Gainesville, Florida, commission shoots down $10 million broadband plan to service low-income residents

Gainesville (FL) officials have shot down a proposal to use nearly $10 million in pandemic relief funds for an expansion of low-cost, city-run broadband internet despite years of discussion on the issue. Instead, elected leaders said they would keep exploring options on the issue and would instead look at how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars on affordable housing, an issue some city commissioners agree is Gainesville's most pressing issue. The city commission voted 2-5 to dismiss the broadband proposal on June 16. The commission had hired a consulting firm to study a proposal to spend $9.6 million in federal ARPA funds for a pilot project to provide the Internet service through the city’s GRUCom telecommunications service. The plan would have allowed high-speed internet starting at $30 a month to more than 5,000 potential customers, covering neighborhoods around Northwest 13th Street, including Stephen Foster, Oakview, Duckpond and North East (FL) neighbors. Bryan Eastman, the founder of Connected Gainesville, said ARPA funds don’t come along often and this is a prime opportunity to address the digital divide, adding that the city is already losing jobs and residents to Ocala, which provides the service.