South Bay Fiber Network

South Bay Fiber Network History

In 2016, it was observed that large to mid-sized businesses were not satisfied with the broadband infrastructure in the South Bay. Poor broadband capacity was a deterrent to economic growth in the region. The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) along with the South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB) took this “wake-up” call as an opportunity to develop a regional broadband, fiber-optic network. Through funding from the SBWIB and the office of a County of Los Angeles Supervisor, a fiber-optic master plan was prepared by Magellan Associates to address the feasibility of a regional broadband network that would provide the necessary broadband infrastructure to retain businesses and support future economic development opportunities.  

The report envisioned a high-speed capacity broadband network that would allow the South Bay cities to embrace the digital economy, smart city initiatives, integrated utilities and next-generation economic development. Planning for these initiatives was a necessity to remain competitive and differentiate the South Bay as a technology-savvy place to live, work, play and learn. The initial steps toward providing for this type of broadband infrastructure were identifying municipal agencies underserved by existing internet service carriers (i.e., paying too much for too little service). In response to these findings, the SBCCOG issued a Request for Proposals that led to the development of the South Bay Fiber Network and Phase 1 construction of a middle-mile scalable broadband network that would provide gigabyte service to city governments and other public agencies. 

The report noted that as more businesses were expected to process transactions online, broadband would become an even more important component to equip local businesses with the services they need to compete and thrive in the digital economy. The master plan provided a detailed blueprint for broadband and technology infrastructure to keep the South Bay at the forefront of the digital economy. Read the Executive Summary and Full Report of the Fiber-Optic Master Plan to learn why affordable, high-speed internet is more critical now than ever.