OXNARD LOOKING TO INCREASE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS WITH INTERNET SURVEY, FIBER MASTER PLAN

A message from our Chair - Stacy Miller

In an effort to ensure that current and future Oxnard-based businesses have the high-speed Internet services and connectivity they need, the City of Oxnard has released a Broadband Internet business survey and embarked on the development of a new Fiber Master Plan.

The survey includes questions related to current connections, current Internet speed, costs for services and how well current broadband meets the business consumers’ needs at this time.  The deadline for completing the survey is November 16, 2018. All businesses that complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Amazon gift card. The Broadband Internet survey is available online via the City’s website at: https://www.oxnard.org/fiber.

 In this day and age, access to reliable Broadband Internet services is a vital part of a city’s infrastructure—equally as important as streets, water, parks and sewers. Furthermore, Broadband connectivity enhances a City’s economic development potential by helping attract new, advanced businesses, as well as providing necessary Internet connectivity and services for existing businesses.           

While other Broadband technologies exist using copper and wireless, the use of fiber is much more future-proof. Internet speed demand is estimated to reach gigabit speeds by 2020. The next wave of technologies, especially artificial intelligence, demands increasingly robust connections from both home and office.  Fiber technology is critical to the future of the smart home and the Smart City, since many of today’s most connected cities determined that laying fiber is the foundation upon which many of tomorrow’s most connected services will be built.

Currently in the City of Oxnard, there is an existing network backbone that spans 38.45 miles of underground conduit with fiber running through about 31.81 miles of that conduit.  Additionally, the City maintains 38 fixed wireless links between traffic signal locations.  There is an additional 6.64 miles of conduit and fiber optic cable designed and planned for the expansion of the traffic signal network and other systems.

We applaud the City of Oxnard for capitalizing on this unique opportunity to leverage its existing fiber network by expanding from a closed, private network supporting limited City buildings and systems, to a more open network platform that can be utilized for public, economic and social benefit.

“Becoming a ‘Fiber City’ will help attract investment and support new business growth by providing access to robust, high-speed Internet and data networks,” said Kevin Pisacich, Oxnard’s IT Manager of Communications and Security Systems.  “Gigabit fiber becomes almost like a renewable natural resource that benefits everyone for years to come. My vision for this network is that it will be the foundational infrastructure investment for the City that will provide high speed Internet services for businesses and residents as well as countless modern Smart City initiatives” said Keith Brooks, Information Technology Director for the City of Oxnard.  We couldn’t agree more!
 
The City has selected Magellan Advisors as its partner in developing its new Fiber Master Plan. The new master plan will pave the way to guide the design, construction, implementation, maintenance, management, regulation, operation and funding of the City’s fiber-optic assets and related technologies.
To learn more about the project and complete the survey, visit the City’s website at https://www.oxnard.org/fiber.  Remember, the City needs Oxnard-based businesses immediate input in completing the Internet survey by November 16th.
 

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