Feasibility Study
The City of Charles City has hired Lookout Point Communications of St. Paul, MN to conduct a feasibility study that examines the cost of a community-owned fiber network and whether or not a business case for the network exists. Check back for more details on the feasibility study as it progresses.
Charles City Community Broadband Engagement and Education Project Report
The consultant team that conduced the Community Broadband Engagement and Education Project in Charles City has prepared a report on its findings. The City Council accepted the report and have asked staff to work with SmartSource Consulting to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a full feasibility study and business case.
Click the link below to download and read the report, which includes complete results of the Community Broadband Survey. (PDF, 3.7 MB).
Click the link below to download and read the report, which includes complete results of the Community Broadband Survey. (PDF, 3.7 MB).
Between 1994 and 2005, over two dozen communities in Iowa established municipal telecommunications utilities and constructed networks to serve those citizens. These utilities have a proven track record of providing reliable and affordable voice, video, and data services to their residents and putting those communities in charge of their own technological futures.
In 2005, citizens of Charles City approved a referendum to establish a municipal telecommunications utility by an 62% majority. Like many other communities that took that initial step, the concept was not immediately explored further, in large part because incumbent providers promised better service in the future. And although some improvements were made, over time community leaders have come to feel that Charles City is in danger of being left behind as other communities get access to state-of-the-art fiber to the home (FTTH) networks.
In 2010, the city conducted a survey to measure community interest in a municipal broadband utility and found strong interest. However, a lot has changed in the world of broadband in the past six years, especially the increase in internet bandwidth usage. The rapid adoption of streaming video, also known as over-the-top video (OTT) has dominated this growth, and is expected to continue to grow rapidly as new OTT video service options become available to consumers. Also, more and more users are relying on cloud-based computing and storage for doing business and managing their households. New data-reliant services such as smart home, smart grid, remote health care, and remote education will also push the “need for speed” ever higher.
Also during the six years since the initial study, internet users have become more sensitive to service reliability. In 2010, an internet outage was seen as a nuisance for many users. Today it’s seen as a major interruption in normal daily living comparable to a power outage. While incumbent providers have generally increased internet speeds on a regular basis, reliability problems continue to affect their aging copper-based networks.
As a result of continued concerns about the long-term health and viability of the community, the City of Charles City joined with ten other Iowa communities to study the feasibility of a fiber network to interconnect the communities. This network, the Iowa Fiber Alliance, is now moving from concept to reality, and its existence will greatly enhance the viability of new local fiber networks in communities like Charles City.
In 2005, citizens of Charles City approved a referendum to establish a municipal telecommunications utility by an 62% majority. Like many other communities that took that initial step, the concept was not immediately explored further, in large part because incumbent providers promised better service in the future. And although some improvements were made, over time community leaders have come to feel that Charles City is in danger of being left behind as other communities get access to state-of-the-art fiber to the home (FTTH) networks.
In 2010, the city conducted a survey to measure community interest in a municipal broadband utility and found strong interest. However, a lot has changed in the world of broadband in the past six years, especially the increase in internet bandwidth usage. The rapid adoption of streaming video, also known as over-the-top video (OTT) has dominated this growth, and is expected to continue to grow rapidly as new OTT video service options become available to consumers. Also, more and more users are relying on cloud-based computing and storage for doing business and managing their households. New data-reliant services such as smart home, smart grid, remote health care, and remote education will also push the “need for speed” ever higher.
Also during the six years since the initial study, internet users have become more sensitive to service reliability. In 2010, an internet outage was seen as a nuisance for many users. Today it’s seen as a major interruption in normal daily living comparable to a power outage. While incumbent providers have generally increased internet speeds on a regular basis, reliability problems continue to affect their aging copper-based networks.
As a result of continued concerns about the long-term health and viability of the community, the City of Charles City joined with ten other Iowa communities to study the feasibility of a fiber network to interconnect the communities. This network, the Iowa Fiber Alliance, is now moving from concept to reality, and its existence will greatly enhance the viability of new local fiber networks in communities like Charles City.
Fiber Town Hall Meeting
A recording of the Fiber Town Hall meeting held on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 is below. Thanks to Charles City Public Access Network for allowing us to post the link to their YouTube video!
Community Broadband Engagement and Education Project
The City of Charles City has initiated a project designed to explore whether or not their is sufficient interest in a community-owned fiber optic broadband network to conduct a full-scale feasibility study.
There are four key elements of the Community Broadband Engagement and Education Project.
- Engagement: Though meetings, social media, and other methods, we will open a dialogue with the community about the possibility of a community-owned network.
- Education: Provide community members with information about the importance of fast, affordable, reliable, and ubiquitous broadband services.
- Measurement: Through surveys and forums, measure whether citizens want the City of Charles City to take the next steps in the evaluation process, which would include a preliminary network design, cost estimate, and business case.
- Evaluation and Discussion: A final report will be prepared based on the findings of the Community Broadband Engagement and Education Project, providing the City of Charles City with the information they need.
Resources for Charles City Residents
Click the Facebook icon above to visit the Charles City Community Broadband Facebook page (@charlescitybroadband). LIKE the page and follow the discussion with fellow citizens!
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FAQ'sYou may have a lot of questions about the what a community-owned fiber network would mean. On this page we'll keep an updated list of questions we receive and answers to those questions.
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Schedule
Several meetings will be held to give citizens an opportunity to learn more and share their input. Check this page for the latest schedule.
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