History

Project Genesis (2016): 

• A Major South Bay Business (Torrance) relocated because of poor quality and expensive network services
• The lack of broadband infrastructure was seen as an economic development issue
• Over $165k was invested in understanding the issue and developing a strategy/plan to address the challenge

Call to Action (2017):

• A study of the issue was commissioned by the South Bay Workforce Investment Board and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas
• Magellan Advisors completed the analysis and provided a report entitled: “South Bay Fiber Optic Master Plan”
• What the SBCCOG learned:
• • South Bay Cities’ Internet Services are expensive and sub-standard
  • Average monthly recurring costs were ~$4,000 for far less than a GB of service
  • South Bay cities were not able to take advantage of Smart City applications for City Services; Economic Development; and, Transportation Infrastructure Improvements
• “South Bay Fiber Optic Master Plan” provided a roadmap for South Bay cities to work collectively towards the creation of a high-speed fiber optic network that would provide high-quality internet capacity at a minimum of 1 GB at about ½ the price that cities were paying at the time

Next Steps/RFP (2018):

• Spring:  SBCCOG, with Input from South Bay Cities’ Information Technology Directors and Magellan Advisors, issued a Request for Proposals to Build and Operate a new Fiber Optic Backbone Network called the “South Bay Smart-net”
• There was significant interest in the RFP – 32 individuals from 14 different companies attended the mandatory “Pre-Proposal Meeting”
• September:  4 Proposals were received
• October/November:  Proposals were reviewed and ranked
• December: SBCCOG began discussions with the lead proposer pre-negotiations for “best and Final” costs and terms