In response to inequity in internet access highlighted amid the pandemic, the South San Francisco City Council is looking to establish a new program to improve service in neighborhoods with poor connectivity.
According to Mayor Mark Nagales, some parts of the city, including Westborough, have limited options when choosing internet providers, leaving residents paying more than others for subpar service.
“The fact that there’s been a monopoly in Westborough and other parts of the city is wrong, and we need to fix that,” Nagales said. “Whatever we can do to promote more competition I am absolutely in favor of.”
The pilot program will aim to establish a public Wi-Fi network that will initially provide service within the downtown and Linden Avenue areas. Additionally, the city will lease its existing internet infrastructure to private internet providers in hopes of spurring competition for the limited number of providers currently offering service in the Westborough neighborhood.
The public Wi-Fi program would be offered by the city and operated by a provider with which the city would contract. The service would be made possible by installing three towers, which would provide “Citizens Broadband Radio Service,” a type of internet service made available to public-sector providers by the federal government as part of its effort to bolster broadband access.
The towers would be built near Sign Hill, City Hall and to the west near Skyline Boulevard, and some underground infrastructure will be added. The total cost to the city is estimated to be $634,233, plus a $3,157 monthly cost for operation. The city could charge for the internet service to gain some annual revenue.
The city had previously explored establishing a city owned and operated network, but opted to seek a contracted provider to save costs. For the city to establish its own internet infrastructure, hire crews and other staff, costs were estimated to be upwards of $35 million.
