LA Councilmember Proposes Municipal Broadband Feasibility Study

Los Angeles Councilmember Paul Krekorian has introduced a motion to study the feasibility of a municipal broadband network that would provide at-cost high-speed Internet to the city's local businesses and residents. The motion calls for a study into the creation of a new public department to oversee what is essentially an effort to improve the city’s broadband capabilities. If successful, the motion would make Los Angeles one of a growing number of state and local governments across the country that is exploring the feasibility of municipal broadband efforts with an eye toward potentially turning high-speed Internet access into a utility akin to electricity, water or gas.

Councilmember Krekorian emphasized that providing at-cost access to high-speed Internet was increasingly important, citing developing factors such as a lack of competition among Internet service providers, as well as the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal protections for net neutrality. He also noted that Los Angeles already owns a network of fiber-optic cable that runs through every part of the city, and his intention is to see if the local government can tap this to provide equitable access to fast Internet connections.