TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Anthony Halstead - Library Director
REPORT BY: Michelle Carreon - Staff Services Analyst
SUBJECT: Provision to provide and pay ongoing costs for high-speed internet access at all library locations
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Agreement No. 240310B with Imperial County Office of Education (“ICOE”) to provide Internet service of up to1gbps (1 gigabit per second) to all library locations. (Fiscal Impact: $40,000 expense; Napa County Library Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
Many higher educational institutions and school districts have participated in the program, commonly referred to as "CENIC" (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) for years. Napa County Library entered into Agreement No. 220328B with Columbia Telecommunications Corporation d/b/a CTC Technology and Energy on May 17, 2022, to obtain one or more data circuits to connect library locations to the CENIC high speed broadband fiber network, CalREN.
On October 31, 2023, CTC Technology and Energy sent notice that they would no longer serve as the Statewide Broadband Aggregator effective December 31, 2023. Thereafter, California State Library announced that they had appointed Imperial County Office of Education (“ICOE”) to distribute state and federal funding and subsidies for high-speed internet access for public libraries. ICOE will assume the rights and responsibilities to perform the functions of the Statewide Broadband Aggregator on behalf of the California State Library.
All Library branches currently have internet speed of 1gbps (gigabit per second). The 1gbps is significantly faster than most providers are able to offer and allows us virtually unlimited use by the public for Wi-Fi, public accessible computers, and any other devices in all locations.
Requested action:
Approve and authorize Agreement No. 240310B with Imperial County Office of Education (“ICOE”) for the term March 12, 2024 through July 1, 2029 for a total contract maximum of $200,000 to provide Internet service to all library locations.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Napa County Library Fund 2020, Sub-Division 2020000 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
The current contractor, Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC), has assigned its duties and responsibilities of the Statewide Broadband Aggregator to Imperial County Office of Education (“ICOE”). |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Appropriations for this expense will be budgeted in the Napa County Library's General Operations fund annually. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If this action is not approved, the Library will not be able to participate in CENIC program. The Library may experience an impact on internet speeds as well as increase cost for internet access. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.