Broadband Advisory Group

Client: City of Bellingham, WA

Case Study: The City of Bellingham asked Peak to provide strategic guidance and meeting facilitation for the newly established Broadband Advisory Workgroup which meets monthly. Workgroup members are selected by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council. The group is tasked with advising the City on broadband infrastructure policy, equity, access, and affordability including:

• Evaluating the possibility of municipally-owned broadband infrastructure as one way to further the goals of greater availability, affordability, equitability, and quality of broadband access across the community;
• Addressing policy considerations and financial costs and benefits;
• Looking at and evaluating six primary municipal network design approaches;
• Assessing existing conditions related to broadband access, equity, and affordability as well as options and ways to use the City of Bellingham fiber-optic network, as it exists today, or as may be expanded or improved, to enhance the access, equity, and affordability of quality broadband; and
• Reporting findings and recommendations to the City so that the City Council can hold public discussions on a broadband infrastructure policy.

Impact: A diverse group of members from the Bellingham community – as empowered by City Council – are taking the time to assess existing City fiber infrastructure, examining what’s needed to improve broadband accessibility, affordability, equitability, security, maintenance, reliability and quality now and into the future. By grappling with these issues present in our community and defining barriers to affordability, the group will inform good policy decisions by the City Council resulting in broadband that is affordable and available for all members of the Bellingham community.