Explanation
BACKGROUND: This legislation waives competitive bidding and authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a contract with The Shpigler Group to provide materials, labor and equipment necessary for a six-month Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL) pilot project in Columbus' designated service territory known as the King- Lincoln District (KLD), to include modeling tools for assessing BPL service system-wide.
BPL technology is emerging and the products and services required are unique. Manassas, Virginia is executing the largest and only full scale municipal BPL project in the country that the Division of Electricity is aware of today. The Shpigler Group and its associate ZCorum, through their involvement in Manassas, Virginia's project, are identified as the single entity with the experience and capabilities required to provide the hardware and support services necessary to initiate a BPL internet access pilot project and conduct a feasibility study within the otherwise economically disadvantaged KLD urban area.
In an effort to overcome the technology divide, the Division of Electricity proposes to conduct this pilot project and feasibility study by making internet access available to existing Division of Electricity customers in the King-Lincoln District using BPL technology and existing fiber optics infrastructure owned by the Department of Technology. The pilot project will provide an Internet connection for up to fifty (50) Division of Electricity electric distribution service customers for approximately six months, at no charge to the customer. The target will be accessibility to economically disadvantaged households and commercial establishments.
The Mayor's office, through the Department of Development, included as part of its initiative for redevelopment of the urbanized KLD, assistance and support for increasing the use of technology and access to the worldwide web. The proposed BPL pilot project and an economical and...
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