community leaders took their time to evaluate
and follow this process of evaluating feasibility to this
conclusion, and now it is time for DavisGIG to be more active
again with the Council to help move it onward. </font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">In stark contrast, the staff
report that the BATF letter is attached to is very negative on
cost alone due to the feasibility report we wrote about last
year.. Not a surprise for a report that states an $800 per
house marketing cost just to get the customer to join the
community fiber network. </font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">The staff report draws on the
very conservative Feasibility study report which describes the
costs of building the most expensive type of fiber network,
all at once, and with a business model of a traditional ISP
that competes against the Very Large ISPs. It also relies on
the phone survey about broadband we advised would be
lackluster due to the fact that no one does phone surveys any
more. It really parrots points put forward by the large
incumbent carriers, to discourage municipal broadband, and
does not refer to any of the many economic development, social
justice, and pro competitive, smart city benefits a municipal
fiber investment would make. The staff report does not examine
any alternative designs, financing mechanisms or future needs
which make local control of Internet infrastructure desirable.</font></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">It completely ignores further
analysis put forward by a subcommittee of the BATF, as
reported in a memo approved unanimously at the 3/27 meeting
that shows that the electronics are substantially cheaper, and
a phased installation approach allowing for project expansion
based on revenues from the initial phase. That memo advocates
for the construction of the core backbone ring and sub rings,
that go throughout the entire city, has substantial numbers of
homes businesses and apartments passed, and serves as an
anchor ring that will generate immediate revenue and allow the
build out remaining neighborhoods. <br>
</font></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">It makes no mention of the
network as a valuable asset that the City would realize
revenue from from citizens, business, and other companies
through leases. It makes no mention of working with community
partners. It ignores the fact that city and school buildings
would have permanent usable Internet connections for a one
time cost. City Community and Business Engagement staff, wants
to end the effort and bring in big fiber provider
Grande/Wave/RCN, owned by private equity firm TPG Capital to
just carry on with the status quo, cherry picking
neighborhoods and giving away valuable city conduit for little
return. This will setup another monopoly control situation
over physical Internet infrastructure and fiber will be the
last one installed, like Comcast’s control of Coax, and ATT’s
control of Copper. </font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">So we need to put some effort
into encouraging Council to do the right thing here, which is
follow the BATF letter and not the staff report. Continue the
effort of technical and financial analysis for a phased build
approach to a city-owned, community-operated open access fiber
ring or more. </font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">This will be presented at the
City Council on 6/4/19. Please provide public comment via
email or in person at the beginning of the meeting. The BATF
item is at the end of the evening, and I’d hate for you all to
be stuck at the meeting very late. </font> </p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">In support of that, we have
generated a “talking points” type document which refers to
benefits identified by the Feasibility Study and addresses
concerns citizens identified in the DavisGIG broadband poll.
We hope you can use this to educate your neighbors and
colleagues as to why this will make everyone's quality of life
better. As well, attached is a sample letter you can use to
send indicating your support for community owned broadband and
DavisGIG. Send it to <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:citycouncilmembers@cityofdavis.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">citycouncilmembers@cityofdavis.org</a></font>
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">Thank you for your support </font>
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><font
style="font-size: 10pt" size="2">Davis GIG Committee of DCN</font></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%"><br>
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