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City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 1 of 92
City of South San Francisco
Broadband Strategic Plan
January 31, 2024
Final Report
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
............................................................................................................................. 1
Table of Contents ............................................................................................... 2
Table of Figures .................................................................................................. 3
Table of Tables .................................................................................................... 3
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 4
2. ASSET INVENTORY ............................................................................................ 15
2.1 City Facility Connectivity ........................................................................... 15
2.2 Public Broadband Infrastructure .............................................................. 16
2.3 City Traffic Signals and Interconnect Network ....................................... 18
2.4 Critical City Sites Network Design Project ............................................... 20
2.5 Smart Corridor ............................................................................................ 21
2.6 California Middle Mile Backbone Initiative ............................................. 24
3. NEEDS ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................... 26
3.1 Indicators of Need ...................................................................................... 26
3.2 2022 Wireless Study Findings .................................................................... 31
3.3 Stakeholder Input ...................................................................................... 32
3.4 Conclusions and Implications ................................................................... 39
4. BROADBAND POLICIES & INITIATIVES ............................................................. 42
4.1 Dig Once/Open Trench Notification Ordinance ...................................... 42
4.2 Capital Improvement Plan Analysis ......................................................... 43
4.3 Lindenville Specific Plan ............................................................................ 45
4.4 Technology Enterprise Fund ...................................................................... 48
4.5 Smart City Applications ............................................................................. 49
5. CONCEPTUAL NETWORK DESIGN .................................................................... 53
5.1 Conceptual Network Routes ..................................................................... 53
5.2 Phased Implementation Plan .................................................................... 54
5.3 Construction Cost Estimates ..................................................................... 59
6. PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS .............................................. 61
7. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 64
APPENDIX A: STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS ......................................... 68
APPENDIX B: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM REVIEW ...................................... 71
APPENDIX C: BUSINESS MODELS ................................................................................ 74
APPENDIX D: TRANSPORT AND ACCESS NETWORK EQUIPMENT ............................. 79
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APPENDIX E: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND COST ESTIMATES .......................... 87
T ABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1. City Assets & Public Facilities ........................................................................................... 5
Figure 2. Conceptual Network Design ............................................................................................. 9
Figure 3. City & Community Sites & Facilities ............................................................................... 16
Figure 4. City & Community Sites & Facilities by Council District .............................................. 16
Figure 5. City-Owned Fiber Optic Cable and Conduit Assets ..................................................... 17
Figure 6. Adaptive Traffic Signal Deployment .............................................................................. 19
Figure 7. Critical City Site Design ................................................................................................... 21
Figure 8. San Mateo County Smart Corridor Project .................................................................. 23
Figure 9. California Planned Middle Mile Backbone Initiative (MMBI) ..................................... 25
Figure 10. CPUC FFA Unserved Locations ..................................................................................... 27
Figure 11. Census Map/Digital Equity Act Population Viewer .................................................... 28
Figure 12. Smart City IoT Architecture .......................................................................................... 50
Figure 13. Conceptual Network Design ........................................................................................ 54
Figure 14. Phase 1: Addition of Redundant Ring & City/Community Facility Connections .... 56
Figure 15. Phase 2: Fiber Connectivity for Pump Station & Wastewater Assets ...................... 58
Figure 16. Business Model Risk/Reward Continuum .................................................................. 61
Figure 17. Business Model Risk/Reward Continuum .................................................................. 74
Figure 18. Transport Networks Architecture ................................................................................ 80
Figure 19. Passive Optical Network (PON) Architecture ............................................................. 83
TABLE OF TABLES
Table 1. City Facilities connected by Critical City Sites Network Design Project ...................... 20
Table 2. Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Participation ................................................. 28
Table 3. Additional City facilities to be connected in Phase 1 ................................................... 57
Table 4. Sewer pump stations to be connected in Phase 2 ....................................................... 59
Table 5. Construction Cost Estimates ........................................................................................... 60
Table 6. Capital Improvement Program FY 2021-22 .................................................................. 71
Table 7. Comparison of Municipal Broadband Business Models ............................................. 78
Table 8. One-Time Capital Costs for a Transport Network ........................................................ 81
Table 9. Capital Costs for Access Services .................................................................................... 86
Table 10. Fiber Construction Methods Compared ...................................................................... 87
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1. Executive Summary
The City of South San Francisco's Broadband Strategic Plan is a culmination of efforts
to enhance City communications and facility connectivity, public infrastructure
development, economic growth, and community access and affordability. Key findings
and conclusions from each section are distilled below:
Asset Inventory
There is significant infrastructure within South San Francisco that can be leveraged for
broadband – whether as locations in the public sphere or right-of-way to host
equipment, conduit, and fiber pathways to connect facilities and neighborhoods,
opportunities to deploy smart city devices and applications, or integration of public
and private networks in innovative partnerships.
The City operates an internal dark fiber network that interconnects key facilities, with
bandwidth of 1-10 Gbps, depending on location, provided by a private Internet Service
Provider (ISP). However, the City network does not connect all City locations, does not
have a fully redundant “ring” architecture or diverse routing, and does not yet extend
up Sign Hill.
As shown in Figure 1, the City’s conduit and fiber network includes 19.2 miles of
existing conduit, and 4.9 miles of existing fiber optic cable. The City has an additional
12 City sites and 6 community facilities that require connectivity. There are also 98
traffic signals across the City, but only 13 of these are currently connected (or in
process) on the network. There is a CIP project underway to incrementally connect
traffic signals with fiber optic cable where prioritized or when aligned with City
communications networks.
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Figure 1. City Assets & Public Facilities
The City network is being leveraged by a project that will connect nine critical City sites
and 13 traffic signal cabinets, as well as extending backbone fiber into two
underserved neighborhoods to expand community access. The estimated
construction costs for this Critical City Site project are estimated at $1.9 million and
includes 1.5 miles of conduit and 7.7 miles of fiber cable.
The City is also coordinating with the City/County Association of Governments in San
Mateo County on the design of a Smart Corridor project, which will develop a traffic
management system along key arterial corridors that parallel U.S. Highway 101 and
Interstate 280. This project will install additional conduit and fiber cable, providing the
City the opportunity to further expand its fiber network. This project is synergistic with
the City project to extend a City-wide traffic signal interconnect network using fiber
optic cable.
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Needs Assessment
Although the City is generally considered “well-served” at a high level (under FCC
standards)1, there are significant areas and neighborhoods that are challenged by a
lack of high-speed broadband – whether due to a lack of private infrastructure from
AT&T and Comcast, or because of income, language, or socio-economic challenges
related to the Digital Divide.
There are many census blocks within the City where more than 10% of households
lack an internet connection – exceeding the national average. Moreover, there are
more than 6,700 households within the City that qualify for the federal Affordable
Connectivity Program (ACP) subsidy, which provides up to $30/month to help
households pay for internet access; only about 18% of these households are actually
participating in the program, falling well short of participation levels statewide or
nationwide.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has identified many households and
businesses across the City that qualify as “unserved,” defined by the State as without
broadband service meeting the minimum standard of 100 Mbps download and 25
Mbps upload capabilities. This unserved status not only identifies areas where the
Digital Divide is impacting households and opportunities for employment, remote
learning, telehealth, and other services that utilize the internet, but these locations
also are eligible for several State broadband grants.
In order to better understand the realities for South San Francisco residents and the
City departments tasked with providing services to these stakeholders, Magellan and
the IT Department conducted 17 meetings and interview sessions with over forty
individuals from throughout City departments, the City Manager’s office and elected
officials, and with multiple community-based organizations.
Interview participants emphasized the Digital Divide made the response to the COVID-
19 pandemic much more difficult, particularly among underserved groups struggling
to access community and government services. Each of these community
organizations stressed the crucial importance of affordable internet. Internet access
remains out of reach for a significant portion of the population since many residents
and clients have fixed and limited incomes.
1 The current FCC standard for “broadband service” is a minimum of 25 Mbps download speed and 3
Mbps upload speed. Many consider this definition to be inadequate and outdated. The Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act sets a higher definition for minimum speeds to be considered “broadband” at
100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.
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Additionally, poor wireless coverage affects the public, community service
organizations, public safety, and field staff of City departments among others.
Wireless gaps hinder public safety, event and visitor connectivity, and wireless
broadband availability to businesses and residents. Construction and completion of
the Community Wi-Fi network is hindered by a lack of response from PG&E to project
permit application to install Wi-Fi equipment on 74 PG&E poles. The project permit
applications have been pending in various administrative forms since November
2022. There is urgency to define an agreed path forward to complete the installation
of the Community Wi-Fi network access points so it is important to continue work to
identify the decision maker at PG&E and/or the CPUC that can make this happen.
Broadband Policies and Initiatives
Broadband-friendly policies and initiatives will form the backbone of the City's efforts
to expand communications infrastructure, enhance connectivity, enable digital
inclusion, and create a future-ready environment. These strategies are instrumental in
propelling the city toward bridging the digital divide and fostering a technologically
empowered community.
The City’s Open Trench Notification policy and road moratorium policies work together
to support efficient and effective placement of broadband infrastructure,
discouraging utility providers from uncoordinated actions that excavate newly paved
roads, while incentivizing cooperation for facility placement.
Other long-range capital improvement projects may involve significant excavation and
improvements that provide the opportunity to jointly deploy broadband assets at
incremental cost, typically through adding communications conduit to open
trenches/excavation, or by planning for wireless/Wi-Fi capabilities and smart city
applications on poles, public buildings, or other public areas. Magellan reviewed and
identified 23 projects in the City’s CIP that could expand broadband infrastructure
using a joint trench approach.
The City Council has approved the Lindenville Specific Plan including a condition of
approval that requires placement of conduit for the purpose of future fiber
installation. The City could list further standard installation requirements similar to
other cities’ requirement, and these standard conditions of approval should be
considered for all development work citywide, so that future development of
broadband and fiber optic deployments can be expanded at marginal cost, thus
ensuring future broadband competition and internet access.
The City seeks to deploy more Smart City applications, such as cameras, irrigation
sensors, street lighting with controlled dimming, automated cross walks, real time bus
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signage, parking management and navigation, license plate readers, and more. The
City should consider the formation of a Smart City Steering Committee to provide
focus and maintain momentum for Smart City projects. This Committee should be
cross-departmental, including senior leadership from all relevant departments, and
may even consider inter-agency communication for expanded impact.
Ultimately, these opportunities for joint trench, dig once, and smart city deployment
will require future influx of City funding to secure materials and equipment. The City
should create a Technology Enterprise Fund that can be used for future broadband
infrastructure, with an initial seed funding allocation, and sustainably maintained by
dedicating future revenues from telecommunications leases, licenses, and other
revenue-generating activities enabled by the City’s broadband infrastructure. The
unscheduled nature of joint trench/Open Trench Notification opportunities means
cities need a dedicated funding source outside of the normal budgeting process to
take advantage of new or unforeseen opportunities for broadband expansion, which
might be missed under conventional budgeting practices.
Conceptual Network Design
The conceptual network design for the City identifies fiber routes and other
infrastructure requirements to meet identified City needs. The Conceptual Network
Design2, as shown in Figure 2, includes approximately 4.4 miles of new backbone
conduit and fiber, 1.4 miles of new service drops/laterals, 5.1 miles of new fiber pulled
into existing City conduit, and interconnecting 2.5 miles of the existing City fiber
network with splice points, handholes, cabinets and supporting infrastructure. The
conceptual design also includes interconnectivity with the California Middle-Mile
Backbone Initiative (MMBI), the planned state-wide middle-mile project, to ensure
regional interconnectivity and route redundancy.
2 The Conceptual Network Design assumes that the Critical City Sites design recent ly completed by
Kimley-Horn has been constructed and is operational – i.e., that this phase of the project is a part of the
“existing City assets.” Thus, the anticipated lengths, breakdown, and construction costs for this
particular phase are not included in the cost estimates.
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Figure 2. Conceptual Network Design
The Conceptual Network Design can be constructed in a 2-phased approach in order
to prioritize the loop architecture necessary for greater community and business
access, ensure critical site connectivity, provide flexibility relative to grant availability,
budgets, and resource constraints, and to maximize the network reach into new
markets to attract a private partner. The phases can be further broken down into sub-
phases or built incrementally and opportunistically through effective CIP and private
project coordination.
Phase 1 ensures a citywide redundant loop architecture that minimizes service
interruptions, connects 14 remaining City and community facilities currently not on
the network, and 20 traffic signals. Further loop redundancy of fiber connections,
particularly to the west, can be achieved in the future opportunistically using joint
trench opportunities and projects such as the Mission Road Rule 20A project for utility
undergrounding which would provide a segment of conduit.
Phase 2 adds fiber network connectivity to 14 sewage pump station sites. Two things
should be noted about Phase 2. First, two-thirds of the Phase 2 additional fiber would
be deployed through existing City conduit, which is considerably cheaper than new
underground construction (estimated to be $25 per foot versus $125 per foot).
Second there are at least 23 traffic signals along these routes so there would be
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synergies among programs (wastewater and traffic control, as well as other uses) for
this extension of the City’s network. Thus, the case could be made to move this
deployment up the prioritization list to be funded opportunistically via joint trench
opportunities and Technology Enterprise Fund.
Similarly, the Water Quality Treatment Plant could be moved up the priority list.
Within the planning horizon the City has the opportunity to prioritize network
construction flexibly such that the Phase 1 and Phase 2 identification in this Plan can
be modified going forward. These modifications can include other storm water pump
stations as they are upgraded, such as the Airport underpass, South Maple, and South
Airport.
Ultimately, milestones and timelines will be established in execution of this Plan for
buildout of Phases 1 and 2, including city implementation under CIP, Development
adding segment pieces, opportunistic joint trenching, and the Technology Enterprise
Fund. Funding will be the important constraint.
The estimated construction cost for the entire Conceptual Network Design (both
phases) is approximately $4.2 million. This estimate accounts for design, engineering,
permitting, upgrades to existing infrastructure, and the deployment of new
underground conduits and fiber cables. The design engineering and field surveying
process would verify and record all existing assets and could uncover additional fiber
that would eliminate the need for some of the new construction, thereby lowering the
total overall construction costs.
Public/Private Partnership Considerations
Alternative business models a city may select range along a risk/reward continuum,
from “passive” models (policy and infrastructure only) to “active” models (full retail
operation). The choice of business model needs to align with the vision of the
community and its leadership and be one that fits organizationally into the City’s
municipal operation. The Public Private Partnership (“P3”) model appears to align best
with the City of South San Francisco’s vision, operations, and risk/reward tolerances.
A P3 would allow the City to leverage its existing and planned fiber optic network
assets to expand broadband availability in the community by making the network
available for use by private Internet Service Provider (ISP) providers.
To begin creation of a P3, the City should publicly solicit potential partners via a
Request for Proposal (RFP) and select through negotiation one or more private or
public ISPs to provide and sell retail internet services over a network incorporating
desired segments of City-owned fiber in exchange for lease payments, revenue share,
new City network construction, or a combination thereof. Soliciting and selecting a
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private partner is not a typical procurement process but is a negotiated arrangement
that will take time to define and finalize.
Key Recommendations
1) Expand the City’s Fiber Backbone to Improve City Facility Connectivity,
Expand Community Broadband Access, and future-proof the network.
The City can complete a carrier-grade backbone loop that connects 18 City facilities,
25 pump stations, and 98 traffic signals at an estimated cost of $4.2 million. The
phased approach allows for incremental builds as resources and funding allow, while
laying out a roadmap for coordination and alignment with other major projects to
minimize costs. A carrier-grade fiber loop will also enable the City to identify a
qualified private ISP that can operate, manage, and maintain the network while
expanding broadband access in the community at competitive rates.
Extending the City’s fiber network under the conceptual design will also future-proof
the network and support emerging applications such as Emergency Vehicle
Preemption (which is planned) and connected vehicle needs via next generation 5G
and 6G wireless services which must be connected with fiber backhaul.
2) Initiate Design & Engineering for Phases 1 & 2 at an estimated cost of
$130,400.
The first two phases of the Conceptual Design – Citywide Redundant Loop and City
Facilities – create a high impact and maximize the value of the City’s network (and
thus attract private investment). By undertaking design engineering, the City would be
demonstrating a commitment to moving forward – being “shovel ready” – and thus
enhancing its grant competitiveness for state and federal broadband grants.
Design engineering would include field surveying and verification, identifying
additional usable assets that may not be recorded in City maps, value engineering to
reduce the overall cost, confirming the final routing and design, and compiling a Bill of
Materials.
3) Solicit & Negotiate a Public-Private Partnership to Operationalize the City’s
Broadband Network.
The City’s existing network, its role within the Smart Corridor project, and the
Conceptual Network Design proposed in this Strategic Plan - as well as the planned
expansion through the Critical City Site Design project recently completed by Kimley-
Horn – have positioned the City to be able to expand the benefits beyond just City
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administration and services and into the community at large. However,
operationalizing, monetizing, and managing a retail data network requires resources,
staffing, and start-up capital that likely exceed the City’s existing capacity. The City
should transparently solicit a public-private partnership through an RFP to find a
qualified ISP that is willing to manage, maintain, market, and operate the City’s
network in exchange for a portion of the revenues generated through retail sales.
4) Pursue Competitive Grant Opportunities through State and Federal
Broadband Grants.
The State of California, through the Advanced Services Fund (CASF), has $150 million
in annual allocations (through 2032) for broadband grants for infrastructure, public
housing, and adoption programs. The City is eligible for these funding sources and
should pursue these grants to provide for construction of the Citywide Conceptual
Network, for the marginal costs to connect CPUC-designated unserved households
and other at-need neighborhoods, and to assist with digital literacy and navigation
programs in the community.
5) Coordinate Joint Build and CIP Projects for Broadband Expansion.
Coordinating infrastructure expansion through joint utility work and CIP projects is
the most cost-effective strategy to expand City broadband assets, particularly into
under-served areas and new developments. Effective coordination on all projects that
require excavation will ensure that all utilities—public and private—can economically
expand their broadband footprint in the South San Francisco. The City can
incrementally and opportunistically build its own fiber network, connect key City
facilities, and enable Smart City applications. Effective joint build and utility
coordination requires an effective and enforced “dig once” ordinance, a strong road
moratorium, a curated master project list that aggregates all public and private
excavation work in the public right-of-way, and organized, regular meetings between
the various agencies and utilities.
6) Apply Development Conditions to Major Projects
Planning ahead for a broadband future is the most cost-effective way to both
minimize costs and ensure new housing and commercial development thrives. The
City should add broadband and fiber expansion to the existing public infrastructure
requirements (water, sewer, sidewalks, etc.) that developers must finance and
construct for new developments.
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The City Council has approved the Lindenville Specific Plan including a condition of
approval that requires placement of conduit for the purpose of future fiber
installation. This condition requires the installation of "three-inch diameter PVC
conduit along the project frontage, in the right-of-way, if any trenching is to take place,
for the purpose of future fiber installation. Conduit shall have a pull rope or tape. A #8
stranded trace wire will be installed in the conduit or other trace wire system
approved by the City." The City could list further standard installation requirements
similar to other cities’ requirement, such as depth requirements (laid to a depth of not
less than 18 inches below grade in concrete sidewalk areas, and not less than 24
inches below finished grade in all other areas when feasible, or the maximum feasible
depth otherwise), install minimum 3-foot radius sweeps and bends, furnish with an
external “warning” ribbon tape a minimum of 3-inches above the conduit, and all
conduit couplers and fittings shall be installed watertight, with sealed end caps upon
installation.
These standard conditions of approval should be considered for all development
work citywide, so that future development of broadband and fiber optic deployments
can be expanded at marginal cost.
7) Establish a Technology Enterprise Fund
Many cities create dedicated funds for revenues generated from leases of City assets
by private telecommunications companies. A dedicated fund with ongoing revenues—
separate from the General Fund—prioritizes new City/public technology deployment
for future build opportunities (funding for fiber network expansions through
incremental builds/joint trench coordination or for locating new smart city devices
concurrent with expansion of private wireless connectivity).
Creating an enterprise fund helps plan strategically for the years to come when use of
public assets/ROW will increase and could create significant new City revenues. The
unscheduled nature of joint trench/dig once opportunities means cities need a
dedicated funding source outside of the normal budgeting process to take advantage
of open trenches.
The City should consider holding revenues generated by the City through lease or
other agreements for use of City broadband infrastructure – including cellular
antennas on street light poles, placement of cabinets or vaults in the ROW, leasing
land or towers for cell tower installation, dark fiber or conduit occupancy leases, or
other telecom-related/ROW revenue generating activities – in a separate account to
offset maintenance and expansion costs.
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8) Use City Communications to Inform and Promote Use of the FCC Affordable
Connectivity Program (ACP)
The ACP is a major cost-free tool for addressing digital equity issues. ACP enrollment
in South San Francisco (18% of eligible households) is less than half the average level
of both the state of California (38%) and the United States (39%). The City should
support inclusion of Affordable Connectivity Program information in communications
and outreach for communities, consumers and programs to raise awareness of the
ACP benefit and further information on eligibility and enrollment. Examples include
making sure schools, libraries, heath clinics and community centers know about ACP
and have information needed to help eligible students, clients and patrons enroll. Put
outreach materials in the hands of teachers, health care providers and community
workers. These materials are available at ACP Consumer Outreach Toolkit | Federal
Communications Commission (fcc.gov)
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2. Asset Inventory
Inventory and assessment of the City and public infrastructure assets that can be
leveraged for broadband use is an essential first step in developing a comprehensive
broadband strategic plan. Magellan identified significant infrastructure within South
San Francisco that can be leveraged for broadband – whether as locations in the
public sphere or right-of-way to host equipment, conduit and fiber pathways to
connect facilities and neighborhoods, opportunities to deploy smart city devices and
applications, or integration of public and private networks in innovative partnerships.
2 .1 CITY FACILIT Y CONNECTIVITY
The City’s Information Technology (IT) Department manages its existing fiber optic
“iNet” facilities to serve City needs and it plans to extend fiber connectivity through
the City to connect all City buildings. Capacity is provided via an enterprise-wide area
network (WAN) built with dark fiber from a private ISP, Wave (now Astound). This iNet
interconnects key buildings at 10 Gbps, with other buildings connected at 1 Gbps.
However, the iNet City fiber does not connect all City locations, does not provide full
redundancy via diverse routing, and does not yet extend up Sign Hill. Expanding fiber
connections up Sign Hill is important for EMS radio communications, expanding Wi-Fi
to the public, fire monitoring and other smart city initiatives. Also, fiber connectivity is
useful to support use of point-to-point technology where fiber is not available (for
example, to Paradise Valley).
The City’s network uses Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing” (DWDM) to serve
additional sites and support higher bandwidth in the future. DWDM is an optical
technology used to increase available bandwidth on existing fiber optic facilities by
combining multiple signals simultaneously at different wavelengths on the same fiber.
This transmission technique uses multiple light wavelengths or colors to send data
over the same fiber. The City is using this network both for its own needs and to
provision extended reach for private partners, all while avoiding the cost and
disruption of repeated additional construction in the public rights of way.
Figure 3 shows the Community Site connections including the Housing Authority, Boys
and Girls Club, Safe Harbor Shelter, Sign Hill, and Treasure Island Mobile Home and
RV Park; the City Sites are identified in Table 3, below, while the Critical City Sites
design project are identified in Table 1, below. Figure 4 shows the City’s current fiber
networking, fiber routes recommended for connecting additional City and community
sites, adaptive traffic signals in this Plan, all by Council District.
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Figure 3. City & Community Sites & Facilities
Figure 4. City & Community Sites & Facilities by Council District
2 .2 PUBLIC BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE
The City of South San Francisco has deployed extensive fiber optic cable and conduit
connecting some City locations (see Figure 5). However, the network has not yet been
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completed into a fully redundant “ring” architecture, and many City sites and assets
are not yet connected to the network. In a ring architecture, each location is
connected to two other locations so that there is a circular ring path for data. In the
event of a fiber cut or equipment failure, the data flow among network locations
reverses and maintains communications between all network locations. One objective
of the Broadband Strategic Plan is to add fiber optic facilities that will provide reliable
redundant network connections for City facilities to maintain City services in the event
of a fiber cut or other disruption. Redundancy is also an essential requirement for any
private partner to use the network to serve its customer.
Figure 5. City-Owned Fiber Optic Cable and Conduit Assets
The City has a total of 19.2 miles of existing conduit, and 4.9 miles of existing fiber
optic cable, as shown in Figure 5.The City has added significant conduit via its open trench
notification/dig once practice, including routes with two (2) 2-inch conduits (alongside conduit
and fiber owned by Intermountain and other providers), signal interconnect cable (SIC) with
spare conduit and wireless devices, and a set of conduits along the 101 for the Smart
Corridors project that uses CCTV cameras, ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) devices,
signal controllers, and variable message signs for incident management. Use of existing
conduit and fiber can reduce the cost of fiber deployment. Even if fiber cables are old or
limited in use, they can be replaced in conduit (at incremental cost) with higher-strand cables
to exponentially increase capacity. The City can use conduit for its own purposes, and/or may
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lease it to network service providers to reduce barriers to entry and encourage competitive
broadband services; however, conduit capacity is finite and can quickly be fully exhausted
with just a couple of carriers pulling in their own cables. A preferred option is to lease fiber
strands themselves to carriers (each of which can be 5-10 microns in diameter), and when
combined with wave division multiplexing technology, high-strand cables (288) can provide
virtually unlimited capacity.
In addition to identifying where conduit is located, each segment needs to be
assessed in future design engineering work for size (diameter) and capacity (the
number of cables already installed in a single conduit, and the number of fiber
strands within each cable that are already in use), as well as condition (physical
damage, bend radius, accessibility, etc.). Conduit does not always need be designated
specifically for broadband/fiber networks; existing conduit structures, such as traffic
signal control networks, street lighting, or even abandoned water/sewer lines can be
rehabilitated and utilized to deploy fiber optic cable. The engineering and labor
required to deploy new underground conduit can represent 35-65% of the total cost
of deployment, so utilizing existing assets can create significant cost savings.
In tables and figures in this Plan, “existing City-owned conduit” refers to conduit
structures that are already placed in the ground and owned by South San Francisco,
which are believed to be available for fiber optic cable placement. Since any existing
asset is subject to damage and decay and therefore may require maintenance or
rehabilitation to be used, proofing of the conduit is a step that will have to be taken to
verify there is continuity from end to end.
Similarly, the City’s existing spare fiber optic cable will need to be tested to ensure it
remains suitable for use. Fiber optic cables have certain criteria that must be met for
proper installation and placement of fiber – for example, no hard 90-degree elbows
can be used and the handholes must be large enough to maintain at least a 24”
diameter loop.
2 .3 CITY TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND
INTERCONNECT NETWORK
Traffic signal poles and associated structures are typically located along major
transportation arterials, which similarly correspond with major commercial corridors,
and are interconnected with electrical and/or signal control conduit networks. Many
signal interconnect networks were originally conduit with twisted copper cables, but
these underground conduit networks can be rehabilitated and used to pull in fiber
optic cable at a fraction of the cost of deploying new underground infrastructure. The
rehabilitation needs to remedy the original construction where copper cable can be
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bent in hard 90-degree angles and wrapped very tightly inside of handholes resulting
in small handholes and 90-degree elbows – fiber optic cable cannot be bent like this.
Nonetheless, alignment with road arterials makes signal control networks potentially
useful assets for cost-effectively deploying new fiber backbones to critical economic
development areas.
There are 98 signals total as shown in the Adaptive Deployment Build-Out shown in
Figure 6 below, including 35 where future controller and fiber connection is planned.
The Critical City Sites design project will provide connections for 13 of these. Backup
and redundancy for this network application is critical so the establishment of
network redundancy in Phase 1 of this Strategic Plan provides means to enhance
redundant communications for the adaptive traffic control system.
Figure 6. Adaptive Traffic Signal Deployment
The City Adaptive Traffic Control System project will allow the City to prioritize
throughput on designated street corridors, select the optimal signal cycle length,
provide smooth traffic flow along a coordinated street corridor, distribute signal
phase times in an equitable fashion, manage the length of vehicular queues, and
actively adapt to changing traffic conditions. This traffic signal network is being
integrated into the City’s overall communications network under this Broadband
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 20 of 92
Strategic Plan. Specifically, each phase of the Broadband Strategic Plan includes
placement of fiber necessary to connect adaptive traffic control signals.
The fiber for adaptive traffic control will be connected to the Traffic Management
Center at 550 North Canal. The adaptive traffic signal upgrade will upgrade and
connect all traffic signals in the City with fiber optic networking and some coaxial
cable.
2 .4 CRITICAL CITY SITES NETWORK DESIGN
PROJECT
The City is working concurrently with the planning and design firm Kimley-Horn to
prepare high-level designs, plans, specifications, and estimates for additional fiber to
extend the City fiber optic network and connect nine critical City facilities, as well as
adaptive traffic signals. The project will use a combination of new fiber in existing City
conduit, as well as new underground conduit and fiber to leverage and extend the
City’s current fiber optic network.
The design (see Figure 7) will include lateral connections to nine additional City
locations, as well as laterals for the 13 traffic signal control cabinets that are located
along the planned route. Under this design, the City seeks to pass the maximum
number of commercial sites possible in addition to serving municipal, school, and city
locations with sufficient fiber strands. The design also includes extending a fiber
backbone to two (2) specific neighborhoods to support connecting CPUC-designated
unserved locations through a potential California Advanced Services Fund (CASF)
grant.
Table 1. City Facilities connected by Critical City Sites Network Design Project
Facility Address Department
Library, Parks and
Recreation Center
901 Civic Campus
Way
Library, Parks and Recreation
Police Department
Admin & Dispatch
1 Chestnut Avenue Police
Main Library (future
early learning/preschool)
840 W. Orange Ave. Library, Parks and Recreation
Corporation Yard 550 N. Canal St. Public Works, and Parks and
Recreation
Fire Admin & Station 61 480 N. Canal St. Fire
Orange Memorial Park 781Tennis Drive Parks and Recreation
Fire Station 64 2350 Galway Drive Fire
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 21 of 92
Facility Address Department
Westborough Building 2380 Galway Drive Parks and Recreation
Fire EOC - Main 480 N. Canal St. Fire
Figure 7. Critical City Site Design
Magellan has coordinated with and included the Critical City Site Design in the
Strategic Plan. The Magellan conceptual network design includes the cables,
handholes, and broadband infrastructure from the design, and Magellan was able to
work with Kimley-Horn to ensure that fiber access boxes and vaults are placed and
sized adequately to allow for future growth as envisioned in the Strategic Plan.
Estimated construction costs for the Critical City Site design are $1,942,600, which
includes installation of approximately 1.5 miles of 3-inch conduit, 7.7 miles of fiber
optic cable, and required pull boxes, vaults, splice closures, and termination panels.
2 .5 SMART CORRIDOR
Public Works is managing the City’s participation in the Smart Corridor Project as a
member of the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 22 of 92
(“CCAG”). The South San Francisco portion of the Smart Corridor Project will develop a
traffic management system along key arterial corridors that parallel US-101 and I-280.
This will provide the ability to efficiently manage traffic congestion safely through local
streets during normal operating conditions, major freeway incidents, and special
events. The City is also located along the Bay Area's main transportation routes,
including U.S. Route 101, Interstate 280, Caltrain, BART, San Francisco Bay Ferry, and
the San Francisco International Airport.
Need for the Smart Corridor arises from significant traffic impacts on local streets
during major traffic incidents on US-101 and I-280, due to the significant amount of
traffic that exits the freeway in search of a route to bypass freeway congestion. The
City currently lacks the tools to communicate with drivers on preferred alternative
routes, which may result in increased congestion on the local network and
unpredictable travel times.3
The Smart Corridor project is funded from a combination of sources, including the
Transportation Fund for Clean Air fund from the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District, Traffic Light Synchronization Program, Measure M ($10 Vehicle Registration
License fee in San Mateo County), and State Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP) grant.4
The project is being constructed in segments.5 Segment A (Santa Clara County line to
San Bruno) has been completed. Segment C (“North Cities”) is planned, while
Segments D (Future North Cities Stage) and E (Future Phase) are not yet funded.
Segment B in South San Francisco has been designed, however construction has been
delayed due to supply chain issues, permitting conflicts, and unexpected issues and
obstructions in the field while testing.6 Therefore, the term of the funding agreement
with the City has been extended to June 30, 2024. This is the most current date
anticipated for when the City could rely on the project’s fiber facilities for its
networking.
3 South San Francisco Smart Corridor Project Fact Sheet.
4 Smart Corridor | C/CAG
5 San Mateo County Smart Corridor Project Limit and Status, Smart-Corridor-Project-Limits-and-Status-
Map.pdf (ca.gov)
6 C/CAG Agenda Report, June 8, 2023, from Sean Charpe ntier, Executive Director.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 23 of 92
Figure 8. San Mateo County Smart Corridor Project
The Smart Corridor uses fiber optic communications (6 miles) to connect traffic
monitoring cameras and dynamic message signs and upgrade traffic signal controllers
on local streets adjacent to US-101 and I-280. The Smart Corridor project maximizes
efficiency of the existing transportation network, smoothing traffic flow, which leads
to improved safety and reduced travel times.7
As part of the project, the City will receive two 2-inch conduits for fiber optic cable
from the Smart Corridor contractor. Further, the City and C/CAG will share the 288
fiber optic strands along the smart corridor, set aside the necessary strands for the
project, and lease out the remaining available strands to interested third parties.
Although an agreement has not yet been created, conceptually the City would market
and advertise these available strands, and net revenues remaining after deduction of
the City’s administrative expenses would be divided equally between the City and
CCAG. These net revenues to the City could be a funding source for the Technology
Enterprise Fund (below). Use of the fiber, over and above the strands that are
required for the Smart Corridor project, may include using or marketing the fiber for:
7 South San Francisco Smart Corridor Project Fact Sheet.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 24 of 92
• Smart City applications beyond traffic management such as public safety
cameras, free public internet via wi-fi, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA) connections8 for pumps and meters, smart streetlights, parking
management, etc.
• Future-proofing the network to support emerging applications such as
Emergency Vehicle Preemption (which is planned) and connected vehicle needs
via next generation 5G and 6G wireless services which must be connected with
fiber backhaul.
• Digital Inclusion and Literacy programs including programs and services for
internet access for libraries, parks, community centers, low-income housing,
etc.
• Public/private partnerships for connections for City assets.
• Connections for public/non-profit organizations.
• Connections for community anchor institutions which could generate revenue
by connecting hospitals, private schools, and religious organizations.
• Connections for businesses which could generate revenue.
• Commercial leasing of assets to providers or through partnerships.
2 .6 CALIFORNIA MIDDLE MILE BACKBONE
INITIATIVE
The State of California has been very active in designing and implementing broadband
policies to expand broadband availability and digital literacy in the state. Governor
Newsom made significant findings in Executive Order N-73-202 issued on August 14,
2020, addressing the need for improved broadband services, closely followed by
passage of Senate Bill 156, which addressed broadband through the 2021 budget
package.
The state middle-mile network is well underway, with portions of the network being
planned and designed within the City of South San Francisco along California State
Routes 35 and 82 and U.S. Highway 101, although the planned alignment of the route
along SR82 was shifted to the east in the August 2023 draft design. Further
modifications to the planned MMBI routing are possible as the project moves into the
final stages of design.
8 Security considerations are addressed by using separate fiber strands within the 288-strand cable for
this networking.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 25 of 92
Figure 9. California Planned Middle Mile Backbone Initiative (MMBI)
The anticipated routing of the Middle Mile Backbone Initiative (MMBI) in South San
Francisco will provide a public-access fiber infrastructure that can provide the City
long-haul data transport access to data centers and internet exchanges in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Palo Alto, and elsewhere. Traditionally, these long-
haul transport routes would need to be leased from private organizations.
Additionally, the MMBI can be utilized to complete local network loops in concert with
this Strategic Broadband Plan and its phases to ensure City redundancy without
having to construct and install new routes, creating significant cost savings. The
construction of the MMBI will provide both cost savings and enhanced network
reliability for the City’s fiber optic backbone.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 26 of 92
3. Needs Assessment
The needs assessment was built on a prior assessment of the City’s wireless
connectivity requirements conducted by Magellan in 2022. For this Broadband
Strategic Plan, Magellan also conducted 17 meetings and interview sessions with over
40 individuals from throughout City departments, the City Manager’s office and
elected officials and multiple community-based organizations.
3 .1 INDICATORS OF NEED
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) identifies a location as “unserved” if it
cannot secure fixed (wired) broadband services from any carrier and qualifies a
location as “under-served” if it cannot access broadband download speeds above 25
Mbps. However, the State of California and the CPUC uses a higher standard:
locations receiving less than 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, or if the only
option for internet access is a legacy Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) copper connection,
are essentially “unserved” – and anything less than 100 Mbps download and 25 Mbps
upload are “under-served.”
The City has many addresses that qualify under California’s minimum standard for
broadband service, which include locations with legacy DSL connections, as identified
in Figure 10.9 However, this CPUC map shows unserved addresses based solely on
whether any ISP carrier is physically capable of providing service – it does not take
into account individual household constraints or barriers if/when service is able to be
provided. Many households lack an internet service or connection not due to any
technical limitations of the ISP, but because of income or other socio-economic
factors (language barriers, digital literacy, etc.) – commonly referred to as the “Digital
Divide.”
9 Source: CPUC SB 156 Last Mile Federal Funding Account Public Map, A ugust 21, 2023: Unserved
locations lacking access to wireline 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream excluding legacy
technology (e.g. Digital Subscriber Line and Cable DOCSIS 2.0 or older)
https://federalfundingaccountmap.vetro.io/map#11.31/38.6185/-121.4896
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 27 of 92
Figure 10. CPUC FFA Unserved Locations
Digital Divide and Digital Equity
The Digital Divide and improving Digital Equity were significant concerns of the City
leadership and management. Digital Divide is the division between households,
individuals, and businesses where there are disparities in the access to the internet.
Digital Equity is the concept that every person should have equal access to digital
technologies including affordable and reliable internet access, computers and devices,
educators who are adept at using the technology and digital literacy. Most of South
San Francisco is served by the local incumbents, yet there are geographic and socio-
economic gaps within the City where broadband adoption rates lag behind state and
national averages as shown in Figure 11.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 28 of 92
Figure 11. Census Map/Digital Equity Act Population Viewer10
In late 2021, the Federal Communications Commission launched the Affordable
Connectivity Program (ACP) that helps households secure affordable broadband by
subsidizing up to $30 per month for an internet subscription. Households with
incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for the subsidy.
However, participation in the program requires households apply through a
government website, which is not often readily apparent or accessible from the
carriers’ sales websites, which can contribute to low participation rates.
Table 2. Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Participation11
ELIGIBLE
HOUSEHOLDS
PARTICIPATING
HOUSEHOLDS
%
PARTICIPATION
UNITED STATES 51.6 million 17.7 million 39%
CALIFORNIA 5.8 million 2.2 million 38%
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO 6,790 1,232 18%
The City’s rate lags behind the state and national average, and indicates there are still
many eligible households within the City that could utilize the program to significantly
reduce their monthly costs for internet services.
10 Source: American Community Survey (ACS) Internet Connectivity Variabl es – Percent of Households
with No Internet Access (2019)
11 Source: https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/no-home-left-offline/acp-data/#dashboard
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 29 of 92
When a community has broadband coverage but low adoption rates/usage, the cause
is usually one or more challenges related to the Digital Divide. The causes of the
Digital Divide vary, and solutions should be tailored to not only a specific City, but
even to individual communities. There are five common causes of the Digital Divide:
Affordable Internet Access
The cost of internet access varies by location and by the provider. Most cities have
areas that are economically distressed and are comprised of households that do not
earn enough income to support adequate broadband services. Not being able to
afford internet access is an issue by itself; however, this can lead to several secondary
impacts and a downward spiral for these households, as the internet is critical for
finding gainful employment, participation in key educational activities, and accessing
healthcare.
The pandemic highlighted and pushed forward the online nature of the world
economy and forced many activities that were normally done in person to be done
online, including banking, health care, distance learning, and shopping. When
households are unable to participate in these activities because they don’t have
internet access, the digital divide actually widens. The FCC’s Affordable Connectivity
Program is one tool that can help lower the monthly recurring cost for broadband
connectivity; however, even with a $30/month subsidy, a $70-80/month broadband
bill can be unaffordable for many households. In the stakeholder focus groups, many
stakeholders expressed substantial concerns about affordability of internet access.
No Access to Technology Devices
To access the internet, an individual must use a device, smart phone, tablet,
computer, etc. These devices can be expensive, and unlike the monthly subscription
cost of internet access, devices require a significant up-front investment of hundreds
of dollars. Many households simply cannot afford these devices, especially when
technology advancements make devices obsolete after a couple of years. Many local
community-based organizations and non-profits refurbish donated electronic devices
and distribute them to households without access. This suggestion was made in
several of the stakeholder interviews.
Digital Literacy
Many households and individuals have internet access and devices to use but lack
Digital Literacy (the knowledge and technical skills to access and use the internet).
This issue is particularly pronounced among older and low-income households.
Community-based organizations can often help build digital literacy through outreach,
community forums and classes, or targeted programming. This concern was noted in
the stakeholder interviews.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 30 of 92
Geographic Limitations to Broadband
Incumbent providers prefer to build in areas of high density; areas where the houses,
multi-dwelling units, or businesses are too far apart make it difficult for private
companies to achieve a return on investment in the short periods of time they seek to
repay capital. This results in areas with low density – particularly rural or semi-rural
areas – having a lack of private infrastructure and, thus, insufficient internet services.
Cities that have this issue must create an environment to entice providers to build in
these areas, or the City must build it with public funds to support their constituents.
Language Barriers
Many households speak English as a second language, but many resources –
particularly those centered around technology – are not accessible without strong
English skills. Again, community-based organizations can be the bridge for this
challenge with digital navigators, programming, classes, and targeted outreach for
those households. This concern was noted in stakeholder interviews.
Stakeholder Input on Digital Literacy and Equity Concerns
• City and community leaders confirmed that digital equity is a significant issue
across the City. The COVID-19 pandemic tested broadband capacity with
changes to routine events, including virtual school, work-from-home, virtual
worship meetings, and conducting more business online. This raised challenges
related not only to connectivity, but also to access to computers and other
devices. Stakeholders noted libraries have had a central role in digital literacy
training. Patrons can make appointments and get assistance over the phone to
use Zoom or other remote technology platforms. The libraries offer programs
on how to use LinkedIn or databases to find customers for small businesses.
• Many library patrons can't afford broadband or don't have a device. Lower
income households only have one device with multiple simultaneous uses and
users. Facilities located in lower-income areas do community outreach and
advertising and work with seniors. Stakeholders noted the libraries offer a low-
literacy program version with English or Spanish literacy skills, funded by grants
through the Community Learning Center.
• Stakeholders expressed the need for additional Wi-Fi capacity. Cost and
affordability is a big challenge. The libraries have been looking at adding Wi-Fi
to “Learning Wheels,” a pre-school on wheels with a childhood learning station
that goes to WIC centers, events, and daycares, which sees a few thousand
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 31 of 92
families a month.12 The library looked at lending hotspots and ways to give or
loan devices but could not commit to the upfront cost of devices or regular
charges for cellular Wi-Fi hot spots.
3 .2 2022 WIRELESS STUDY FINDINGS
In the 2022 Wireless Feasibility Study, Magellan interviewed over two dozen City staff
members regarding broadband connectivity. Department staff described
requirements for additional broadband infrastructure including provision of wireless
broadband service for Westborough, digital inclusion programs focused on working
families and small businesses, and commute/transit for tech workforce. Anecdotal
accounts are that “Westborough feels it keeps getting left behind” and internet
services are “terrible.”13 Key findings from the Wireless Feasibility Study included:
• The City has key programs in Community Learning Centers, Parks and
Recreation Centers, Economic Development, and Public Works that could
benefit from greater connectivity but also could be leveraged to improve
availability and benefits of broadband. Emergency services, first responders,
and other public safety personnel have evolving needs related to changes in
how they monitor and respond to incidents.
• All cell carriers have cell sites in South San Francisco where they have deployed
some 5G with approximately 100 Mbps download speeds. But some areas of
the City have poor coverage, including critical facilities like fire stations. Cellular
boosters have been considered for fire stations to keep engines continuously
connected when they move or are stationary. Police have problems with mobile
data connections in much of Westborough, including Westborough Square.
• The key broadband needs seem to be related to wireless connectivity for
municipal functions, including event and visitor connectivity at parks and other
facilities. Field access for City personnel was inconsistent, as was Wi-Fi
coverage. Cellular coverage in some areas is excellent—high-speed 5G—while
other areas seem to have little or none. More broadly, the City needs to balance
tech industry development with housing costs, retaining support industries,
and traffic management.
The City acted on the Wireless Study’s recommendations by contracting with
SmartWave in November 2022 to build the Community Wi-Fi network, which involves
12 FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel announces “Learn Without Limits” initiative. DOC-394625A1.pdf
(fcc.gov). This initiative would allow funding by the FCC’s E-Rate program for Wi-Fi on school buses and
Wi-Fi hotspots for schools and libraries to check out to patrons or students in need.
13 2022 Broadband and Wireless Feasibility Study, “Needs Assessment” beginning at page 36.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 32 of 92
installation of 74 access points on city-owned luminaires mounted on PG&E poles.
The City applied for a project permit with PG&E but multiple meetings and
communications have been unsuccessful in gaining a clear path forward with PG&E
including cancellation of the original project permit application by PG&E when the
assigned PG&E representative was transferred. Council members have reiterated and
explained on behalf of the community the priority that Community Wi-Fi must have.
There is urgency to reach an agreed path forward to complete the installation of the
Wi-Fi access points so it is important to continue work to identify the decision maker
at PG&E and/or the CPUC that can make this happen.
3 .3 STAKEHOLDER INPUT
For this Broadband Strategic Plan, Magellan conducted 17 meetings and interview
sessions with over 40 individuals from City departments and multiple community-
based organizations. With the help of the City’s Information Technology department,
Magellan organized stakeholder meetings to obtain input on broadband needs and
goals. The stakeholder meeting participants are listed in Appendix A. The stakeholder
meetings included discussion of current broadband connectivity and how well it
meets current needs, pending changes or plans that impact connectivity needs, longer
term goals and priorities that will require improved faster broadband connectivity,
and any general issues or trends that are expected to impact broadband connectivity
needs.
Magellan created a standard questionnaire for use in the meetings to ensure
discussions were consistent and covered all key topics. The City’s Information
Technology Department took the lead in identifying critical stakeholder organizations
and leaders and scheduling the meetings. The City and Magellan sought input from
City departments, civic leaders, anchor institutions, leaders in health, education, social
services, public safety, and other community leaders. Magellan greatly appreciates
each of these organizations taking the time to make senior management available to
discuss their perceptions of broadband availability and broadband needs in the City.
The content in this section came directly from interviewees, not from Magellan
personnel. The views expressed by stakeholders in the interviews as outlined here do
not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of Magellan.
City leadership desires the Broadband Strategic Plan to be a “living document,” so that
as goals are reached it can be updated to address “then what’s next” questions.
Businesses were not contacted for the stakeholder outreach since the City has not
received complaints from businesses about broadband availability and it is believed
that businesses generally have been able to meet their broadband needs in the
marketplace. Magellan reached out separately to broadband providers to assess their
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 33 of 92
interest and willingness to participate in building fiber optic broadband capacity
under a yet-to-be-defined partnership (or licensing) agreement. In this outreach
Magellan leveraged the Service, Infrastructure and Market Analysis conducted in the
previous Broadband and Wireless Feasibility Study.14 These discussions have further
relevance for the City, as described in Section 6 on Public/Private Partnership
Considerations for the City.
City Agency and Department Needs
Individual city departments’ communications with the IT department on broadband
capacity needs have worked well to ensure connectivity needs are met. In some cases,
these communications include annual needs assessment meetings conducted with
service providers. City managers noted and agreed there could be better coordination
between departments and that there is not presently a good venue for such
collaboration. One coordination gap was exemplified by streets being dug up for a
project after recently being repaved. These discussions precipitated sharing the
schedule of projects between IT and Public Works which should have future benefit
and provide a stronger implementation of the City’s open trench notification (“dig
once”) policy.
Project coordination is especially ripe for implementation since the City is starting a
Five-Year pavement rehabilitation program throughout the. It is important that
projects – including broadband projects – do not cut streets that were recently (in the
past five years) rehabilitated. Public Works believes a “road moratorium” (a master
list, curated by the City, of recently paved roads that are prohibited for a period of
time from new excavation) would benefit the City by protecting its assets – newly
paved roads.
The City’s departments noted that inconsistent wireless connectivity affects staff in
the field as well as SCADA and metering applications. Any steps that can be taken by
the City to bring wireless connectivity up to an adequate level across the community
would be beneficial for department staff as well as residents and businesses. Many
departments stated additional cameras are a priority, including Parks and Recreation
for diverse uses such as preventing illegal dumping, security, nature cameras, etc.
Broadband network expansion was envisioned to support future Centennial Trail
improvements incorporating Wi-Fi/wireless use. The extended fiber optic network can
also be designed to include Westborough Park access through community centers
and meet broadband connection needs for additional fire station and library
14 Broadband and Wireless Feasibility Study, beginning at page 27.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 34 of 92
locations. These are features of the Critical City Sites Network Design currently being
conducted by Kimley-Horn.
City departments and agencies also emphasized other specific needs, goals and
objectives:
• Fire Stations 62, 64, 65, Paradise Valley Park, and Terra Bay Gymnasium are
without fiber connectivity. The City will need to provide these fiber connections
since the iNet does not provide fiber services to these locations.
• Better coordination between departments on broadband is needed; there is
not currently a good venue or process for coordination.
• The cost for asset installation, inspections, and application must be considered
if conditions are added for placement of broadband connections (including for
City CIP projects).
• Departments are aware of and considering various potential Smart City
applications where they benefit City operations, including smart sprinkler
systems for fire control and public safety cameras. Potential applications
include building management systems, irrigation controllers, IOT trash cans,
smart lighting, smart parking meters, air quality sensors, security systems, fleet
management systems and intelligent transportation applications. However,
there is not a formal focus on this at present.
• Cameras and video are a priority application for many departments, which
require fiber connectivity.
• Expansion of Wi-Fi coverage is a programmatic need for many departments.
• Mobile and wireless coverage requires improvement for public safety to
eliminate dead spots and dropped calls. Fiber is needed on Sign Hill to provide
backhaul capacity for wireless services and provide capacity for adjacent City
parks and locations.
• A street moratorium is important since significant pavement rehabilitation has
recently been completed.
• Current planned and ongoing projects will support fiber connectivity to
upgrade traffic signals to provide management, Emergency Vehicle Preemption,
and other traffic control capabilities.
• Latency and transmission issues are a problem with current wireless systems
used by Water Quality Control Plant Division. A different solution is needed.
City Council Input
The Council members interviewed emphasized certain key goals and objectives.
The COVID 19 pandemic – a time when connectivity was imperative – showed where
those residents without adequate broadband live and work in the community, and the
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 35 of 92
difficulty this underserved group of people had in connecting for community and
government services. It is essential for the City to promote and provide affordable
internet connectivity throughout the City; the City’s fiber optic network can be
deployed to support that goal. Fiber optic connectivity needs to be extended to many
locations, including Oyster Point, the Westborough neighborhood, community
organization locations, City parks, community Wi-Fi, and kiosk locations on major
streets.
One key goal is for the City to be an “age friendly city”. This has several implications
for broadband infrastructure and digital literacy programs, specifically at tech centers,
housing authority locations, senior homes, and community organizations including
the Economic Advancement Center, potentially through partnerships with the life
science employers in the City.
The City should be “in charge of its own destiny” for broadband facilities supporting
government and community services. This will allow the City to connect new facilities
when needed, provide affordable internet for community organizations, and expand
affordable internet to underserved areas of the City, such as the Westborough
neighborhood,
A City-wide fiber optic network is essential infrastructure to support City services
including adaptive traffic management for efficient traffic flows, the County-wide
“Smart Corridor” initiative, “Smart City” applications where City departments can
achieve efficiencies and service improvements, support for the trend of expanding
“Internet of Things” applications, City-wide wireless coverage for efficient and
productive work by City employees and contractors in the field, increasing use of
video for security and operational purposes, online registration and classes,
permitting applications, Wi-Fi for recreation and events throughout the City including
markets, food trucks, and point of sale applications, and economic development of a
modern City.
The City has a longer-term financial framework for infrastructure used to provide
services. and plan for broadband infrastructure. A sustainable strategy requires the
fiber optic network prepare and budget for regular technology refreshes.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 36 of 92
Community Organizations
Magellan and the IT Department interviewed several community organizations to gain
insight into broadband issues that might exist in the social services sector. These
community organizations15 were:
• The Housing Authority
• Rotary Terrace
• Economic Advancement Center (EAC)
• Samaritan House and Safe Harbor
• Boys and Girls Club
A major theme shared by the community organizations revolved around affordability.
The COVID-19 pandemic starkly highlighted the digital divide, particularly among
underserved and low-income groups struggling to access community and government
services. This issue underscores the overarching concern for affordable internet, a
challenge faced by all organizations.
Each of these community organizations stressed the crucial importance of
affordable internet. Internet access remains out of reach for a significant portion of
the population since many residents and clients have fixed and limited incomes. The
Federal Communications Commission's new Affordable Connectivity Program is
designed to address this issue. Effective outreach by the City and its community
service partners is necessary to ensure program utilization.
Access and affordability challenges persist, especially among clients on fixed incomes.
Restricted building access limits options to incumbent providers, stifling customer
choice and competition. Additionally, limited Wi-Fi availability and technical familiarity
pose barriers. The scarcity of shared computers in lab settings compounds the
problem.
Internet access helps meet crucial needs for residents and clients at these community
organizations, including digital literacy and training, job training, work force
development, youth training for software development and technical jobs, resume
services, business plans, accommodating the change to greater use of e-commerce,
STEM classes, schooling and homework, rehousing, online tenant portals, etc.
Addressing the challenge of English as a second language is also critical in plans to
ensure inclusivity.
15 The City provides internet access connectivity for the Community Learning Center and the Economic
Advancement Center.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 37 of 92
While some organizations possess adequate basic broadband access, there are critical
concerns and needs that require attention. These organizations' broadband access
might not seamlessly extend to their clients and residents due to limitations in
availability of internet access, devices and computer labs and Wi-Fi networking. For
instance, a community organization in Sunshine Gardens had to resort to StarLink as
a temporary solution due to limited wired or wireless provider access.
The City's allocation of COVID pandemic relief funding played a pivotal role in funding
broadband connectivity programs. This was evident in the Economic Advancement
Center's provision of free connections, laptops, job training, and housing assistance to
hundreds of clients daily. The need for continuing such programs and expanding
them to co-working spaces, e-commerce support, and incubator/accelerator spaces is
clear. Additionally, addressing digital literacy issues in South San Francisco is essential
to ensure equitable access and foster technical education and training.
Despite the Library's current efforts in digital inclusion, there remains a need for
additional resources to enhance their impact and address the community's needs
effectively. Collaborations between the City and various organizations have spawned
digital inclusion programs, but stakeholders emphasize ongoing evaluation and
augmentation to cater to South San Francisco's diverse population.
The vision of revitalized Senior Centers aligns with South San Francisco's commitment
to becoming an "age-friendly" city. The demand for Wi-Fi in community centers and
the popularity of senior technology programs underscore the need to cater to the
technological requirements of an aging population.
The community service organizations noted that their needs typically are separated
between office and administration versus resident/client needs.
Wireless Access
Several locations around the City are well known to suffer from poor wireless
connectivity, and were documented in the 2022 Broadband and Wireless Feasibility
Study:
1. Sunshine Gardens
2. Westborough area
3. Sister Cities Boulevard area
4. Hillside and Chestnut area
5. Oyster Point
Poor wireless coverage affects the public, community service organizations, public
safety, and field staff of city departments among others. Two suggested solutions
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 38 of 92
were to expand public Wi-Fi and extend city fiber into these areas to stimulate and
support wireless providers.
The interviews identified numerous locations where public Wi-Fi could be beneficially
expanded, many reinforcing the information and conclusions in the 2022 Broadband
and Wireless Feasibility Study:
• The City leveraging its existing assets to create a South San Francisco
Broadband Utility that provides wireless connectivity throughout the City in
partnership with a qualified wireless network operator to oversee the
maintenance of the network. Digital inclusion programs should be integrated
into the program’s governance structure.
• Use existing City-owned fiber-optic cable, including the new fiber being placed
from the downtown area to Highway 35, Skyline Boulevard, to support better
broadband and cellular coverage in the Westborough neighborhood, including
CBRS. Encourage and partner with the cellular providers to increase the
coverage in the Westborough neighborhood. This is being accomplished with
the Kimley-Horn design.
• Deploy a new underground fiber route at Sign Hill Communication building
which is included in Phase I which is to connect additional City locations.
• Deploy three new wireless/radio access points, one in the Westborough area,
one on Sign Hill, and one at City Hall.
• Provide for the expansion and deployment of wireless antennas in the low-to-
moderate income areas of the City using the South San Francisco Broadband
Utility. The network as designed in the Broadband and Wireless Feasibility
Study served two zones south of Sign Hill which were identified as locations
where residents struggle with affordability. Deploying free Wi-Fi in these zones
will enhance the ability to access broadband.
• Support digital inclusion programs including ongoing digital inclusion efforts by
the Library’s Community Learning Center, and the Robert Cerri Teglia
Recreation Center as well as exploring other digital literacy programs and
groups such as National Digital Inclusion Alliance, the International
Telecommunications Union, makers spaces, and other successful programs.
These programs should be integrated into the governance of the Citywide Wi-Fi
network, overseen by an advisory group, to ensure the most community
impact.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 39 of 92
3 .4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The key findings from our stakeholder outreach and needs assessment are:
• Despite having multiple ISPs serving the City, there are pockets of unserved
locations and significant households with no internet connectivity, suggesting
the City faces a Digital Divide where affordability or other socio-economic
factors are preventing universal access.
• Affordable internet is an overarching concern, with limited-income residents
unable to afford access.
• There is broad agreement on significant digital divide and digital equity
concerns in the City. The Pandemic exposed these divides which limited access
to essential services in the underserved communities at the worst possible
time. There is community support for the City should take reasonable steps to
address those concerns, including using the City’s broadband infrastructure to
aid in bridging the divide.
• The California Public Utilities Commission map of unserved locations, and the
Census Bureau’s Digital Equity mapping align to show concentrations of
unserved locations in South San Francisco neighborhoods east16, Downtown17
and northwest18 and southwest (Westborough). This confirms the views of City
leadership and department managers as well as needs identified by
stakeholders.
• The City has substantial fiber optic networking today that can be economically
leveraged with additional broadband infrastructure to create a City-wide
diverse and redundant network that can connect all City and community
locations and addresses digital divide and affordability concerns.
• The City’s need for additional fiber connectivity is evident in various contexts.
o Cameras for CCTV and Wi-Fi require fiber connections spanning multiple
City departments.
o The absence of Wi-Fi on the Centennial Trail highlights the potential
benefits of fiber connectivity for future trail enhancements.
o Some key city locations such as fire and police stations, Main Library,
parks and gymnasiums, community centers, wastewater and sewer plant
need fiber connectivity.
16 Bounded by California Avenue and Randolph Avenue, Airport Boulevard and North Spruce/Maple
Avenues.
17 Generally, between Chestnut Avenue and Airport Boulevard, Railroad Avenue and Miller Avenue.
18 Bounded by Chestnut Avenue and Evergreen Drive, Hillside Boulevard and Grand/Miller Avenues.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 40 of 92
o Community service locations need better broadband connectivity.
o The Smart Corridor and adaptive traffic signal programs are underway
which are based on fiber optic connectivity.
• There are gaps in wireless broadband coverage across different City areas.
These gaps hinder public safety, event and visitor connectivity, and wireless
broadband availability to businesses and residents. City fiber connectivity for
backhaul and support of Wi-Fi can help fill this gap particularly in the Sign Hill
and Westborough areas.
• Construction and completion of the Community Wi-Fi network is hindered by a
lack of response from PG&E to project permit application to install Wi-Fi
equipment on 74 PG&E poles. The project permit applications have been
pending in various administrative forms since November 2022. There is
urgency to define an agreed path forward to complete the installation of the
Community Wi-Fi network access points so it is important to continue work to
identify the decision maker at PG&E and/or the CPUC that can make this
happen.
• An emerging driver for increased bandwidth demand is the growing use of
bandwidth-intensive applications, including security cameras utilizing cloud-
based architecture. With computer applications moving to the cloud,
broadband requirements intensify.
• The City’s Open Trench Notification policy and road moratorium policies are
working to support efficient and effective placement of broadband
infrastructure, discouraging utility providers from uncoordinated actions that
excavate newly paved roads, while incentivizing cooperation for facility
placement.
• The City can play a role in addressing connectivity disparities by extending its
fiber optic network. Community Service organizations struggle to afford
adequate broadband capacity, hindering their ability to serve clients effectively.
The City's involvement could encompass various initiatives, such as providing
Wi-Fi coverage in community organization complexes, negotiating broadband
contracts which these organizations are allowed to use, and donating used City
computers and computer furniture for shared community labs. Efforts to
enhance wireless connectivity in poorly connected areas, like Sunshine
Gardens, Westborough, and the North-Central edge of the City, will be
invaluable. Extending the City's fiber network supports wireless applications
(Wi-Fi/CBRS), while also tackling issues of digital literacy and basic skills among
residents.
• Broadband internet access addresses vital needs, including digital literacy, job
training, education, e-commerce, and support services for residents and clients.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 41 of 92
• Addressing English as a second language is crucial for fostering inclusivity and
equitable access.
• Broadband funding, co-working spaces, and technical programs are essential
for community empowerment, including seniors, as the City strives to be "age-
friendly."
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 42 of 92
4. Broadband Policies &
Initiatives
Broadband-friendly policies and initiatives play a pivotal role in facilitating the
deployment of new infrastructure and capabilities while keeping costs minimal
through efficient coordination between departments, public agencies, and utilities.
South San Francisco (SSF) has embarked on a path to implement a range of these
forward-looking policies, fostering an environment conducive to improved
connectivity and digital inclusion. Building upon these initiatives, the city is poised to
bridge the digital divide, empower its residents, and enhance community services.
4 .1 DIG ONCE/OPEN TRENCH NOT IFICATION
ORDINANCE
In 2019, the City adopted an ordinance19 to create an “open trench notification” policy,
which recognizes the importance of broadband to the City and the many benefits of
project coordination and “digging once” to deploy broadband infrastructure. The
ordinance is based on recognition that broadband is a necessity for residents and
businesses, supports economic and educational development, equal access to
opportunities and higher standard of living, and incentivizing collaborative projects to
develop the City’s broadband network while preserving public investment in streets
and public infrastructure while reducing traffic congestion and disruption of public
access.
The Open Trench Notification procedure under the ordinance is administered by the
Public Works Department. The procedure is triggered when applications for
excavation in the public right of way meet certain criteria: specifically, if the excavation
project spans 900 feet, three city blocks, involves terrain that is difficult or expensive
to traverse (such as a bridge), or is an element of a larger project that will install or
upgrade utility infrastructure, the notification procedure will be triggered. Also, more
generally the notification procedure will be triggered if the project involves
construction that will result in an excavation that could reasonably include or prepare
for the installation of broadband conduit.
19 City of South San Francisco Municipal Code, Chapter 13.40 Open Trench Notification and
Telecommunication Infrastructure Improvements (qcode.us)
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 43 of 92
Public Works manages a list of telecommunications providers that it uses for open
trench notifications which includes a blank Notice of Intent to Participate (NOIP) in
collocating facilities in the project area. Any NOIP is reviewed by Public Works and
sent to the project applicant for subsequent negotiation with the third party
submitting the NOIP. If agreement is reached the encroachment permit will be
amended and work will proceed.
This process is also used for improvements to be constructed as part of the City’s
Capital Improvement Projects. The City should take advantage of the Open Trench
Notification policy wherever possible to reduce costs of placement of new fiber optic
facilities to extend the City’s network. The “Open Trench Notification Policy and
Procedure” currently provides the joint trench opportunity along San Mateo Avenue.
In this instance, joint trenching allows the City to complete a fiber ring which in turn
provides network redundancy.
Note how the open trench notification and road moratorium policies work together to
achieve the desired outcome of efficient placement and protection of City assets and
investment. Open Trench/Joint trench provides an incentive and opportunity for
service providers to install facilities at incremental cost to a planned project. A road
moratorium implemented by Public Works will place costs on utility providers that
excavate newly paved roads thus recovering at least part of the diminished value of
City investment in roads due to pavement cuts. The road moratorium disincentivizes
utility providers from “going it alone” without project coordination while the open
trench notification policy provides the incentive and opportunity to cooperate and
place facilities at incremental cost.
Beyond repaving projects, network infrastructure can be economically deployed in
conjunction with other infrastructure projects. The “smart corridor” cooperation is a
significant example. Similarly, the City is completing a City-wide adaptive traffic signal
project based on extensive fiber deployment to connect all city traffic lights back to
the Traffic Management Center.
4 .2 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN ANALYSIS
A Capital Improvement Program (CIP) outlines the planned and ongoing capital
projects for a city that maintains or replaces existing infrastructure assets such as
streets, sidewalks, lighting, parks, and wastewater/sewer lines, facilities, or construct
new assets. Long-range projects may involve significant excavation and improvements
that provide the opportunity to jointly deploy broadband assets at incremental cost,
typically through adding communications conduit to open trenches/excavation, or by
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 44 of 92
planning for wireless/Wi-Fi capabilities and smart city applications on poles, public
buildings, or other public areas.
As a key task in its scope of work, Magellan met with senior City managers to discuss
capital projects as they might relate to economic and efficient broadband expansion.
Several projects have already incorporated broadband connectivity planning,
including:
• The new Community Civic Campus that includes a new library, parks &
recreation facility, council chambers, and a police operations/9-1-1 dispatch
center.
• Smart Corridor SSF Expansion, which implements Intelligent Transportation
System (ITS) equipment such as an interconnected traffic signal system, close
circuit television (CCTV) cameras, trailblazer/arterial dynamic message signs,
and vehicle detection system for managing the system during non-recurring
traffic congestion cause by diverted traffic due to major incidents on the
freeway.
• Pre-School, W. Orange Avenue Library re-use
• Adaptive Traffic Control System, citywide deployment
• Mission Road Rule 20A Project
Magellan further evaluated each project in the current CIP for potential additional
broadband opportunities: deploying new communications conduit in open trenches,
connecting new or existing City assets, expanding community Wi-Fi or wireless
distribution points, or to take advantage of critical bridge, creek, or freeway crossings.
Many projects appear to provide some opportunity – typically to jointly install
communications conduit at the same time that a trench or other excavation takes
place (also known as “dig once”). The engineering and labor of digging a trench (or,
even more costly, directional boring) accounts for 35-65% of the total cost of
deploying underground conduit; open excavation allows conduit to be placed
simultaneously at a fraction of the normal cost. Even if the planned CIP excavation is
minimal – for example, adding conduit to just a single block or section of road, or
providing conduit for a key bridge, road, or waterway crossing – adding the
broadband asset during other planned construction provides significant cost savings
and can, over time, assist in incrementally building a robust public fiber optic network.
For example, if the updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan included construction
of bicycle paths along Junipero Serra Boulevard between Hickey Boulevard and
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 45 of 92
Westborough Boulevard, addition of joint trench conduit/fiber to that project would
save $600,000 or more (at a high level).20
Magellan identified 23 CIP projects with potential opportunities for broadband
expansion, as noted Appendix B. These projects should be reviewed in greater detail
by the appropriate City department to verify and confirm the process for
incorporating broadband.21
4 .3 LINDENVILLE SPECIFIC PLAN
Lindenville, located just south of downtown, is undergoing a transformative phase.
The City’s 2040 General Plan Update identified a Vision for the Lindenville sub-area as
“a vibrant and inclusive neighborhood that maintains a base of job opportunities,
promotes the creative economy, and creates a new residential neighborhood where
all people can thrive.” On September 27, 2023 the City Council adopted the
Lindenville Specific Plan, which incorporates a range of land use alternatives that will
guide future development.
The primary objective of the Lindenville Specific Plan is to actualize the General Plan's
vision for the area by creating a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood, a thriving
employment hub, and an arts and cultural center. The plan aims to introduce fresh
possibilities for residents to both live and work in the vicinity while enhancing
circulation, establishing new green spaces, and improving the streetscape.
The Specific Plan22 establishes four distinct Character Areas:
➢ A “mixed use neighborhood” which balances a mixture of housing, retail and
services, open spaces, civic uses, and legacy industrial uses, centered around a
transformed Colma Creek.
➢ South Spruce Avenue Corridor is “an active, safe, and inviting corridor for living,
shopping, and working.” Included are mixed use housing types and a “node of
20 New construction for fiber and conduit is estimated to cost $130 per foot, while construction of same
using joint trench opportunity is estimated to cost $50 per foot. The distance between Hickey Blvd. and
Westborough Blvd. is estimated to be 7711 feet, yielding a cost difference of $616,880 ($1,002,430 -
$385,550).
21 Appendix C of the Broadband and Wireless Feasibility Study contain further details on state and
federal broadband policies that can incentivize joint deployment of utility assets while discouraging “go
it alone” projects.
22 City Council Agenda Item #14; Report regarding adoption of documents related to the Lindenville
Specific Plan, associated General Plan amendments, Zoning Code Amendments, and Addendum to the
2040 General Plan Environmental Impact Report; Agenda Date September 27, 2023.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 46 of 92
publicly-accessible active ground floor uses such as retail, restaurants, and
clinics”.
➢ An “employment area” with a mixture of warehousing, manufacturing,
processing, and storage and distribution uses” with incentives to modernize the
industrial building stock.
➢ The South Linden Arts and Makers District with a variety of uses “to promote
arts and cultural identity, including live-work housing, studios, makers spaces,
and supportive uses such as restaurants and bars.
The Specific Plan Vision includes creation of new housing opportunities and
community services; creation of a second generation industrial neighborhood that will
support emerging industrial and creative uses; retention and creation of new creative
uses in the Arts and Makers District; a blue-green infrastructure network to build
climate resilience; enhancing open spaces; protecting residents and building
occupants from air pollution and industrial pollutants; and connecting communities
with a mobility network that is multimodal, safe, and connected.
The LIndenville Specific Plan addresses infrastructure as one component:
As Lindenville evolves, it will be presented with a new set of challenges
as the types of uses in the Plan Area change combined with advances
and innovations in technology, changes in policy, and shifting patterns in
climate conditions. A sustainable future vision for Lindenville calls for
the development of infrastructure solutions to support the Specific
Plan’s vision for a new Mixed Use Neighborhood, an increase in
residential population, and utilization of green infrastructure for
stormwater management and public realm enhancement. … Existing
infrastructure, built out before the 1990s for an almost exclusively
industrial land use base, could adequately serve the Plan’s build out
scenarios by planning for changes to peak usage patterns, strategic
improvements and maintenance, and new development and adaptive
reuse standards.23
The Lindenville Vision will require high speed broadband infrastructure, which is now
often considered in new development as the “4th Utility” (in addition to gas, water and
electric). Decades ago, telephone utilities were installed in Lindenville for prior
industrial uses, which is inadequate and outdated for two reasons – current
broadband use in Lindenville is relatively light, given the present industrial character
and the lack of modern fiber infrastructure. Key telecommunications stakeholders
23 Lindenville Specific Plan, Chapter 7 – Infrastructure, at page 142, emphasis added.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 47 of 92
acknowledge the challenges and costs associated with placing updated broadband
facilities to serve areas previously in industrial use.
The redevelopment contemplated by the Specific Plan presents the opportunity to
significantly improve and organize “dry” utility infrastructure by undergrounding
existing electric and broadband lines. Undergrounding utilities will provide the
opportunity to place conduit for fiber optic cable, reduce the likelihood of outages and
disruptions while enhancing community aesthetics. Undergrounding dry utility lines
can be accomplished on a “joint trench” basis concurrent with upgraded street
corridors, which preserves City investment in streets, sidewalks and curbs.
Improvement of “Wet” utilities such as storm drains and sanitary sewer systems are
also planned under the Specific Plan as well and present similar opportunities for
placement of conduit for broadband. This should be considered in alignment with the
fiber optic network planning in this plan for sewer and stormwater pumpstation
connectivity.
Placement of modern fiber optic broadband infrastructure enables the City and the
Lindenville neighborhood to adapt efficiently and cost-effectively to future land uses,
needs and requirements. This modern broadband infrastructure and capacity will be
integral to support new land use under the Lindenville Specific Plan. Smart City
applications, connected and autonomous vehicles and transportation applications,
street lighting, and residential and business use are clear needs which should be
planned for under a “campus area” perspective.
The Planning Department does have a standard condition of approval requiring the
installation of "three-inch diameter PVC conduit along the project frontage, in the
right-of-way, if any trenching is to take place, for the purpose of future fiber
installation. Conduit shall have a pull rope or tape. A #8 stranded trace wire will be
installed in the conduit or other trace wire system approved by the City." This would
apply to any entitled project throughout the city.
Further standard installation requirements can be listed similar to other cities’
requirement, such as depth requirements (laid to a depth of not less than 18 inches
below grade in concrete sidewalk areas, and not less than 24 inches below finished
grade in all other areas when feasible, or the maximum feasible depth otherwise),
install minimum 3-foot radius sweeps and bends, furnish with an external “warning”
ribbon tape a minimum of 3-inches above the conduit, and all conduit couplers and
fittings shall be installed watertight, with sealed end caps upon installation.
This standard condition of approval should be considered for all development work
citywide. Additionally, it is crucial to engage in discussions with wireless providers
regarding the implementation of 5G technology, and plan for needed infrastructure
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 48 of 92
for wireless services. Lastly, the requirements for broadband infrastructure placement
in Lindenville should balance and consider that these requirements would also apply
to the City here and have some cost to administer as well that should be accounted
for.
4 .4 TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE FUND
The 2022 Wireless Feasibility Study recommended the City establish a Technology
Enterprise Fund, or a dedicated enterprise fund for revenues generated from leases
of City assets by private telecommunications companies. A technology fund with
ongoing revenues—separate from the General Fund—prioritizes new City/public
technology deployment for future build opportunities (funding broadband
infrastructure, locating new Smart City devices concurrent with expansion of private
wireless connectivity, or funding for fiber network expansions through incremental
builds/joint trench coordination).
The City’s need for a Technology Enterprise Fund is perhaps even more pronounced
now than in the previous 2022 study. Creating an enterprise fund in the early stages
helps plan strategically for the years to come when new development will come to
fruition and use of public assets/ROW will increase. Additionally, the unscheduled
nature of joint trench/Open Trench Notification opportunities means cities need a
dedicated funding source outside of the normal budgeting process to take advantage
of new or unforeseen opportunities for broadband expansion, which might be missed
under conventional budgeting practices. This forward-looking approach facilitates the
funding of essential projects such as broadband infrastructure, the concurrent
expansion of Smart City devices alongside private wireless connectivity, and
incremental fiber network expansions through joint trench coordination.
The City has a Broadband Expansion Project budget line item with similar intent, but it
is funded with appropriations from the General Fund which can vary year to year. The
City is considering use of a Broadband Impact Fee. A Technology Enterprise Fund with
dedicated funding such as a Broadband Impact Fee would be better suited to support
and contribute funding toward the goals and objectives of the Broadband Strategic
Plan. This fund could be best initiated with approximately $250,000 in seed money, to
be replenished annually as needed. Furthermore, net revenues from marketing the
Smart Corridor fiber networking could be used for additional funding for the
Technology Enterprise Fund.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 49 of 92
4 .5 SMART CITY APPLICATIONS
Growing communities require effective technology solutions and systems that
monitor, collect, and analyze relevant data to drive intelligent and informed decisions
by elected and appointed city leaders. The term “Smart City” is used to describe an
array of applications, services, and technologies that support established City goals
and priorities.24 The City’s expansion and augmentation of its fiber optic network will
provide the crucial infrastructure platform for Smart City applications. The City’s
Guiding Principles in its General Plan rely on broadband connectivity for Smart City
applications.
The City of South San Francisco provides high quality and accessible services,
facilities, and amenities for residents at all stages of their lives. As a “smart
city.” South San Francisco leverages high-speed internet technology and
connectivity to improve engagement, transportation, utilities, education,
public health and safety, environmental quality, energy, and the quality and
efficiency of City operations. The City ensures digital equality by promoting
internet connectivity in all neighborhoods to bridge access to reliable and
affordable information.9
The goal is to lead innovative digital, data-driven change positively impacting
community services, land use, facilities, public safety, and workforce. These technical
solutions are supported with transparent governance to ensure security, fairness, and
privacy. Many Smart City applications are associated with a major worldwide trend
called the Internet of Things (IoT). Most Smart City applications begin with the
deployment of a remote device, or the “Thing” in IoT, as shown in Figure 12.
24 In this document the capitalized terms “Smart City” refer to the set of technologies.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 50 of 92
Figure 12. Smart City IoT Architecture
“Things” can be traffic cameras, air quality sensors, seismic monitors, water main leak
detectors, smart streetlights, or a device that determines parking stall availability.
These devices capture data that needs to be transmitted to the City’s servers over a
network—whether the servers are on-site, at a co-location data center, or in the cloud
(often stored on all three).
Smart City digital infrastructure includes fixed (wired) infrastructure, such as fiber
optic cables, mobile infrastructure (cell towers/antennas), and data centers with
interconnect facilities. The transmitting network requirements are highly application-
and location- dependent. For example, a sensor measuring air quality sends small
amounts of data periodically and may be able to utilize wireless connectivity;
however, a high-resolution surveillance camera sends large streams of data
continuously and may require dedicated fiber optic cable. For these reasons, fiber
forms the foundation for Smart City technologies and radio-based wireless
connections provide the support structure for the devices and applications.
There is a vast array of Smart City applications that can be imagined which must be
reduced to the applications which are most useful and beneficial for the City. Each of
the departments interviewed was familiar with Smart City concepts and technologies
and had some ideas of Smart City applications that might be beneficial for the
department and the City.
Several City departments indicated that they were considering new Smart City
applications, and some had already been implemented, including irrigation devices to
schedule watering and detect leaks, etc.
City departments further identified a need for more cameras, smart street lighting
with controlled dimming in low traffic hours for energy saving, automated cross walks,
real time bus arrival signage at bus stops, next bus real time information, smart
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 51 of 92
parking management and navigation, equipping busses with Wi-Fi and/or advertising,
security and sensors, license plate readers, wayfinding, building management
systems, irrigation controllers, and more.
Smart City Steering Committee
The press of day-to-day tasks, duties and priorities make it difficult for City
departments to focus on future plans, such as Smart City applications. Magellan
recommends that the City consider formalizing its Smart City considerations via the
formation of a Smart City Steering Committee. Such a committee can provide focus
and maintain momentum for Smart City projects, including through the CIP project
review. The Steering Committee could institute a formalized process for project
review of all city CIP initiatives to test viability of Smart City opportunities.
This Committee should be cross-departmental, including senior leadership from all
relevant departments, and may even consider inter-agency communication for
expanded impact. The committee should be led by the IT Department, which would
provide a natural fit with the broadband project and allow the committee to hit the
ground running. The Committee should first gather, review and investigate Smart City
applications that have been under informal consideration by the various City
departments (such as connecting smart sprinkler systems in case of fire, connecting
controllers for streetlight dimming during low traffic hours) and review those
applications for feasibility and broadband network alignment. Review and evaluation
of each potential Smart City application should include:
• Determining the organization(s) or department(s) that would “own” the
application and its implementation;
• Organizational adaptations that must be made within the City;
• Department ranking of importance of implementing the application versus
other potential Smart City applications;
• City management and council ranking of the priority of the application versus
other potential Smart City applications;
• Community views on the importance and utility of the Smart City application;
• Legal or policy requirements that must be addressed (if any);
• Costs of the application and its associated equipment;
• Network implications of supporting the application, including network
proximity;
• Determining internet connection requirements for Smart City applications;
• Timeline for installation of the application, including activation of the
application;
• Resources needed for installing and testing the application;
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 52 of 92
• Savings and benefits for the City generated by use of the application; and
• Funding and budget sources (including potential grant funding) and what
budget actions are necessary.
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5. Conceptual Network Design
Magellan developed the Conceptual Network Design based on priorities identified by
the City, its stakeholders, and the community. The design serves to both connect
critical City facilities and support City services, while expanding fiber infrastructure
that could be concurrently used to improve community access to broadband.
The conceptual network design is truly that – conceptual. It is not a full engineering
study and does not account for specifics such as building entry locations, which side
of the street a particular fiber cable is located, or laterals/service drops onto private
property, etc. The conceptual design is intended to provide a roadmap for the City,
and specific projects undertaken should first complete a full engineering process that
will conduct field surveys to verify existing data and assumptions to move the
Conceptual Design to a High-Level Design (30% HLD), to a Low-Level Design (60% LLD),
and ultimately to a Final Design.
5 .1 CONCEPTUAL NETWORK ROUTES
The conceptual network design for the City of South San Francisco identifies fiber
routes and other infrastructure requirements to meet identified City needs. The focus
and size or scope of the design, along with construction methods and technical
specifications, determine the estimated overall costs as well as possible phasing
needed to complete the project. Thus, the conceptual design can inform decision-
making about how, where, and whether to build.
For purposes of this Strategic Plan and Conceptual Design, Magellan worked from the
assumption that the Critical City Sites design recently completed by Kimley-Horn has
been constructed and is operational – i.e., that this phase of the project is a part of the
“existing City assets.” Thus, the anticipated lengths, breakdown, and construction
costs for the Critical City Sites design are not included in the cost estimates below in
Section 5.3.
The Conceptual Network Design would require construction of approximately 4.4
miles of new backbone conduit and fiber, 1.4 miles of new service drops/laterals, 5.1
miles of new fiber pulled into existing City conduit and interconnecting 2.5 miles of
the existing City fiber network with splice points, handholes, cabinets and supporting
infrastructure. The conceptual design also includes interconnectivity with the
California Middle-Mile Backbone Initiative (MMBI), the planned state-wide middle-mile
project, to ensure regional interconnectivity and route redundancy.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 54 of 92
Proposed new backbone construction (depicted in red and blue) would be comprised
of two 2” conduits deployed underground at 36 inches below the surface, filled with a
288-count fiber-optic cable, capable of meeting future demand. New laterals and
service drops are assumed to be a single 2” conduit with a 24-count fiber cable.
The Conceptual Design creates a redundant fiber backbone loop around the City that
minimizes service interruptions, connects 12 remaining City facilities to the network,
as well as 6 community sites and facilities identified by the City, and extends to other
areas to connect to pump stations and wastewater assets.
Figure 13. Conceptual Network Design
5 .2 PHASED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The Conceptual Network Design can be implemented in a phased approach in order
to prioritize the loop architecture necessary for greater community and business
access, ensure critical site connectivity, provide flexibility relative to grant availability,
budgets, and resource constraints, and to maximize the network reach into new
markets to attract a private partner. The phases outlined below can be further broken
down into sub-phases or built incrementally and opportunistically through effective
CIP and private project coordination.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 55 of 92
Magellan designed the routing and phased implementation for the City by evaluating
and providing the best possible scenario for long-term success of the project. It is
important to note that although the phased implementation is separated into three
key phases, each phase should be evaluated and built in the order of need, spreading
out the cost and speeding up deployment to certain locations where appropriate.
Although the phases build off each other, they do not have to be built in the order
presented, and in fact construction and routing may have to be adjusted to
accommodate connections to the network.
Phase 1: Redundant Loop & City/Community Facilities
Phase 1 accomplishes two critical goals for the City: 1) ensures a citywide redundant
loop architecture that minimizes service interruptions, and 2) connects 14 City and
community facilities currently not on the network (as well as 20 traffic signals).
All robust networks regardless of technology; fiber, wireless, or HFC need route
diversity and redundancy. Diversity is when a location has connections from two
different directions reducing the impact of outages. Redundant fiber networking
supports the City’s planning for emergency preparedness and provides resiliency of
data communications during emergencies. Phase 1 facilitates connection of the
network into a ring so the locations on the City network built off of the ring, including
the laterals, can be rerouted during outage emergencies and avoid service
interruptions. Creating a backbone loop is critical for not only uninterrupted City
services (including emergency services), but also if the City (or a private partner) were
to utilize this backbone to provide competitive retail internet services to the
community and businesses.
Phase 1 (Figure 14) would modify the City’s fiber network into a redundant backbone
loop through a combination of new construction, upgrading existing infrastructure,
and interconnecting with the state-wide middle-mile network (MMBI).
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 56 of 92
Figure 14. Phase 1: Addition of Redundant Ring & City/Community Facility Connections25
Phase 1 construction includes upgrades to 13,255 feet of existing City fiber, 6,374 feet
of new fiber pulled through existing conduit, 16,926 feet of new underground
backbone, and 3,929 feet of new service drops/laterals.
Fiber construction under Phase I not only supports diverse connections and
redundancy for the City’s network and connects 18 City and community facilities, but
also passes traffic signals and other neighborhoods that can be connected to the
network. In particular, Phase 1 enables connections to at least 14 traffic signals and
extends a backbone into the Sign Hill and Lindenville neighborhoods.
25 The Conceptual Design was completed in June 2023 and is based on the existing California Middle
Mile Broadband Imitative (MMBI) design. On August 2, the State released an updated planned design
for the MMBI, which adjusted some routes slightly and will require some minor adjustments to the
Conceptual Design. These changes are not anticipated to be significant and can be addressed in detail
during the design engineering phase of the project.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 57 of 92
The 18 City facilities and 14 traffic signals designed to be connected through Phase 1
include:
Table 3. Additional City facilities to be connected in Phase 1
Facility Address Department
City Hall 400 Grand Ave. City Council & Chambers,
Elections, Attorney, Treasurer
Water Quality Control
Plant
195 Belle Aire Road Public Works
Police Department
Substation and IT
329 Miller Ave. Information Technology and
Police
City Hall Annex 315 Maple Ave. Building, Planning and
Engineering
Grand Library 306 Walnut Ave. Public Library
Roberta Cerri Teglia
Center
601 Grand Ave. Parks and Recreation
Community Learning
Center
520 Tamarack Lane Public Library and Parks and
Recreation Preschool
Siebecker Preschool 510 Elm Court Parks and Recreation
Fire Station 62 249 Harbor Way Fire Department
Fire Station 65 1151 South San
Francisco Dr.
Fire Department
Paradise Valley Park 291 Hillside Blvd. Parks and Recreation
Terrabay Gymnasium 1121 South San
Francisco Dr.
Parks and Recreation
Traffic Signals (14) Various Public Works
Sign Hill So. Of Hillside Blvd. Parks and Recreation
Phase 2: Wastewater Assets
During the information gathering phase for this report, it was noted that new
buildings that have been, and potentially will be built, are interfering with the current
wireless network the pump stations use for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA) connectivity. There are also latency issues that are causing stations to “time
out,” which means there is no communications from specific stations. Additionally, the
backup options are limited in the event cell signals is lost or over-congested in the
event of an emergency. Phase 2 adds fiber network connectivity to these pump
station sites. This phase can be built incrementally and does not have to be built in its
entirety; however, pump station sites with the greatest need should be prioritized.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 58 of 92
Fiber backbone in Phase 2 would also connect 23 traffic control signals, as well as
provide general broadband backbone infrastructure for the entire Oyster Point area
and through the southern part of Lindenville.
Figure 15. Phase 2: Fiber Connectivity for Pump Station & Wastewater Assets
Phase 2 construction includes 20,703 feet of new fiber pulled through existing
conduit, 6,052 feet of new underground backbone, and 3,291 feet of new service
drops/laterals.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 59 of 92
Table 4. Sewer pump stations to be connected in Phase 2
FACILITY ADDRESS
Pump Station No. 1 383 Oyster Point Blvd.
Pump Station No. 2 955 Gateway Blvd.
Pump Station No. 3 195 Kimball Way
Pump Station No. 4 249 Harbor Way
Pump Station No. 5 477 South Airport Blvd.
Pump Station No. 6 160 Utah Avenue
Pump Station No. 7 220 Littlefield Avenue
Pump Station No. 8 701 Forbes Blvd.
Pump Station NO. 9 1479 San Mateo Avenue
Pump Station No. 10 572 Forbes Blvd.
Pump Station No. 11 235 Shaw Road
Pump Station No. 14 1191 Veterans Blvd.
Lindenville Storm Water Station 27 South Linden Avenue
Shaw Road Storm Water Station 251 Shaw Road
In the event there are concerns over the cost of Phase 2 fiber/wireless hybrid designs
could be considered. Those potential designs were not the subject of this study but
could be defined, designed and costed. An incremental build approach to Phase 2 –
taking advantage of joint trench/dig once opportunities, CIP alignment, development
conditioning, and utility coordination – could build this phase out over time with cost
effective strategies and significantly reduce the total estimated construction costs.
5 .3 CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATES
The estimated capital construction cost of the Conceptual Network Design (all phases)
is $4,193,088, which includes estimated design and engineering and permitting,
required upgrades to 2.5 miles of existing City fiber, 5.1 miles of new fiber in existing
conduit, 4.4 miles of new underground conduit and fiber for new backbone, and 1.4
miles of new service drops/laterals (see Table 5 for a breakdown by phase and
construction type).26
26 Construction costs are based on Magellan’s analysis of comparable cities, recent construction bids,
equipment and material costs, and a regional assessment of the labor and construction market. An
inflation factor has been included to address future, short-term cost increases.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 60 of 92
Table 5. Construction Cost Estimates
FOOTAGE $/LF TOTAL
PHASE 1 - REDUNDANT LOOP & CITY
FACILITIES
EXISTING CONDUIT 6,374 $ 25 $ 159,350
EXISTING FIBER 13,255 $ 5 $ 66,274
NEW UNDERGROUND 16,926 $ 125 $ 2,115,753
DROPS 3,929 $ 80 $ 314,320
PHASE 1 TOTAL 40,484 $ 2,655,697
PHASE 2 - PUMP STATIONS & WATER ASSETS
EXISTING CONDUIT 20,703 $ 25 $ 517,575
EXISTING FIBER - $ 5 $ -
NEW UNDERGROUND 6,052 $ 125 $ 756,536
DROPS 3,291 $ 80 $ 263,280
PHASE 2 TOTAL 30,046 $ 1,537,391
PROJECT TOTAL - ALL PHASES
EXISTING CONDUIT 27,077 $ 25 $ 676,925
EXISTING FIBER 13,255 $ 5 $ 66,274
NEW UNDERGROUND 22,978 $ 125 $ 2,872,289
DROPS 7,220 $ 80 $ 577,600
TOTAL 70,530 $ 4,193,088
The design engineering and field surveying process would verify and record all
existing assets and could uncover additional fiber that would eliminate the need for
some of the new construction, thereby lowering the total overall construction costs. A
completed design and engineering process will likely identify some areas where
overhead poles exist and aerial cables can be used instead of undergrounding new
conduit, which can cut deployment costs by as much as 35-45%.
Construction costs can be even further reduced through effective utility coordination,
implementing a dig once/joint trench program, and aligning broadband expansion
projects with other major CIP projects, particularly those with excavation in the City
right-of-way. The labor required for excavation can account for 40-60% of total
construction costs. When work is coordinated between utilities and public agencies,
all parties can expand their fiber footprint at a fraction of the cost by taking advantage
of synergies with other projects.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 61 of 92
6. Public/Private Partnership
Considerations
There are a range of business models a city may select (see Appendix C), which range
along a risk/reward continuum. The choice of business model needs to align with the
vision of the community and its leadership and be one that fits organizationally into
the City’s municipal operation. The selected business model will also align with the
City’s risk/reward tolerance to achieve its broadband goals.
Figure 16. Business Model Risk/Reward Continuum
Discussions and information gathered during the project suggest a public-private
partnership model would be appropriate to implement the Broadband Strategic Plan.
For a variety of political and financial reasons, the City does not desire to establish a
City broadband utility. However, the City does desire to leverage its existing and
planned fiber optic network assets built to expand broadband availability for others
throughout the City by making the network available for use by private Internet
Service Provider (ISP) providers.
Public-private partnerships (“P3”) are an emerging business model that provides an
innovative solution to an ongoing municipal broadband issue: how does a local
government extend broadband services in the community without operating a
broadband network? Generally, P3s create a cooperative platform for a local
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 62 of 92
government and one or more private organizations to plan, fund, build, and maintain
a broadband network within the city’s jurisdiction.
The key factors that define a public-private partnership, as opposed to simply a
customer-vendor relationship, is that: (a) all parties contribute, (b) each parties’
benefits are shared based on their contributions, and (c) one partner does not pay
another; there are few or limited transactions between partners.
To begin creation of a P3, the City would publicly solicit potential partners via Request
for Information (RFI) and select through negotiation one or more private or public ISPs
to provide and sell retail internet services over a network incorporating desired
segments of City-owned fiber in exchange for lease payments, revenue share, new
City network construction, or a combination thereof. This P3 approach is particularly
suitable to the City given capital resource constraints, significant existing City conduit
and fiber which sharing arrangements could multiply subscriber reach, and the
potential new construction leveraging existing City facilities identified in the
Conceptual Network Design.
It should be noted that soliciting and selecting a private partner is not a typical
procurement process but is a negotiated arrangement that will take time to define
and finalize. To make a P3 successful, each party should align on negotiated points,
which can include:
• Who has rights to access the network – is it exclusive or non-exclusive?
• What are the public and private partners’ goals and how are they incentivized?
• What roles and responsibilities does each partner have?
• What assets are financed through the public?
• What revenue model is used to recoup investment?
• What requirements must the private partner meet, in terms of service
availability, speed, price, build locations, and performance schedules?
• How will the partners determine future buildouts and who pays for them?
• What happens if the private assets are sold or acquired?
The City is already taking the lead in managing and brokering fiber optic network
assets created in the “Smart Corridor” project by CCAG – in which the City is a key
partner. Under the Smart Corridor partnership, the City and CCAG will share the 288
fiber optic strands within South San Francisco, set aside the necessary strands for the
traffic management network, and lease out the remaining available strands to
interested third parties. The City would market and advertise these available strands,
and net revenues remaining after deduction of the City’s administrative expenses
would be divided equally between the City and CCAG.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 63 of 92
The P3 contemplated here would build on the Smart Corridor partnership and extend
the reach of the City’s entire network, including the Smart Corridor fiber, to potential
partners who can operate, manage, maintain and market the City’s network. This
network reach has significant value and over time can generate revenues to help
offset costs to the City. These revenues could also be a funding source for the
Technology Enterprise Fund. Other benefits to the community could be realized by
using the network as platform to extend broadband to unserved and underserved
areas of the City, or to lower the barrier for cellular providers to reach neighborhoods
with poor signals (such as Westborough) by proving cost-effective fiber backhaul.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 64 of 92
7. Key Recommendations
1) Expand the City’s Fiber Backbone to Improve City
Facility Connectivity and Expand Community
Broadband Access.
The City can complete a carrier-grade backbone loop, connecting 18 City facilities, 25
pump stations, and 98 traffic signals at an estimated cost of $4.2 million The phased
approach allows for incremental builds as resources and funding allow, while laying
out a roadmap for coordination and alignment with other major projects to minimize
costs. A carrier-grade fiber loop will also enable the city to identify a qualified private
ISP that can operate, manage, and maintain the network while expanding broadband
access in the community at competitive rates.
Extending the City’s fiber network under the conceptual design will also future-proof
the network and support emerging applications such as Emergency Vehicle
Preemption (which is planned) and connected vehicle needs via next generation 5G
and 6G wireless services which must be connected with fiber backhaul.
2) Initiate Design & Engineering for Phase s 1 & 2 at an
estimated cost of $130,400.
The first two phases of the Conceptual Design – Citywide Redundant Loop and City
Facilities – create a high impact and maximize the value of the City’s network (and
thus attract private investment). By undertaking design engineering, the City would be
demonstrating a commitment to moving forward – being “shovel ready” – and thus
enhancing its grant competitiveness for state and federal broadband grants.
Design engineering would include field surveying and verification, identifying
additional usable assets that may not be recorded in City maps, value engineering to
reduce the overall cost, confirming the final routing and design, and compiling a Bill of
Materials.
3) Solicit & Negotiate a Public-Private Partnership to
Operationalize the City’s Broadband Network.
The City’s existing network, its role within the Smart Corridor project, and the
Conceptual Network Design proposed in this Strategic Plan - as well as the planned
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 65 of 92
expansion through the Critical City Site Design project recently completed by Kimley-
Horn – have positioned the City to be able to expand the benefits beyond just City
administration and services and into the community at large. However,
operationalizing, monetizing, and managing a retail data network requires resources,
staffing, and start-up capital that likely exceed the City’s existing capacity. The City
should transparently solicit a public-private partnership through an RFP to find a
qualified ISP that is willing to manage, maintain, market and operate the City’s
network in exchange for a portion of the revenues generated through retail sales.
4) Pursue Competitive Grant Opportunities through
State and Federal Broadband Grants.
The State of California, through the Advanced Services Fund (CASF), has $150 million
in annual allocations (through 2032) for broadband grants for infrastructure, public
housing, and adoption programs. The City is eligible for these funding sources and
should pursue these grants to provide for construction of the Citywide Conceptual
Network, for the marginal costs to connect CPUC-designated unserved households
and other at-need neighborhoods, and to assist with digital literacy and navigation
programs in the community.
5) Coordinate Joint Build and CIP Projects for
Broadband Expansion.
Coordinating infrastructure expansion through joint utility work and CIP projects is
the most cost-effective strategy to expand City broadband assets, particularly into
under-served areas and new developments. Effective coordination on all projects that
require excavation will ensure that all utilities—public and private—can economically
expand their broadband footprint in the South San Francisco. The City can
incrementally and opportunistically build its own fiber network, connect key City
facilities, and enable Smart City applications. Effective joint build and utility
coordination requires an effective and enforced “dig once” ordinance, a strong road
moratorium, a curated master project list that aggregates all public and private
excavation work in the public right-of-way, and organized, regular meetings between
the various agencies and utilities.
6) Apply Development Conditions to Major Projects
Planning ahead for a broadband future is the most cost-effective way to both
minimize costs and ensure new housing and commercial development thrives. The
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 66 of 92
City should add broadband and fiber expansion to the existing public infrastructure
requirements (water, sewer, sidewalks, etc.) that developers must finance and
construct for new developments.
The City Council has approved the Lindenville Specific Plan including a condition of
approval that requires placement of conduit for the purpose of future fiber
installation. This condition requires the installation of "three-inch diameter PVC
conduit along the project frontage, in the right-of-way, if any trenching is to take place,
for the purpose of future fiber installation. Conduit shall have a pull rope or tape. A #8
stranded trace wire will be installed in the conduit or other trace wire system
approved by the City." The City could list further standard installation requirements
similar to other cities’ requirement, such as depth requirements (laid to a depth of not
less than 18 inches below grade in concrete sidewalk areas, and not less than 24
inches below finished grade in all other areas when feasible, or the maximum feasible
depth otherwise), install minimum 3-foot radius sweeps and bends, furnish with an
external “warning” ribbon tape a minimum of 3-inches above the conduit, and all
conduit couplers and fittings shall be installed watertight, with sealed end caps upon
installation.
These standard conditions of approval should be considered for all development
work citywide, so that future development of broadband and fiber optic deployments
can be expanded at marginal cost.
7) Establish a Technology Enterprise Fund
Many cities create dedicated funds for revenues generated from leases of City assets
by private telecommunications companies. A dedicated fund with ongoing revenues—
separate from the General Fund—prioritizes new City/public technology deployment
for future build opportunities (funding for fiber network expansions through
incremental builds/joint trench coordination or for locating new smart city devices
concurrent with expansion of private wireless connectivity). Revenues for this Fund
can also be earned from the Broadband Impact Fee being considered by the City.
Creating an enterprise fund helps plan strategically for the years to come when use of
public assets/ROW will increase and could create significant new City revenues. The
unscheduled nature of joint trench/dig once opportunities means cities need a
dedicated funding source outside of the normal budgeting process to take advantage
of open trenches.
The City should consider holding revenues generated by the City through lease or
other agreements for use of City broadband infrastructure – including cellular
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 67 of 92
antennas on street light poles, placement of cabinets or vaults in the ROW, leasing
land or towers for cell tower installation, dark fiber or conduit occupancy leases, or
other telecom-related/ROW revenue generating activities – in a separate account to
offset maintenance and expansion costs.
8) Use City Communications to Inform and Promote Use
of the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program
The ACP is a major cost-free tool for addressing digital equity issues. ACP enrollment
in South San Francisco (18% of eligible households) is less than half the average level
of both the state of California (38%) and the United States (39%). The City should
support inclusion of Affordable Connectivity Program information in communications
and outreach for communities, consumers and programs to raise awareness of the
ACP benefit and further information on eligibility and enrollment. Examples include
making sure schools, libraries, heath clinics and community centers know about ACP
and have information needed to help eligible students, clients and patrons enroll. Put
outreach materials in the hands of teachers, health care providers and community
workers. These materials are available at ACP Consumer Outreach Toolkit | Federal
Communications Commission (fcc.gov)
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 68 of 92
Appendix A: Stakeholder
Interview Participants
Parks and Recreation (12/6/2022)
Greg Mediati – Parks and Recreation Director
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Angela Duldulao - Parks and Recreation Director
Brian Crume – Facility Program Manager
Joshua Richardson – Park Maintenance
Erin O'Brien – Parks and Recreation Business Manager
Mike Mulkerrins – Facilities Manager
Public Safety (12/6/2022)
Deputy Chief Matt Sampson – Fire Department
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Ken Anderson - Fire Emergency Services
Captain Keith Wall – Police Department
Daryl Jones – Police Department
Information Technology (12/6/2022)
Jeff Uchi – IT Systems Administrator
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Akbar Raufi – IT Systems Administrator
Manoe Lau – IT Systems Administrator
Economic & Community Development – Planning (12/9/2022)
Phillip Perry - Senior Permit Technician
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Erik Reitdorf – Assistant Building Official
Tony Rozzi - Deputy Director
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 69 of 92
Library & Community Learning Center (12/9/2022)
Angela Bernal-Silva – Management Analyst
Karla Molina Bourdon – Library Manager, Literacy Services
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Water Quality Control Plant Division (12/9/2022)
Brian Schumacker – Systems Librarian
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Eunejune Kim – Public Works Director/City Engineer
Nicholas Talbot – Assistant Plant Superintendent
Capital Projects (12/13/2022)
Sharon Ranals - City Manager
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Jacob Gilchrist – Director of Capital Projects
Public Works (12/13/2022)
Eunejune Kim – Public Works Director/City Engineer
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Dave Bockhaus – Deputy Director of Public Works
Angel Torres – Senior Civil Engineer
Randy Chen – Lead Electrical Technician (unsure)
Daniel Heffelfinger – Fleet Supervisor
Alex Henry - Craftsworker
Economic & Community Development – Housing (12/14/2022)
Heather Ruiz – Management Analyst II
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Neil Selander – Economic & Community Development Director
Ernesto Lucero - Economic Development Manager
City Councilmember Flores (1/3/2023)
Councilmember Eddie Flores
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Sharon Ranals – City Manager
Maria Patea - Administration, Parks & Recreation
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 70 of 92
Vice Mayor Mark Nagales (1/3/2023)
Mark Nagales – Vice Mayor
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Mayor Flor Nicolas (1/10/2023)
Flor Nicolas - Mayor
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Housing Authority (1/26/2023)
Leah Taylor - Executive Director, SSF Housing Authority
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Rotary Terrace (2/2/2023)
Tracy Angulo – Administrator, HumanGood
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Economic Advancement Center (2/8/2023)
Ernesto Lucero – Economic Development Manager
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Lindenville Planning (2/14/2023)
Tony Rozzi – Deputy Director
Billy Gross – Principal Planner
Tony Barrera - IT Director
Samaritan House- Safe Harbor (2/14/2023)
Jolie Bou – CFO, Samaritan House
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Boys and Girls Club (2/16/2023)
Monica Meija – Director of Operations, Friends for Youth
Tony Barrera – IT Director
Ruby Fong – Regional Site Director, Boys & Girls Club
Poncho Oseguera – Head of IT, Boys & Girls Club
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 71 of 92
Appendix B: Capital Improvement
Program Review
Source: Proposed Capital Improvement Program, FY 2021-22
Table 6. Capital Improvement Program FY 2021-22
Project
No. Project Title Project Description
Broadband
Opportunities
PARKS AND RECREATION
Centennial Way
Trail Improvements
Construction of a new four-acre
linear park along Centennial
Way, between Huntington
Avenue and Spruce Avenue
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
PK2101 Transit Village Park
Project
Development around the new
BART station (Project may be
stalled)
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
STORM DRAIN AND SANITARY SEWER
SS2201 Country Club Park
Sewer Master Plan
Sewer Expansion alternatives for
unincorporated Country Club
Park Neighborhood
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation; SMART City
Applications
SS2202 Oyster Point Pump
Station (included in
Phase 3)
SD2101 Storm Drain Master
Plan (Phase 3
includes connecting
pump stations)
development of future capital
improvement plan for storm
drain system
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation, crucial for
"difficult" crossings; SMART City
Applications
SS1801 Sewer Master Plan
(Phase 3 includes
connecting pump
stations)
development of future capital
improvement plan for sanitary
sewer system
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation, crucial for
"difficult" crossings; SMART City
Applications
TRAFFIC
TR2203 E101 Transit Shelter
and Bulbout
New Bus Stops in SSF
Biotechnology hub
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 72 of 92
Project
No. Project Title Project Description
Broadband
Opportunities
TR1602 Oyster Point and
East Grand Corridor
Improvements
Per traffic improvement plan,
current configurations do not
handle traffic efficiently
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation for
intersections; SMART City
Applications
TR1801 Commercial and
Spruce Signalized
Intersection
Signalization will improve
intersection traffic flow and
reduce number of accidents
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation for
intersections; SMART City
Applications
TR2102 DNA Way at E.
Grand, and Allerton
Ave. at E. Grand
Signalizations
signal interconnect installation Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation for
intersections; SMART City
Applications
TR1404 Utah Ave Over
Crossing Project
construction of new interchange
on US-101 at Produce Avenue
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation, crucial for
"difficult" crossings; SMART City
Applications
STREETS, BRIDGES AND CROSSINGS
SD2202 Colma Creek Oak
Avenue Pedestrian
Bridge
Demolition of existing Colma
Creek pedestrian bridge at Oak
Avenue and construction of a
new pedestrian bridge within the
vicinity that will not impede
Colma Creek flood flows
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation, crucial for
"difficult" crossings; SMART City
Applications
ST1004 South Linden
Avenue Grade
Separation
This is the last remaining at-
grade Caltrain/Union Pacific
railroad crossing in South San
Francisco. Separating the
vehicles and trains will prevent
crossing accidents and improve
traffic flow.
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation, crucial for
"difficult" crossings; SMART City
Applications
ST1204 Underground utility
district, Spruce
Avenue
Underground overhead wires,
design and construct new street
lighting system
Install infrastructure for
wireless/Wi-Fi connectivity;
SMART Lighting/SMART City
applications, Dig Once - Conduit
Installation
ST1301 South Airport
Boulevard Bridge
Replacement
Replace bridge at North Access
Road
Connect City Assets; Dig Once –
Conduit Installation, crucial for
"difficult" crossings; SMART City
Applications
ST1403 Grand Boulevard
Phase I
Improve El Camino Real between
Chestnut and Arroyo Way
Install infrastructure for
wireless/Wi-Fi connectivity;
SMART City applications, Dig
Once - Conduit Installation
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 73 of 92
Project
No. Project Title Project Description
Broadband
Opportunities
ST1502 Grand Boulevard
Phase II
Improve El Camino Real between
Kaiser Way and McLellan Drive,
SSF BART station
Install infrastructure for
wireless/Wi-Fi connectivity;
SMART City applications, Dig
Once - Conduit Installation
ST1807 Grand Boulevard
Phase III
Improve El Camino Real between
Arroyo Drive and Kaiser Way
Install infrastructure for
wireless/Wi-Fi connectivity;
SMART City applications, Dig
Once - Conduit Installation
ST1603 Caltrain Station
Enhancements
Includes furnishing, shelter,
lighting and amenity upgrades to
station
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
PUBLIC FACILITIES
PF1801 Parking Garage
Number 2
new parking garage in downtown
South San Francisco
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
PF1903 Electric Vehicle
Charging Stations
Charging stations at various City
Locations for internal vehicle and
public facing use
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
PF2101 Westborough Pre-K
Design and
construction, Main
Library Conversion
to Preschool project
(included in Kimley-
Horn design)
New Licensed preschool facility
to serve growing need in the
community
Connect City Assets; Install
infrastructure for wireless/Wi-Fi
connectivity; SMART City
applications
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 74 of 92
Appendix C: Business Models
As outlined in Magellan’s 2022 “Broadband and Wireless Feasibility Study”, the City
may choose among several business models to improve broadband infrastructure,
ultra-high speed broadband availability, and broadband affordability in South San
Francisco. The choice of business model needs to align with the vision of the
community and its leadership and be one that fits organizationally into the City’s
municipal operation. The selected business model will also align with the City’s
risk/reward tolerance to achieve its broadband goals.
Figure 17. Business Model Risk/Reward Continuum
More than one option may be selected by an organization. For example, local
governments generally utilize public policy with any of the business models, as the
policies implemented by a local government will complement all the other business
model options. South San Francisco’s adoption of joint trench policies to aid its
broadband networking is a clear example of this. Conversely, a local government
would not likely implement a retail model and public-private partnerships together, as
there are conflicting goals between the two models, including that the result of
competition between the local government and one or more private partners.
Policy Participation Only
Public policy tools influence how broadband services are likely to develop in the
community. This includes permitting, right of way access, construction, fees, and
franchises that regulate the cost of constructing and maintaining broadband
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 75 of 92
infrastructure within its jurisdiction. This option is not considered a true business
model but does significantly affect the local broadband environment and is therefore
included as one option.
Infrastructure Provider
Municipalities lease and/or sell physical infrastructure, such as conduit, dark fiber,
poles, tower space, and property to broadband service providers that need access
within the community. These providers are often challenged with the capital costs
required to construct this infrastructure, particularly in high-cost urbanized
environments. The utility infrastructure provides a cost-effective alternative to
providers constructing the infrastructure themselves. In these cases, municipalities
generally use a utility model or enterprise fund model to develop programs to
manage these infrastructure systems and offer them to broadband service providers
using standardized rate structures.
Government Services Provider
Since South San Francisco already operates its fiber optic network to provide needed
fiber connections to City departments, it could expand operational scope and services
to include other community anchor institutions needing additional internet
connectivity. These community anchors include local governments, public safety
organizations, utilities, and occasionally healthcare providers. Many of these anchors
require connectivity and often, the municipal network provides higher capacity at
lower costs than these organizations are able to obtain commercially. Municipal and
utility networks across the country have been built to interconnect cities, counties,
school districts, and utilities to one another at lower costs and with long-term growth
capabilities that support these organizations’ future needs and protect them from
rising costs. In these cases, government service providers may be cities, counties, or
consortia that build and maintain the network. The providers utilize inter-local
agreements between public agencies to establish connectivity, rates, and the terms
and conditions of service.
Open Access Provider
Municipalities that adopt open-access generally own a substantial fiber-optic network
in their communities. Open access allows these municipalities to “light” the fiber and
equip the network with the electronics necessary to establish a “transport service” or
“circuit” to service providers interconnecting with the local network. Service providers
are connected from a common interconnection point with the open-access network
and have access to all customers connected to that network.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 76 of 92
Open access refers to a network that is available for any qualified service providers to
utilize to connect with their customers. It allows municipalities to provide an
aggregation of local customers on a single network that they can compete for and
provide services. The concept of open access is designed to enable competition
among service providers across an open network that is owned by the municipality.
The municipality retains neutrality and non-discriminatory practices with the
providers who operate on the network. The municipality establishes a standard rate
structure and terms of service for use by all participating service providers.
Retail Service Provider/Business Only
Municipalities that provide end users services to business customers are considered
retail service providers. Most commonly, municipalities provide voice and Internet
services to local businesses. In many cases, a municipality may have built a fiber
network for the purposes of connecting the City’s primary sites that has been
expanded to connect local businesses, in effort to support local economic
development needs for recruitment and retention of businesses in the City.
Municipalities that provide these services are responsible for managing customers at
a retail level. They manage all operational functions necessary to connect customers
to the network and provide Internet and voice services. Municipalities compete
directly with service providers in the local business market, which requires the
municipality to manage an effective sales and marketing function to gain sufficient
market share to operate at a break-even or better.
Retail Service Provider/Business and Residential
Municipalities that provide end user services to businesses and residential customers
are also considered retail service providers. Most commonly, municipalities provide
services to their businesses and residents through a municipally owned public utility
or enterprise fund of the City. As a retail service provider that serves businesses and
residents, the municipality is responsible for a significant number of operational
functions, including management of its retail offerings, network operations, billing,
provisioning, network construction, installation, general operations, and maintenance.
The municipality competes with service providers in the business and residential
markets and must be effective in its sales and marketing program to gain sufficient
market share to support the operation. Many of these markets are rural or
underserved in areas that have not received significant investments by broadband
service providers. Retail service providers must comply with state and federal statutes
for any regulated telecommunications services. These organizations must also comply
with state statutes concerning municipal and public utility broadband providers; a set
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 77 of 92
of rules has been developed in most states that govern the financing, provision, and
deployment of these enterprises.
Public-Private Partnerships (“P3”)
Public-private partnerships are an emerging business model that provides an
innovative solution to an ongoing municipal broadband issue: how does a local
government invest in municipal broadband without operating a broadband network?
The key factors that define a public-private partnership, as opposed to simply a
customer-vendor relationship, is that: (a) all parties contribute, (b) each parties’
benefits are shared based on their contributions, and (c) one partner does not pay
another; there are few or limited transactions between partners.
Generally, P3s create a cooperative platform for a local government and one or more
private organizations to plan, fund, build, and maintain a broadband network within
the municipality’s jurisdiction. To make a P3 successful, each organization should align
on negotiable agreements, which can include:
o Who has rights to access the network – is it exclusive or non-exclusive?
o What are the public and private partners’ goals and how are they
incentivized?
o What roles and responsibilities does each partner have?
o What assets are financed through the public?
o What revenue model is used to recoup investment?
o What requirements must the private partner meet, in terms of service
availability, speed, price, build locations, and performance schedules?
o How will the partners determine future buildouts and who pays for
them?
o What happens if the private assets are sold or acquired?
The essence of such a partnership is that for-profit and for-people entities collaborate
to achieve complementary, if not common, objectives. The bottom line for private
entities is profit, while it is quality of place for public agencies. In concept, private
entities can flexibly mobilize resources where there is money to be made and public
agencies can redistribute resources to ensure no one is left out. A P3 can help realize
both these outcomes: public involvement reduces risk to private investment, and
private involvement enables faster and more extensive execution. The table below
illustrates the differences among the business models that can be utilized to achieve
municipal broadband goals.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 78 of 92
Table 7. Comparison of Municipal Broadband Business Models
COMPARISON OF BROADBAND BUSINESS MODELS
Government Passive Models Government Active Models
Public
Policy Only
Infrastructure
Only
Public -Private
Partnerships
(P3)
Public Services
Provider
Open Access
Wholesale
Retail
Provider
Business -
Only
Retail Provider
Residential &
Business
Services
Provided None Dark Fiber
Only None
Dark Fiber,
Transport,
Internet,
Phone
Transport Internet &
Phone
Internet, TV,
Phone &
Value -Added
Services
Customers None Broadband
Providers None
Public
Organizations
Only
Broadband
Providers Businesses Businesses &
Residents
Funding
Required Low Moderate Low to High Moderate Moderate High High
Competing
with
Broadband
Providers
No No No No No Yes Yes
Operational
Requirements Low Low Low Low Moderate High Very High
Regulatory
Requirements Low Low Low Low Moderate High Very High
Revenue
Generation Low Low Low to High Low Moderate High Very High
Operational
Costs Low Low Low Low Moderate High Very High
Financial Risk Low Low Low Low Moderate High Very High
Execution Risk Low Low Moderate Low Moderate High Very High
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 79 of 92
Appendix D: Transport and Access
Network Equipment
Beyond leasing dark fiber, use of network infrastructure involves offering services.
There are two general classes or types of services that can be provided over modern
network infrastructure. Access services are relatively inexpensive, “best effort”
services that do not include any solid performance guarantees. Generally, access
services are considered “retail broadband.” Transport services are “dedicated”
services that typically come with guaranteed bandwidth and uptime commitments,
which are contained in service level agreements (SLAs). Transport services are variously
referred to as “backhaul,” “bulk IP,” “carrier-class,” “enterprise,” “long-haul,”
“managed,” “metro,” or “middle-mile” services depending on the context. Generally,
they are used by large organizations, including retail service providers.
Access and transport services are complementary but involve different components
and costs as well as customers. As the City of South San Francisco is most likely to
offer transport as part of public sector connectivity business, we describe transport
services infrastructure first, followed by information about co-location, a related
service. We include a reasonably comprehensive consideration of access service
infrastructure for informational purposes since the City of South San Francisco is
seeking partners to offer those services. Improved access services for the community
would directly achieve key results for this plan and address one or more of the City’s
strategic goals.
Transport Services
Transport services involve relatively few, stable but high-performance connections.
Users are major businesses and institutions, including network service providers. The
service is moving information from one point to another, rather than leasing an asset,
so the value comes from ensuring the information keeps moving. This requires
equipment that lights the fiber, maintains connections, and transmits data as
diagrammed in Figure 18. A form of hand-off to other networks or services, which
additional equipment, is commonly a part of transport service.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 80 of 92
Figure 18. Transport Networks Architecture
Networks typically have a core network composed of a few centralized core sites—
called central offices, data centers, or headends depending on type of ISP—
interconnected by fiber in a ring architecture. Core sites contain the most powerful
equipment to connect the local network to the global network. They must be secure,
with high reliability power, and preferably centrally located. At least one, ideally two,
sites must connect to high-capacity dedicated internet services, ideally via different
providers with fiber following separate routes, for bulk IP.
Transport customers typically have substantial network operations of their own that
incorporate transport services where needed, which requires next generation
technologies—specifically software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WAN) and
sophisticated management systems. Customers may require dual-homed
connections, which connect to the core site via two diverse routes, and redundant
connections to cloud services, tier 1 ISPs, and other service providers.
Transport service providers often co-locate in other companies’ data centers to
reduce costs. Access service providers generally prefer to own their core network
sites, known as “central offices” or “headend” facilities, and access infrastructure
called “pedestals” or “points of presence” (POP). This is changing somewhat with the
emergence of wholesale open access infrastructure. Interconnection sites between
different providers range from massive data centers to relatively small huts.
The network equipment required to deliver broadband services to customers is
comprised of several functional groups and multiple components. All business models
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 81 of 92
beyond infrastructure-only require core equipment, similar to what most cities
currently use for their enterprise WANs. This must be supplemented with additional
core capacity and various types of access equipment and infrastructure.
Core Equipment
The core equipment aggregates traffic from all access equipment, connecting
customers and routing their data to and from the IP edge equipment or other end-
point destinations. Standard network protocols provide link redundancy and dynamic
traffic re-routing in the event of an equipment failure or fiber cut. Core equipment can
easily support thousands of customers and hundreds of gigabits of traffic throughput
at deployment and will accommodate future system growth through the addition of
service modules, optical interfaces, and/or software licenses.
Internet Protocol Edge (IP Edge) Equipment
Separate from the core switches, the network must maintain an “internet perimeter.”
The internet perimeter will include internet routers and internet firewalls to be used
to manage routing throughout the network. Firewalls will be utilized to protect critical
back-office systems, including provisioning, network management, data storage, and
other information. The two core switches will be interconnected to two internet
routers providing redundancy for internet services in the event of a single interface or
equipment failure. As mentioned above, bulk IP should be acquired from at least two
providers using diverse paths, one of which should be a Tier 1 provider.
The estimated one-time capital costs for equipment and services to establish a
transport network for the conceptual design, based on vendor-provided pricing,
would be about $530K as summarized in Table 8. The core network in this scenario
would consist of the City’s data center as the “central office” and a secondary, backup
site, which we assume would be an existing site. We assume that each site would have
a single router combining edge/core functionality, an aggregation switch, cloud
service/firewall appliance for security, Internet Protocol services, and management
software for server, network elements, and back-office functions.
Table 8. One-Time Capital Costs for a Transport Network
Item Unit Cost Quantity Total
Core/Edge Routing $80,000 2 $160,000
Switching $7,500 2 $15,000
Software $15,000 2 $30,000
Security $50,000 2 $100,000
Management $30,000 2 $60,000
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 82 of 92
Item Unit Cost Quantity Total
IP Services $5,000 2 $10,000
Spares $15,000 1 $15,000
Subtotal $390,000
CPE $1,200 51 $61,200
Subtotal $451,200
Pro Services $78,000 1 $78,000
Total Capital Cost $529,200
Estimated costs for the two core network sites’ equipment alone are $390K. Expect
professional services at approximately 20% of the total equipment costs to be
required. All the City’s sites would get 1 Gbps connections, scalable to 10 Gbps. Each
site requires customer premise equipment (CPE) that terminates the transport
network and provides an interface to the site's local area network (LAN). We assume
there is existing LAN equipment capable of 1 Gbps connections. Sites without
connections or legacy equipment would involve additional site-specific costs. Budget
around $47K annually for maintenance and other recurring equipment costs.
The central office would house core and edge equipment for ISPs serving customers
within the area. Other carriers could be co-located in these sites so circuits and traffic
could be connected and routed to the rest of the world. Equipment and facilities
requirements are reasonably modest—primarily separate, secure cages for providers
and major network users to place equipment, along with environmental controls and
clean, reliable power. We assume the central office would be the City’s data center.
Otherwise, plan to spend approximately $500K to build out a data center, not
including property acquisition or construction costs.
Access Services
Discussion of access service considerations is included here for informational
purposes since the City is considering pursuit of partnerships with service providers
who would incur these costs to serve customers.
The major difference between a local transport network and a fiber access network is
the addition of access and distribution infrastructure, including hubs and multi-site
terminals, illustrated in Figure 19. The core network delivers much the same
functionality to broadband distribution hubs—also called points-of-presence (POP)—
as to transport service customer sites. The dedicated connections function as feeder
lines, which are also typically deployed in rings, between the core sites and
distribution hubs. The core and feeder networks and hubs comprise the “transport”
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 83 of 92
network. Access requires additional equipment that supports connections to many
customers.
Figure 19. Passive Optical Network (PON) Architecture
Feeder fiber connects optical line terminators (OLT) in the core sites to passive
splitters called fiber distribution hubs (FDHs), typically in outdoor cabinet enclosures
placed strategically throughout the service area. Splitters may also be located within
the access POP itself. In areas where aerial fiber deployment may be used, FDHs may
be placed aerially or transitioned from the aerial pole to a ground mounted FDH. As
this plan is limited to assessing major corridors as fiber routes, we assume coverage is
limited to customer premises within 500 feet of the backbone. This requires only a
single FDH.
The distribution network branches out from the FDHs. Multiple access lines drop off
the distribution lines—hence the term “fiber drops”—via drop terminals into customer
premises. Major sites can be directly and diversely connected to the core sites via
“laterals,” basically putting them on the feeder network. The backbone fiber may be
used for a distribution, feeder network, and/or laterals, as well as core network. The
particular use of specific fiber strands is a matter of how they are spliced together and
where they terminate. Indeed, a single fiber cable can accommodate multiple
physically separate networks for purposes such as SCADA or traffic signal
interconnection.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 84 of 92
Hubs may be powered cabinets, prefabricated shelters, or existing structures with
sufficient space for equipment racks and other components. Feeder and Distribution
Fiber
Feeder infrastructure that extends from the POPs to neighborhoods and business
districts typically requires only a few fibers, at most a single 24-strand buffer tube. The
backbone typically consists of 288-strand fiber therefore at least a hundred strands
would be available for use as distribution. The estimated costs are based on feeder
fibers are sized based on the demand forecast and sizing of each enclosure to ensure
that each service area is well equipped for broadband services. These details are
addressed in engineering design to get optimal coverage for the least practical costs.
Each OLT serves 512 subscribers at a 1:32 split. The number of POPs and OLTs per
POP depends on the number subscribers. The cost includes OLT and backhaul
hardware necessary to connect each POP to the core routers. In an actual
design/implementation, each OLT would not need backhaul hardware, two line cards,
16 optical interfaces, etc.
Distribution fiber extends from the splitters in the FDHs to network access points
(NAPs), or drop terminals, which connect individual fibers entering customers’
premises. NAPs may be attached to aerial strand, located in ground level pedestals or
placed in underground vaults or hand holes located near the sidewalk or curb in
residential neighborhoods or business districts. NAPs are costed as an integral
component of the distribution infrastructure estimates. Fiber distribution to NAPs will
be sized based on the service area density to provide service to between 8-12
premises per NAP.
Fiber Service Drops
Fiber drops connect from each NAP to the customer premise equipment that delivers
broadband service. At the customer premise, the drop cable terminates in a
protective “clamshell” enclosure attached to a home or building for storage of slack
and connection to the home equipment. Drop fiber may be installed aerially or
underground, typically for a flat fee. Providers may charge additional drop costs for
special circumstances such as burying fiber through difficult landscapes or under
driveways. The average cost of a fiber drop in Magellan’s experience, including all
these components and labor, and recognizing that drops can vary greatly in
complexity and distance, is approximately $2,500.
Optical Network Terminal
An Optical Network Unit (ONU), sometimes called an Optical Network Terminal (ONT),
serves as the demarcation point between the retail ISP’s fiber network and the router
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 85 of 92
or firewall connecting to the customer’s local area network (LAN). There are two
general methods for installing ONTs. The first method involves mounting an outdoor
rated ONT on an exterior wall of the structure and extending service wiring inside the
premise. The second method involves extending the fiber into the premise and
installing an indoor-rated ONU inside. In either case, the ONT is typically installed
somewhere near the fiber entrance and an AC power source. The ONT terminates the
fiber-based PON signals and provides customers with access to their services through
traditional copper interfaces. XGS-PON ONT’s supporting greater than 1 Gbps data
service may also support optical small form-factor pluggable (SFP) interfaces for
connection to enterprise-class LAN equipment.
Access, Distribution, and Transport Costs
Fiber in the routes analyzed above could connect retail ISPs’ POPs anywhere in City of
South San Francisco with backhaul via diverse routes to multiple upstream service
providers for maximum fault protection. Additional equipment, infrastructure, and
software will be required to connect homes and businesses to the network. In
practice, most access and distribution infrastructure can and should be built in a
phased manner in response to consumer demand and/or in conjunction with other
capital projects.
Discussion of these access service costs are included here for informational purposes
since the City is considering pursuit of partnerships with service providers – who do
incur these costs to serve customers. Therefore, it is important to understand the
scale of investment required. For cost estimation, we assume:
• 3500 Customer Premises Served per Hub
• 50%27 Prospective Customer Take Rate
• 1,750 Total Subscribers (Drops) per Hub
• 0 Video Subscribers
• 1 Data Center
• 1:32 Split ratio
The size of the subscriber base impacts the types, quantity, and costs of central office
equipment. Core routing and edge routing are assumed to be separated due to
increased capacity required. An optical line terminal (OLT), which establishes
connections over access infrastructure to subscriber premises, is also required along
with equipment for each subscriber site. For estimating costs, we assume that each
customer requires a separate broadband/Wi-Fi router, enclosure, and interface
27 Take rate in the context is used to estimate costs only, not revenues, and is set to a le vel intended to
result in conservative cost estimates.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 86 of 92
(optical network unit or ONU). Required professional services will be approximately
20% of total equipment costs. If additional FDHs were required beyond the central
office, plan to spend about $460K per remote hub to serve up to 2,250 subscribers.
Table 9. Capital Costs for Access Services
Item Unit Cost Quantity Total
Central Office and Distribution Equipment
Edge Routing $80,000 2 $160,000
Core Routing $125,000 2 $250,000
Switching $7,500 2 $15,000
Access Network $50,000 2 $100,000
Software $10,000 1 $10,000
Security $30,000 2 $60,000
Management $75,000 2 $150,000
IP Services $15,000 2 $30,000
Spares $25,000 1 $25,000
Subtotal $800,000
Customer Premises Equipment
ONU $275 1,750 $481,250
NID enclosure $50 1,750 $87,500
Residential Gateway $159 1,750 $278,250
RG Management $6,000 1 $6,000
Subtotal $853,000
Pro Services $160,000 1 $160,000
Subtotal $1,813,000
Software/Systems
Billing $50,000 1 $50,000
Subscriber/Provisioning $25,000 1 $25,000
Subtotal $75,000
Total Capital Expenses $1,888,000
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 87 of 92
Appendix E: Technical
Specifications and Cost Estimates
Construction Methods and Costs
There are many different construction methods to deploy a fiber optic network, some
use existing infrastructure and other methods are new and require substantially more
labor, materials, and expertise. There are types of construction that are better to use
when a speedy deployment is desired. The baseline cost for fiber construction in
major metropolitan areas is approximately $120 per foot.28 The specific type of
construction depends on the built and natural environment and the location of sites
to be connected. Table 10 summarizes the construction methods available and
estimated cost for each.
Table 10. Fiber Construction Methods Compared29
Construction Methods
Estimated
Cost/Foot Brief Description
EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE
Existing City owned Fiber
Optic Cable
$5 – $10 Re-splicing, adding splice cases, testing, and
documenting existing fiber
Existing City owned
empty conduit
$20-25 Placing new cable in existing conduit,
splicing, splice cases, testing and
documenting fiber
Remove and replace City
owned Fiber or Cooper
cables
$25 – $35 Removing working circuits, splicing, adding
splice cases, testing, and documenting
existing fiber
Upgrade traffic
interconnect conduit
$35-45 Removing interconnect cables, upgrade
handholes and sweeps, pull new cable,
splice, test, document
AERIAL CONSTRUCTION
Over lash aerial cable $20 – $25 Pole Loading, place new cable on existing
strand (over lash), splice, test, and document
28 Based on Magellan Advisors’ information about current market conditions in the region and state,
including local prevailing wages.
29 Cost estimates per foot range depending on local environment, existing infrastructure and utilities,
complexity of installation, permitting and ROW access, and local and regional standards and
specifications.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 88 of 92
Construction Methods
Estimated
Cost/Foot Brief Description
New attachment aerial
cable
$45-55 Pole load, build new attachments, place
strand, lash cable, splice, test, and document
New aerial with new
poles
$110 – $130 Same as above but must permit and place
new telephone poles first.
UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION
Vibratory Plow $35 – $45 Using a vibratory plow with 4' stinger to
place conduit prior to new cable placement
Micro trenching $40 – $50 Micro trenching uses a thin 1" – 2" by 12"
deep to cut a trench into the ground,
pavement, or other and place conduit in the
trench and seal it with special material to
prevent cable from coming out of the trench.
Rock Wheel $150 – $160 Uses a 6" – 8" blade to cut a trench up to 36"
deep through any material including rock,
gravel, asphalt, dirt etc.
Boring/Directional
Drilling
$100 – $130 Uses rods and a machine to drill a hole
under the surface of the earth at any depth
needed with minimal disturbance
Open trench $125 - $150 Using machines like mini excavators,
backhoes, shovels to open a trench to place
conduit and back fill over conduit
Assumptions used for the City of South San Francisco conceptual network design
include:
• New construction will be underground when possible
• Aerial construction will only be used for difficult crossings, railroads, water
ways, or highways
• The unit rates are the best current estimation and are subject to change
• The city does not intend to build an FTTX30 network and serve as a retail
provider
• The construction occurs in a phased deployment over multiple years
• Routing is based on road access; easements may be available to lessen the
footages and cost of deployment
• Existing Conduits are suitable for fiber optic cable placement
30 Generic term for Fiber to the Home (FTTH), Fiber to the Node (FTTC), Fiber to the Curb (FTTC), etc.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 89 of 92
• Existing city owned and future fiber optic cables will be of sufficient strand
count to accommodate expansion
• Kimley Horn design is accurate and can be used to expand the City’s network
Aerial or Overhead
Overhead deployment can cost 60% less than the baseline cost, assuming the cable
can be attached to existing poles.31 Poles must be inspected and engineered to make
sure that a new cable does not “blow” the pole. A blown pole means that the pole is
unsafe and has more weight on it than it can safely handle. If the engineering proves
the pole can support new cable placement on an existing strand, then placing a new
cable on an existing strand can be a desired method.
Boring/Directional Drilling
Direction drilling aka boring, requires a large, 4’x4’x4’, hole to be dug for each 300’-
500’ segment. Locating the existing utilities is required and anytime the bore path
crosses a utility, that utility must be “potholed” and physically located to verify the
boring will not contact and damage existing utility facilities. Potholes slow the process
of boring down, especially when numerous potholes are necessary. Next to open
trench, boring is the most expensive construction method.
Microtrenching
Microtrenching is a method of creating a small trench approximately 2” wide and up
to 24” deep. It is approximately a quarter of the baseline cost. A machine with a
carbide tipped blade cuts through rock, asphalt, concrete, dirt, etc. to make the
trench. Then a conduit is placed in the bottom and the trench is then backfilled and
compressed. The top 2”-4” is capped with different sealants and substances to protect
the trench from accidental damage and prevent moisture from seeping into the
ground and causing other serious issues. While cities may be hesitant to use or allow
microtrenching due to the shallow depth of the conduit and risk of damage from
other excavation efforts including water emergencies as well as the poor restoration
that can occur, recent State of California legislation32 requires it to be accommodated.
31 General Order 95 contains the California Public Utilities Commission regulations for attaching to
utility poles, which specifies standards that must be adhered to for the safe co-existence of electric and
telecom assets.
32 See discussion below in the Utility Coordination and “Dig Once” section.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 90 of 92
Open Trench/ Joint Trench
Open trench is when a trench is dug into the ground with shovels, backhoes, skid
steers, or mini excavators. The width may vary, but the trench is usually 12” wide by 4’
deep. Once the trench is “cut” conduit is placed in the bottom of the trench and
backfilled to cover the conduit. In most cases it is the most expensive method for new
construction. The high cost is due to cutting through asphalt, concrete, other
hardscape, labor cost, and restoration cost. This is a labor-intensive method. Joint
trench is the same as open trench except there are many participants from different
telecom, power, and cable companies that all share the expense of construction
making it more cost-effective.
Plowing
Plowing or vibratory plow is a method where a large machine drags a blade ranging
between 2’-4’ deep in the ground and vibrates up and down to “cut” through the
ground. The blade is rounded but sharp on the leading edge and has a slot on the
back edge that conduit is fed through as the blade is moved forward. The conduit is
routed over the top of the machine into the slot on the backside of the blade and is
placed as the machine moves along only leaving a line where the blade had been. The
restoration is minimal, and this is a very effective method in open areas with wide
easements and minimal utilities in the ground. For these reasons, plowing costs about
half to three-quarters of the baseline, depending on existing infrastructure, soil
conditions, and other factors.
Rock Drill and Rock Wheel
Rock drills are like giant jack hammers, which make holes as small as 4” in solid stone.
Rock wheels use a carbide tipped saw blade that cuts through asphalt, concrete, dirt,
rock, etc. just like microtrenching, and cuts a trench that is 6” wide and up to 36” deep.
Both rock drill and rock wheel are very expensive—two to three times baseline cost—
and slow methods of construction but when needed they are effective methods for
placing conduit.
Traffic Signal Interconnect
Traffic signal interconnect conduit systems are built to utilize copper cables and are
usually not able to accommodate fiber optic cables with the needed specifications.
Copper cable can be bent in hard 90-degree angles and wrapped very tightly inside of
handholes resulting in small handholes and 90-degree elbows. Fiber cables consist of
strands of flexible glass that carry light from one end of the cable to the other. If the
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 91 of 92
strands are bent too tight the light cannot reach the other end. To use traffic signals,
conduits may need to be upgraded to accommodate fiber. The hard elbows need to
be changed to sweeps and handholes must be large enough to allow for the static
minimum bend radius of the new fiber. This construction method is more expensive
than overhead but cheaper than other underground construction methods.
Backbone fiber can be managed as a physical asset by assigning specific strands to
specific users, commonly on a lease basis, and uses. Strands in various cables must be
physically spliced together or optically interconnected, including via splitters, to form
complete paths so that any light shone (transmitted) down the fiber is seen (received)
at the other ends. This approach has relatively low cost because it doesn’t require
purchasing or operating equipment, but it can also be very inefficient.
For example, if two strands in a 10-mile-long backbone (20 strand-miles total) are
used to connect two sites that are a mile apart (2 strand-miles), the other 18 strand-
miles become stranded and can only be used on each side of the interconnected
sites. This approach also misses the benefit of redundant paths: If the fiber is cut
between the two sites, the connection is lost because the information cannot flow in
other directions. The key to effectively managing capacity is detailed information
about sites to be connected along with additional infrastructure to aggregate traffic
onto the network without having to dedicate strands to particular sites or types of
sites.
Tradeoffs Between Construction Methods
Construction methods cost very differently, and the inclination would be to use the
least expensive methods to save on the up-front capital investment needed. However,
all construction methods have their “pros and cons”, and the tradeoffs are something
that needs to be considered in advance of construction of a network. Below are some
examples of tradeoffs when considering different construction methods.
Example 1, boring vs. micro-trenching: New underground construction can be done in
a variety of ways with varying costs boring being one of the most expensive. Micro-
trenching is one of the least expensive methods of underground construction,
however, it has drawbacks that need to be evaluated and mitigated prior to use.
Micro-trenching is a shallow underground technique that is a viable in neighborhoods
where there is little traffic and little exposure to major emergencies, such as water
main breaks, that require major excavation in a hurried manner possibly exposing the
shallower fiber to possible damage and outages. However, in major intersections,
heavily travelled roads, water mains, storm drains, side sidewalks and gutters micro-
trenching presents a much higher risk to damage that using directional drilling/boring
which is much deeper at 36” - 48” deep on average.
City of South San Francisco Broadband Strategic Plan Page 92 of 92
Example 2: When implementing a wireless network, it relies on a fiber backbone to
operate effectively and setbacks with regards to tower and pole placement would
need to be adjusted accordingly. The cost and speed of deployment may be the best
possible tactic for network construction, below are possible tradeoffs:
• Aerial equipment is more exposed to the elements, destruction, wildfires, and
as such can have a higher maintenance cost.
• Wireless networks are susceptible to line-of-sight issues with foliage, buildings,
concrete structures, hills, and other blockages that change over time. Trees
grow, buildings are constructed, and foliage changes over time which impede
propagation of radio signals.
• Permitting and long-term cost of using other 3rd party telephone poles, PG&E
for example, can make this method not the best choice.