Mendocino County Broadband Plan.Working · 12/4/2012 · Elk – Sharon Garner Little River – Jim Culp Mendocino – Jim Moorehead Point Arena – Tom Reid Potter Valley – Brian

12/4/2012 6:46 AM - 1 - Mendocino County Broadband Plan

Mendocino County Broadband Plan

Draft, 11/18/11

Mendocino CountyBroadband Plan

Working DraftDecember 4, 2012


Copyright 2011, 2012, Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County, Ukiah, CA.

This document is set up for duplex printing, and may generate blank pages when viewed electronically, or if printed single-sided.

Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County PO Box 946, Ukiah, CA 95482

www.MendocinoBroadband.org [email protected]

707.354.2262


CONTENTS

Contents .................................................................................................................................. 3

Preface: Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County ................................................................. 1

Donors and Sponsors .................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction and Context ........................................................................................................ 3

A Brief Profile of Mendocino County ........................................................................................... 3

What is a Broadband Plan & Why is it Needed? ......................................................................... 3

Current Broadband Access in Mendocino County ....................................................................... 5

Origins of this Plan ...................................................................................................................... 6

Mendocino County Broadband Plan ........................................................................................ 7

Mendocino County Broadband Plan Goals ................................................................................. 7

Current Status of this Plan .......................................................................................................... 7

CASF/RCC Interim Report ............................................................................................................ 7

Mendocino County Middle-Mile Fiber Backbone Map ............................................................... 8

Northern California Regional Middle-Mile Infrastructure .......................................................... 9



PREFACE: BROADBAND ALLIANCE OF MENDOCINO COUNTY

The mission of the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County is to ensure that the

county’s population has affordable universal broadband access in their homes, businesses,

and transportation to support economic viability, ensure health and safety, and access

educational opportunities.

It has become impossible to lead one’s life, or conduct one’s business without adequate broadband access. From the United Nations to France to Finland, broadband is now recognized as a basic human right.

Unfortunately, rural communities across the nation face economic disenfranchisement and failed economies due to inadequate broadband access.

Recognizing the need for leadership, in 2010, the Community Foundation of Mendocino County joined forces with the Economic Development and Financing Corporation of Mendocino County and the Mendocino Coast Broadband Alliance to form the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County.

The Alliance has been endorsed by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, and two supervisors, Dan Hamburg and John McCowen, are members of the Alliance, serving actively on its committees. The Mendocino County Executive Office, Office of Emergency Services, Office of Education, Planning Department, and Library District are also active participants.

The Alliance is recipient of a $60,000 3-year grant from the California Advanced Services Fund Broadband Consortia Grant Program, and has almost met the goal of a $40,000 matching grant from the Community Foundation of Mendocino County with donations from a wide range of sources.

Participating Organizations

Community Foundation of Mendocino County Economic Development & Financing Corporation Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Mendocino County Executive Office Mendocino County Planning & Building Services Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services Mendocino County Office of Education Mendocino County Library District Mendocino County Tribal Connect Mendocino County Health Care Connect Mendocino County Colleges Connect Mendocino County Public Media Connect Mendocino Coast Broadband Alliance

Steering Committee

Dan Hamburg – Mendocino County Supervisor 5th District, Incoming Board Chair

John McCowen – Mendocino County Supervisor 2nd District, Outgoing Board Chair

Kristi Furman – Mendocino County Chief Executive’s Office

Steve Dunnicliff – Mendocino County Planning DirectorJim Moorehead – Executive Committee Chair Susanne Norgard – Community Foundation of

Mendocino County Brian Churm – Technology Committee Chair John Goldsmith – Finance & Fund Development Chair Randy MacDonald – Intelligence & Advocacy Chair Greg Jirak – Business & Strategic Planning Chair

Advisory Panel

Al Beltrami - Retired Mendocino County CEO Paul Tichinin - Mendocino County Superintendant of

Schools Annette DeBacker - Mendocino County Library Director

(acting) Mary Anne Landis - Ukiah City Council Member Conrad L. Cox - Retired Judge of the Mendocino County

Superior Court Mitch Sprague - Business Manager, Mendocino

Community Network Rod Lorimer - Mendocino Coast Broadband Alliance Bob Coppock - Mendocino Coast Broadband Alliance

Community Contacts

Albion – Shirley Freriks Comptche – Mark Zarlin Elk – Sharon Garner Little River – Jim Culp Mendocino – Jim Moorehead Point Arena – Tom Reid Potter Valley – Brian Churm Redwood Valley – Keith Tiemann Sea Ranch/Stewarts Point – Bill McCarthy Cazadero/Jenner – Mike Nicholls


Donors and Sponsors

The Broadband Alliance gratefully thanks our donors and sponsors for their generous support.


INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

A Brief Profile of Mendocino County

Mendocino County is bordered by Sonoma County to the south, Glenn, Lake, and Tehama Counties to the east, Humboldt and Trinity Counties to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The county encompasses a large, rural area located 115 miles north of San Francisco. With a total area of approximately 3,510 square miles, (approximately 3% flat land) it is geographically the fifteenth largest county in the state. Features of the county include elevations ranging from sea level to almost 7,000 feet, 130 miles of coastline, a coastal mountain range, and vast tracts of timberland.

Conceptually, the county can be broken into four distinct areas: 1) the coastal areas generally following Highway 1, 2) the Highway 101 corridor that traverses the county from south to north, 3) the mountainous area between Highway 101 and Highway 1 (including the Anderson Valley), and 4) the more remote northeast corner of the county that includes the Round Valley Indian Reservation.

According to the California Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit, Mendocino County’s total estimated 2009 population is 90,206. The City of Ukiah, with an estimated population of 15,711, is the largest city in the county and serves as the county seat. Other incorporated cities in the county include Fort Bragg (6,868), Willits (5,080) and Point Arena (492). 62,055 residents live in the unincorporated areas of the county.1

What is a Broadband Plan & Why is it Needed?2

In its 2008 final report, “The State of Connectivity: Building Innovation Through Broadband,” 3 the California Broadband Task Force recommended seven key actions to help our state achieve fast, reliable and affordable broadband services. The first was to:

“Build out high-speed broadband infrastructure to all Californians.”

In making this recommendation, the Task Force stated, “Advancing new incentives for deployment and improving existing programs will create a world-class broadband infrastructure for California.”

1 Source Data: U .S. Census Bureau, 2006-2008 American Community Survey 2 Portions of this section courtesy of Tom West and Upstate California Connect. 3 http://www.cio.ca.gov/broadband/taskforcereport/default.asp


In February 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created the National Broadband Plan (NBP)4 wherein the FCC observed that, “Broadband is the great infrastructure challenge of the early 21st century.” The NBP recommends seven long-term goals, of which the first is:

“At least 100 million homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100megabits per second and actual upload speed of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps).”

To meet these challenges Mendocino County needs to develop a County-wide strategic broadband plan that includes:

1. A county-wide fiber middle mile infrastructure plan that redundantly connects with regional and/or national broadband infrastructure.

2. Community-specific last-mile infrastructure plans.

3. Implementation and execution of these plans to provide affordable, reliable, redundant broadband access throughout the County.

4. Outreach to, and education of, the public to ensure universal broadband access in the County.

Mendocino County’s economy depends critically upon construction of solidly planned broadband infrastructure throughout the county. Without adequate broadband, Mendocino County’s economy will be seriously impaired.

4 http://www.broadband.gov/plan/


Current Broadband Access in Mendocino County

Unfortunately, most of Mendocino County remains broadband unserved or underserved, using the California Public Utilities Commission’s current standard for fully served access as 6Mbps down, and 1.5Mbps up.

The Alliance conducted a public broadband access survey during 2011 and early 2012 demonstrating that broadband access is seriously deficient throughout the County. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has improved map coverage of Mendocino County to show better the extent of unserved and underserved areas in Mendocino County.

Both maps clearly show that Mendocino County has a large number of unserved or underserved populated areas and transportation corridors.

The root cause of the problem is that Mendocino County’s population is spread very thinly in relatively small pockets. The major broadband vendors refuse to serve major portions of Mendocino County because provision of such service doesn’t meet their return on investment criteria.

Instead, Mendocino County depends upon County-local wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) to provide service to these unserved/underserved areas. A major obstacle facing all WISPs operating in Mendocino County is the lack of affordable, reliable, redundant backhaul.

Local WISPs rescuing local communities are forced to use long distance microwave relays through remote difficult terrain to provide broadband access to many populated areas and transportation corridors of the county.


Origins of this Plan

Recognizing that it was not the only county with unacceptably poor broadband access, in January, 2012, Mendocino County established an informal tri-county broadband coalition with Sonoma and Lake Counties to address the regional issues affecting each county’s middle-mile fiber backbone.5

This plan originated as a direct consequence of Alliance action to bring affordable universal broadband to the County of Mendocino, in collaboration with Humboldt State University, California State University Chico - Center for Economic Development, and the Corporation for Educational Initiatives in California (CENIC), and funding from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF).

The Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County (Alliance) is a direct offspring of the Mendocino Coast Broadband Alliance (MCBAC), which was a member of CETF’s Redwood Coast Connect program, managed by Humboldt State University (CETF/RCC). The Alliance is a current member of CASF’s Redwood Coast Connect, also managed by Humboldt State University (CASF/RCC).

5 http://mendocinobroadband.org/february-29-2012-california-telehealth-network-ctn-meeting/


MENDOCINO COUNTY BROADBAND PLAN

Mendocino County Broadband Plan Goals

The goals of the Mendocino County Broadband Plan are:

1. Economic growth of businesses and industry;

2. Enhanced educational services;

3. Access to increased library services and resources;

4. Improved access to quality healthcare;

5. Interoperability of public safety services;

6. Online access to all levels of government services; and,

7. Opportunity for each citizen to avail themselves of the wide range of information resources and services they deem appropriate to improve their quality of life.

Current Status of this Plan

The Mendocino County Broadband Plan (MCBP) is a strategic conceptual plan intended to provide guidance for broadband infrastructure deployment in Mendocino County.

This document represents the state of the MCBP as of early winter, 2012. It has been developed by the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County with generous funding provided by its sponsors, and countless hours of volunteer professional time.

The Alliance will continue to develop the MCBP during 2013 and 2014 as a member of Redwood Coast Connect (RCC), sponsored by the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Consortia Grant Account program, and as a collaborator with Sonoma County, who is a member of Upstate California Connect (UCC).

CASF/RCC Interim Report

The current state of the Mendocino County Broadband Plan, and details of its development during 2012 are contained in the Interim Report submitted by the Alliance to Humboldt State University Sponsored Projects Foundation as part of the planning grant from HSUSPF to the Alliance in 2012.

This report can be found on the Alliance web site at:

http://www.mendocinobroadband.org/mendocino-county-broadband-plan/


Mendocino County Middle-Mile Fiber Backbone Map

This is a conceptual working draft map, intended to show where Mendocino County would have middle-mile fiber backbone if there were no deployment obstacles, and will be refined during the coming year. For more information, see: http://www.mendocinobroadband.org/middle-mile-fiber-backbone-plan/.


Northern California Regional Middle-Mile Infrastructure

The 16 rural counties in Northern California (Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma Tehama, Trinity, and Yolo) encompass nearly 27 percent of the geography of the State of California, and collectively have over 1.6 million residents.

Yet these 16 counties still do not have a comprehensive, integrated, open access, middle-mile broadband infrastructure to meet their current needs let alone the information resources so necessary for a healthy economy in the 21st century.

The NCRMMI project is designed to solve this problem by deploying a robust middle-mile network infrastructure across the 16 Northern California counties.

Download the conceptual plan at: http://www.mendocinobroadband.org/northern-california-regional-middle-mile-infrastructure/.

Mendocino County Broadband Plan

Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County PO Box 946, Ukiah, CA 95482

707.354.2262 www.MendocinoBroadband.org

Documents

Mendocino County Broadband Plan.Working · 12/4/2012 · Elk – Sharon Garner Little River – Jim Culp Mendocino – Jim Moorehead Point Arena – Tom Reid Potter Valley – Brian