NDC commented at motion before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for possible solutions for county-wide efforts to bridge the digital divide. The ISD report outlines 3 options:
A: Utilize and expand subsidy programs that would enable Los Angeles County residents to use existing broadband networks in the County affordably. (The best option- could get high speeds for low cost immediately by the County entering into bulk agreements with providers, providers have offered extremely discounted rates for high speeds)
B: Deploy Community Wireless Networks. (Fixed wireless that could only provide speeds of 25/3, which would be highly unreliable and not functional given dense housing in urban LA, so speeds would likely be even slower ultimately)
C: Develop new Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks to provide “future-proof” connectivity to residents. (Would cost tens of billions, highly unlikely to succeed, would take a decade or more to build out, would be duplicative infrastructure, there’s no business plan for sustainability, no justification that such a system would cost residents any less than what existing providers are able to provide immediately)
NDC supports Option A which is the best way to help underserved communities get access to high-speed Internet.
