Cambridge broadband committee hears $150 million fiber network case, takes no action

CAMBRIDGE — June 12, 2024 — Cambridge councillors weighed a $149 million to $194 million municipal fiber broadband network Wednesday but took no formal action. The Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts, and Celebration Committee heard from city staff, officials from Loveland, Colorado's city-owned Loveland Pulse broadband utility, and local advocacy group Upgrade Cambridge, with all three presentations urging movement on a March 2023 feasibility study by consultant CTC that has sat largely unacted upon for more than a year. Loveland Pulse manager Brianna Reid-Harmel said her city bonded $95 million to launch its network in 2019, spent roughly $110 million total after inflation and growth, and now serves nearly 40 percent of its 40,000-plus passings with no taxpayer subsidy. City staff said Cambridge would need to provide approximately $150 million in upfront capital subsidy to attract private partners, is ineligible for most federal broadband subsidies, and lacks the municipal electric utility that underpins many comparable projects. Councillor Paul Toner called for a city manager recommendation by October or November; city staff said capital prioritization conversations with the council are expected to begin in August or September.