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