LA Guns for Gigabit Partners

Pushing ahead with a plan to expand the reach of broadband services, the Los Angeles (CA) City Council this week approved a request for participants (RFP) to identify one or more providers to commit to deploying wireline and Wi-Fi networks that can provide speeds of 1 Gbps, and complete the job within the next five years. The project, called CityLinkLA, also urges proposers to provide a free level of service, including free basic wireless services, holding that more than 30 percent of families in the city still don’t have broadband Internet access. Estimating that it would cost a bidder $4 billion to $6 billion to deploy such a network spanning Los Angeles, the city is separating the project into four quadrants. Interested participants can bid on one or more quadrants, and can offer to provide the services themselves, or provide the underlying infrastructure and enter into deals with others that would sell the actual services. “Joint Proposals are encouraged,” the city’s RFP notes.