Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s failed broadband promise

[Commentary] Two decades ago, Seattle and a consortium of public agencies began building a network of superfast fiber cable. It was intended to lower municipal telecom costs and anticipated the upcoming digital century. Speed brings innovation; the future demanded both. Every public school, the University of Washington, city offices and other public agencies are now connected to the 530-mile network. But the network stops short of most homes and businesses, a gap known in the industry as the difficult and expensive “last mile.” As a candidate four years ago, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn led voters to believe he would finish that last mile. It was a core campaign pledge. He waxed eloquently about the value of a citywide broadband network, and criticized then-Mayor Greg Nickels for “a lack of vision and political will” to make it happen. Fast forward to 42 months into McGinn’s term. His proposal to create city broadband utility department has evaporated. So has his talk of asking voters to finance a citywide network.