For several years, the City Council has prioritized the creation and delivery of a new Fiber based internet service for residents of Hidden Hills. The Fiber to the Home project will offer Hidden Hills residents the most reliable, fast, and efficient internet service available.
In August 2020, the State of California adopted a “Broadband for All” initiative that recognized the need for increased access to reliable and fast internet (broadband) for all residents. This initiative follows a similar initiative by the Federal Government that recognizes access to broadband as an essential utility. The Hidden Hills City Council saw this need early in 2017 and adopted a goal to develop a broadband enhancement program or strategy for the City.
At a special meeting on September 28, the Hidden Hills City Council executed a Memorandum of Understanding with Onward to assist the City with the design, construction, and operations of a new Fiber network. When complete, the new network will deliver 2gb of dedicated, symmetrical broadband to each resident who subscribes to the service. Dedicated/symmetrical broadband means subscribers will receive the same upload and download speed and will not be affected by heavy internet use in their area.
The proposed new Fiber service will be significantly faster and more reliable than current legacy provider networks available to residents. More importantly, the network will be designed in such a way to be scalable and will enable the City to grow with the ever-increasing broadband needs of consumers. Think back to the 2000’s when internet was used primarily for e-mail and downloading photos. Then, in the 2010’s, music streaming and early video streaming began requiring more bandwidth. A major leap occurred in the 2020’s as video streaming, online school, work from home, Zoom meetings, and telehealth appointments all increased the need for reliable service. The future needs of the 2030’s are unknown, but the potential new Hidden Hills fiber network will be ready to deliver.
The City Council has authorized staff to begin the process to secure funding for the build out of the network. It is anticipated that construction costs will be paid from a combination of financing, City reserves, and restricted funds dedicated for broadband type projects. A final funding plan will be reviewed and considered by the City Council at a future meeting.
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