City of Alexandria, Virginia
MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 2, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Solicit and Eventually Grant a Broadband Network Franchise(s) to Some Residents and Businesses in Alexandria. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Consideration of an Ordinance to Solicit and eventually Grant a Broadband Network Franchise(s) to Some Residents and Businesses in Alexandria.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Introduce and adopt the proposed ordinance (Attachment 1) on first reading to authorize
the City Manager to initiate and establish the process for soliciting and granting non-exclusive franchise proposals for use of the public rights-of-way from broadband providers to design, construct, install, operate, maintain, repair, upgrade, and remove a fiber to the premises broadband network for offering broadband internet access to City of Alexandria residents and businesses and related infrastructure; and
2. Schedule the ordinance for second reading, public hearing, and final approval on
November 13, 2021.
BACKGROUND: The City has worked for several years to address the ever-growing demand for more broadband options for the community. With the primary goals of the City's municipal broadband initiative to connect the government facilities and to support broadband competition and access for all of our community, the City has continued to explore options for leveraging city assets and partnering with the private sector. For government and school facilities, the City continues to make progress constructing the City's municipal fiber optic network to connect 90 City facilities, including schools and libraries.
As staff continued outreach to potential partners, a number of internet service providers and broadba...
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