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HomeMy WebLinkAboutICC Broadband Group RecommendationsLeslie Locke From: Karen Bennett <1kbcubed@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, September 4, 2020 2:38 PM To: Leslie Locke; Philip Morley; Patty Charnas Cc: kstreett@jeffpud.org; ben@bauermeister.com Subject: CARES Act funding recommendations from ICG Broadband Group Attachments: Broadband Group Sept 4 recommendations final.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hello Leslie, Philip, and Patty, I wasn't exactly sure who was receiving these CARES Act funding proposals which are due today, so I am covering all bases. Attached, please find the recommendations from the Broadband Group. Thank you for your consideration - Karen Bennett (JBAT representative to the Broadband Group) MEMORANDUM To: Jefferson County Board of Commissioners From: Jefferson Broadband Action Team Date: September 4, 2020 Re: Recommendations for CARES Act Funding to Support Broadband Access Thank you for the opportunity to provide recommendations related to broadband in the wake of community impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For current CARES Act funding consideration, the Jefferson Broadband Action Team (JBAT) is making the following recommendations on behalf of ICG Broadband Group. Real and lasting expansion of broadband in Jefferson County requires large and long-term investments which would generally fall outside the scope of this immediate CARES Act funding. JBAT, an organization that was in place prior to the pandemic, has a vision for "reliable, affordable, broadband high-speed internet for all (East) Jefferson County". The JBAT team consists of representatives of the County, City of Port Townsend, school districts, medical, library, emergency, PUD, Port, and Washington State University Extension. Working with that broad range of people, along with collaborating with the other ICG Groups on cross- over priorities, we found that the projects with the most immediate impact on pandemic recovery and resiliency have been those that very quickly made WiFi broadband available, and have put real broadband to use in the hands of residents and their children. Two of the subgroups who have made great strides in these areas, and continue to, are represented here and their proposals are attached. Here are the two projects we recommend: 1. Reimburse PUD for WiFi hot spot installations: Reimburse/fund the PUD for their very timely work started in March and continuing, in collaboration with local schools, to install 12 WiFi hot spots around the county enabling students/teachers/residents to use free internet services. This project request is for $190,000 and a breakdown of the deliverables and costs is attached. 2. Reimburse/fund Connected Students Initiative (a program of StrongerTowns) bringing internet services into the hands of residents/families: Reimburse/fund the subgroup Connected Students Initiative for their good work during this pandemic (and continuing) to connect underserved households to the internet by providing the hot spot, monthly services, and equipment that brings this service to real use. This project request is for a total of $80,563 and a breakdown of the deliverables and costs is attached. We very much support the County making the decision to fund both of these projects. And, because both of these subgroups will continue on these same efforts, we would ask that they/we have an opportunity to request additional reimbursement for expenses that occur between now and the end of November (the CARES Act funding deadline). Lastly, funding these projects with CARES Act monies has a positive two -fold impact. The PUD has committed to rolling reimbursed funds forward to continue the work they are doing, in conjunction with recommendations by JBAT. Connected Schools, by returning monies to their funding sources, opens up opportunities for those organizations to continue funding similar efforts. To: Jefferson County BOC and Staff Date: 9/3/20 RE: CARES act funding consideration for PUD WIFI Hotspots. Dear Mr. Morley, In March of 2020, when COVID-19 arrived in our community, the majority of government and private services across Jefferson County closed to the public and moved online. While some residents were able to adapt to this new reality, particularly those in denser communities with existing infrastructure, many others were left behind. Prior to the pandemic, many residents lacking internet used free WIFI from public facilities and cafes to access the internet. With most of those options removed by the shutdown, Jefferson County PUD stepped in to construct more than a dozen free and open WIFI hotspots. The PUD has added hotspots connected either to its fiber network, or to broadband signals from private cellular providers. Many locations were identified in consultation with local school superintendents. Below is a list and description of currently operating hotspots: Jeff Co. Intl. Airport WIFI hotspot installed in the parking area east of the Spruce Goose cafe. Requested by local school district to be sited in conjunction with school meal pickup location. Students and families could pick up free meals and connect to network from their cars. Required road and parking lot trenching, patching, conduit installation, and fiber pull in addition to router. Used frequently when school in session. Chimacum Substation Hotspot connected to PUD fiber installed at substation for SCADA monitoring. Ample parking area and central location. Gates removed to allow access. Coyle Fire Station: Cellular network connection providing hotspot on isolated and underserved Coyle Peninsula. Open easy to access parking lot. Requested by Quilcene School District Customer Service Office WIFI router connected to PUD fiber added at now closed customer service parking lot. Easy to access ungated parking directly off Four Corners Rd. Dana Roberts Substation: PUD Fiber network hotspot added at substation lot across from Food Co-op admin office on corner of Kearney and Clay. Two easy access parking spaces available. Charging ports added on site. Hastings Substation: PUD Fiber network hotspot added at substation on Sheridan and 201h streets. Easy parking area, directly off main road near to Salish Coast Elementary and Habitat for Humanity housing development. Halfway House RV Park: Cellular Network Connection placed behind Halfway House restaurant along Hwy 101 to connect to an RV park home to a number of Brinnon School District families who lack internet. 2 parking spaces available. Site recommended by Brinnon School Superintendent. Gardiner Fire Station: Located along Old Gardiner Rd in remote section of the county. This hotspot is connected to the PUD network via a radio shot across Discovery Bay. Hoh Reservation: PUD line crews assisted NoaNet and the State of WA buy driving out to the Hoh Reservation to set a pole and antenna at the Hoh Tribal Fire Station. First step in allowing extremely geographically isolated and unserved community with access to broadband. Marrowstone Fire Station: Wifi hotspot connected to PUD fiber network on Flagler Rd at shop building adjoining Marrowstone Fire Station. Very popular hotspot, as many residents on Island lack broadband access. Point Hudson WIFI hotspot connected to PUD fiber network installed at the Fish and Wildlife building. Port Townsend Visitor Center Fiber pulled into existing conduits to connect to PUD network. Covers entire parking area of visitor center with free, fast, and open internet connection. Requested by the Chamber and Vistor Center Staff. Port Townsend Boat Haven: Installed at the request of the Port and port tenants near the boat ramp in the eastern end of the Boat Haven. Connected to PUD fiber network. Fast speeds and good coverage with ample parking. Ph (360) 385-5800 jeffpud.org 310 Four Comers Road, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Public Utility District No. 1 of Jefferson County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Quilcene Substation: Hotspot connected to PUD fiber for SCADA monitoring of substation. Easy to access with plenty of parking off East Quilcene Rd near Hwy 101. Close drive to Quilcene School and downtown businesses. The total for equipment, supplies, contracted labor, engineering and other costs approached nearly $190,000. PUD staff time was extensive but is not included. Much of the PUD's 2020 budget for broadband expansion was diverted from new fiber extensions for expanded backbone and middle mile connections to hotspot construction. The PUD would like the County to consider reimbursing this COVID-19 related response project so that we can return the funds to long term solutions for the expansion of access to broadband in our service territory. A list of itemized costs is attached. Thanks in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Kevin Streett General Manager Jefferson County PUD. Ph (360) 385-5800 jeffpud.org 310 Four Corners Road, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Public Utility District No. / of Jefferson County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Wi-Fi Hot Spots - Work order 92002 Labor $ 26,305.81 Indirect Labor $ 133.61 Labor overhead $ 9,343.65 Total Labor $ 35,783.07 Material $ 61,184.88 Transportation $ 6,116.31 Contract/ Outside Labor $ 35,016.25 Trenching/Conduit - Airport $ 2,232.56 Point Hudson - Electrician $ 404.50 Brinnon- Electrician $ 2,091.71 USB Receptical -Electrician $ 807.03 Trenching Chimacum Sub $ 95.74 Fit key to lock? $ 11,134.50 Fiber Splicing $ 3,511.99 Flagging $ 2,664.53 Chamber - Electrician $ 3,042.05 Convert Plugs USB Various loc - Electrician $ 509.30 Fire Station Marrowstone- Electrician. Total $ 61,510.16 Misc Exp& Engineering $ 2,630.65 Cellular Units-2 $18,768.20 Total $ 185,993.27 onnected Students Initiative Thursday, September 3, 2020 1239 Taylor Street Port Townsend, Washington 98368 htto://www.JeffCoCSI.org Proposal for Reimbursement of Costs for Connecting Low Income Students Our nonprofit, Connected Students Initiative, primarily funded by Jefferson Community Foundation supporters, assists our local 4 school districts (Brinnon, Chimacum, Port Townsend, Quilcene) to connect low income households to the internet for remote education free of charge. Expenditures to Date Over the past 4 months we have spent a total of $10,518 to connect over 55 households with students who qualify for the `free or reduced cost' school meals program. The amounts expended thus far break down as such: $5,373 in hardware costs for Verizon and Sprint hotspot devices $4,110 in past months or prepaid data services agreements to carriers $1,035 in overhead and insurance We also have future contract obligations: $19,145 in 20 additional months of service for 30 Verizon data accounts The Connected Students Initiative is requesting reimbursement of spending to date of $10,5198. The Connected Students Initiative is further requesting additional grant or loan money to pay the upcoming $19,145. Going Forward It is anticipated that Connected Students will be asked to connect another 20-25 households as student rolls are finalized. At roughly $500 per student per year for connectivity, the Connected Students is asking for financial support of $12,500 to connect these additional homes. The Connected Students Initiative currently has 8 households listed that cannot be serviced by cable, DSL, or cellular solutions. We are likely to get a handful more where cellular fails or no signal can be detected. We are estimating 12 such homes in the county for this school year. The North Olympic Peninsula Data Center provides access to remote locations in our county with their terrestrial wireless network. These homes are more expensive to connect, running roughly $700/year for installation and coverage. The Connected Students Initiative is asking for an additional $8,400 for providing solutions via NOPDC or similar solutions for these homes. The Connected Students Initiative is a program of StrongerTowns, a rural social impact incubator located in Port Townsend Washington. The StrongerTowns is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is: 81-2518239. Better connectivity for many students could be provided if the costs of home cable or fiber 'hook up' could be funded. The Connected Students Initiative has not been able to fund any cable internet infrastructure connections due to their inherent high costs. It is estimated that 10 of the current cellular hotspot students would benefit from funding to pay for their cable connection. This would increase speeds and reliability as well as lower the monthly costs through Wave's Internet First program. These connections can be expensive and average $3,000 per connection. The Connected Students Initiative is asking for CARES Act funding to strengthen our student community and increase our local infrastructure for cable connections of $30,000. During the past 4 months we have not only connected nearly 60 homes of students to the internet, we have build positive relationships with administrators in each school district, we have establishing billing procedures that protect low income families from incurring additional debt, and we have worked with a variety of funding sources. Our efforts are primarily produced on a volunteer basis, with some paid students and parents for administrative tasks. We humbly ask that the ICC/ICG consider any of the requests detailed above and summarized here below. $10,518 Students connections spent thus far $19,145 Future committed contract obligations $12,500 Additional Wave and Cellular connections for the 20-21 school year $8,400 Connectivity to difficult to reach households via NOPDC (or other) $30,000 Cable/Fiber infrastructure improvements to easily accessible homes Any reimbursements to Connected Students for expenses paid or committed contracts would be offered back to our funding organizations for their continued work in the community (Jefferson Community Foundation, Port Townsend Education Foundation, and East Jefferson Rotary). Best regards, Ben Bauermeister Connected Students Initiative cell: 206 226 3280 email: ben@bauermeister.com street: 1239 Taylor Street, Port Townsend WA 98368 The Connected Students Initiative is a program of StrongerTowns, a rural social impact incubator located in Port Townsend Washington. The StrongerTowns is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is: 81-2518239.