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Survey: most responders support community broadband

 Commission recommends City Council seek feasibility study

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City citizens want to switch services.

A survey shows that 82.9 percent of Charles City residents who responded say they either are somewhat likely or very likely to switch to a community broadband utility if one was provided.

Smart Source Consulting of Grimes, Iowa, presented the survey results Wednesday night to the Charles City Broadband Telecommunications Commission.

The survey was sent to residents who receive a water bill.

“There is citizen support,” Curtis Dean, president of Smart Source Consulting, said.

The commission met Feb. 8 to discuss whether or not it would recommend a request for a proposal to qualified firms to conduct a feasibility study.

The commission unanimously approved recommending to the City Council drawing up a request for proposals.

If Charles City were to conduct a feasibility study, it could cost between $35,000 and $70,000 and take three to six months, Dean said.

Currently, the city is looking at a budget of $45,000 for a feasibility study, Charles City Administrator Steven Diers said.

“You could probably get it done in three months,” said Todd Kielkopf of Kielkopf Advisory Services, who with Dean was a member of the group making the presentation about the survey.

The full financial impact to the city would be considered in a feasibility study, and has not yet been estimated. Though Dean did mention that the cost would be competitive.

“You can offer a superior product at a better price,” Dean said.

The request for proposal comes at no cost to the city.

The idea of broadband as a city utility isn’t a new idea in Iowa. Cedar Falls and Waverly both have utilities.

An initial feasibility study was done to see if Charles City wanted to be part of a regional broadband option, Mark Wicks, community development director, said.

“There was about 13 communities involved in the first study and a number of them have since dropped,” Wicks said. “It’s probably going to look different than envisioned.”

The commission also discussed the Public Access Network or cable channel 4.

“We’re doing more programming than before,” Justin DeVore, the network’s director, said.

 

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