Hudson

Hudson Community Broadband Study

The City of Hudson has engaged CBAN Solutions to conduct a community broadband study to help the City evaluate whether it should build a community-owned fiber-to-the-home network to bring better broadband services to residents.

Hudson Broadband Town Meeting

A virtual community broadband meeting was held on December 14, 2023. If you didn't have a chance to join us, check out the recording below!

If you have questions about the Hudson Broadband Town Meeting or the study in general, email curtis@smartsourceconsulting.com.

Background

Voters in Hudson authorized the City to establish a municipal communications utility and utility board at a referendum in November 2005 that received 65% approval. In the intervening years, several efforts were made to explore the idea of a municipal fiber network, but the concept never came to fruition. Meanwhile, many other communities in Iowa have moved forward and built successful municipal fiber projects.

Hudson is near one of Iowa’s most successful municipal broadband projects in Cedar Falls. Recently, the City of Waterloo has taken steps to move forward with a city-owned fiber utility. With these and other fiber projects adjacent to Hudson, the momentum has been building for the City to take steps toward bringing fiber to its residents.

Broadband Study Goals

Education
During the study, the study team will facilitate a community dialogue about the importance of high-quality broadband as a community necessity to maintain vitality.

Engagement
The study team will engage with Hudson residents, anchor institutions, and stakeholder groups to discover broadband gaps and discuss ways to close those gaps.

Survey
CBAN Solutions will conduct and report on a comprehensive online survey to measure consumer attitudes about existing providers in Hudson and gauge interest in a public solution to close service gaps.

Fiber Network Cost Estimate and Business Model
Utilizing recent network construction costs from other fiber projects in Iowa, CBAN Solutions will develop a high-level cost estimate for a Hudson network. Those estimated costs, along with estimated take rates gathered from the survey, will then be developed into models showing the expected range of financial oucomes for a municipal fiber network.

Partnership Identification
The City could choose to operate a fiber network in partnership with another company with experience and existing resources. CBAN Solutions will work with the City to identify possible operational partners.