TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jon Gjestvang, Chief Information Officer
REPORT BY: Mark Revis, Project Manager
SUBJECT: Broadband Update and Strategic Plan
RECOMMENDATION
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Receive a presentation and approve and authorize a Strategic Plan for Broadband for Napa County. (No Fiscal Impact; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
The Napa County fire disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how essential the internet is for remote work, education, health care and e-commerce. Since these disasters and the pandemic, online services have remained essential. Now, tasks such as job hunting, banking, e-commerce, access to government services and civic participation, and the provision of news and entertainment are mostly done online. Landline telephone service has declined dramatically in favor of cell phones and Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephones over broadband connections. All of these are impossible without fast, reliable broadband internet service. In addition, studies have shown that broadband is an important engine of economic growth, with a high return on investment. For example, a 2018 Purdue University study on the impact of bringing broadband to rural Indiana estimates a total return of roughly $3.00 to $4.00 for every dollar spent. The benefits accrue to consumers in the form of higher income, more and better jobs, reduced costs, improved access to healthcare, greater educational attainment, and more. Businesses benefit from higher revenues, reduced costs, and more efficient operations. Government at all levels benefits from lower costs to provide essential services, greater civic participation, and increased tax revenue from overall economic improvement. In order to achieve these benefits, Napa County desires to encourage the universal deployment and adoption of fast, reliable and affordable broadband internet services.
Staff will present an update on activities promoting broadband deployment and adoption for the first half of 2024, which includes work on ...
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