Newark City Council
April 25, 2024

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Technology Master Plan
Budget
Low High FYE 2025 FYE 2026
Project Range Biennial Budget
FYE
2027
FYE 2028 FYE 2029 Current
FYE 2024
Initiative
IT Initiative Comments
Priority
18 Expense Reimbursement Software Streamline and automate submission and approval of employee expense reimbursements H Included with New ERP Solution 19 Time and Attendance System Improvements Assessment and selection of a Time and Attendance solution H Included with New ERP Solution
20 Human Resources System Improvements Close functional gaps, implement new modules, integrations, and end-user training. L Included with New ERP Solution 21 Trakstar Trakstar improvements and expansion H $25,000 $50,000 $24,000 $24,000 $26,000 $28,000 $30,000 $33,000 22 Risk Management Software Assessment and selection of a risk management system. L Included with New ERP Solution 23 Scholarship Management Software Assessment and selection of a scholarship management system. M $18,000 $30,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000
24 Electronic Content Management System (ECMS) Improvement Laserfiche Cloud M $150,000 $350,000 $23,500 $25,000 $27,500 $29,000 $31,000 $33,000 25 Agenda Management Improvements AgendaQuick L $20,000 $40,000 $7,280 $7,644 $8,026 $8,428 $8,849 $20,000 26 Public Safety Scheduling Software InTime - PD Funds H $50,000 $100,000 $17,424 $36,424 $36,424 $11,424 $11,424 $11,424 27 Law Enforcement Training and Standards (LETS) Software Assessment and selection of Law Enforcement Standards Software. H $20,000 $30,000 $30,000 $10,000 $10,000
28 Electronic Ticketing and Citation System PD Funds H $15,000 $75,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 29 Land Management System Improvements Close functional gaps, implement new modules, integrations, and end-user training. H $300,000 $600,000 $75,000 $150,000 $150,000 30 Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Replacement From original IT budget 3/22 H $300,000 $600,000 $75,000 $500,000 $80,000 $84,000 $88,200 31 Recreation System Improvements Close functional gaps, implement new modules, integrations, and end-user training. L $10,000
32 Pool Management and Recreational Staff Scheduling Digiquatrics - Rec Funds H $10,000 $10,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 33 Volunteer Management System Assessment and standardization of the volunteer management system. L $15,000 $30,000 $20,000
34 Microsoft Office 365 and Teams Microsoft EA - Expand to G3, P1 for additional cybersecurity features. Then Expand to G5 H $140,000 $200,000 $177,272 $131,830 $230,000 $230,000 $230,000 $275,000

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Technology Master Plan
Budget
Low High FYE 2025 FYE 2026
Project Range Biennial Budget
FYE
2027
FYE 2028 FYE 2029 Current
FYE 2024
Initiative
IT Initiative Comments
Priority
35 Digital Signatures DocuSign M $20,000 $50,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 36 Dashboard Preparation and Automation Review, assessment, and selection of performance dashboard needs. L $15,000 $30,000 $20,000
37 Intranet Axero H $29,354 $21,356 $22,691 $25,800 $27,400 $29,000 Smart Technologies
38 Website Granicus with $2500 migration to ca.gov M $50,000 $175,000 $13,877 $16,820 $14,786 $150,000 39 Request Management Software Citizen Request Management software L $25,000 $50,000 $35,000 $15,000 40 Public Records Request Assessment and selection of public records request software. M $5,000 $25,000 $15,000 $15,000
41 Kiosks Estimate up to 6 kiosks M $60,000 $120,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 42 GIS Assessment and Plan
Esri SGEA.Create a GIS Plan to determine requirements.

Expect cloud based GIS and some contractor services to
follow.

H $30,000 $50,000 $39,700 $39,700 $100,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 43 Mass Outbound Communications System Assessment and selection of mass outbound communications software. L $15,000 $30,000 $20,000
44 Social Media Policy and Strategy Internal project. H 45 Artificial Intelligence Best practice for getting started H 46 Smart Cities Technology Strategy Smart Cities implementation strategy discussion H $0 $50,000 $50,000 47 Broadband Master Plan Implementation Connecting city facilities H $3,000,000 $3,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,500,000 IT Infrastructure
48 Computer Equipment Replacement Planning Four year rotation. Added contingency H $400,000 $400,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 49 Computer Room, IT Closets, and Power Distribution Improvements UPS for all switches, small cabinets where possible. H $25,000 $50,000 $25,000 $25,000 50 Council Chambers Audiovisual Council chambers upgrades H $150,000 $200,000 $175,000 51 Conference Room Audiovisual Refresh Included with Council Chambers A/V H Included Above Included Above 52 Internet Bandwidth Redundant internet with satellite for tertiary H $100,000 $100,000 $10,500 $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 $21,000 53 Network Upgrade Replace leased end-of-life switches (Est 7) H $35,000 $40,000 $212,500 $150,000 54 Server Upgrades CH & PD server replacement separate years H $600,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 55 Structured Connectivity System Replace old cabling were applicable H $25,000 $25,000 $25,000

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Technology Master Plan
Budget
Low High FYE 2025 FYE 2026
Project Range Biennial Budget
FYE
2027
FYE 2028 FYE 2029 Current
FYE 2024
Initiative
IT Initiative Comments
Priority
56 Public Safety Video System Procurement for additional video cameras for City facilities H 57 Door Access Control Improvements Expect Capital Project in FYE24. Some continued spending expected. H $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 58 Wireless Network Improvements (Wi-Fi) Complete parks coverage, mostly Silliman. M $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 Remote Access VPN Remote access improvements (possible Zscaler implementation) H $15,000 $20,000 $55,000 $47,000 $47,000 $50,000 $52,000 IT Operations
59 Help Desk Ticketing System ConnectWise installed. H $28,000 $25,000 $25,000 $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 60 IT Asset Management Automation Included with Help Desk H 61 IT Automation Tools (Patch Management)
Need to consolidate to single solution. Assume
LanSweeper or InTune using G5 license - third party
assistance for implementation
H $25,000 $30,000 $25,000
62 Identity and Access Management Implement complete onboarding/offboarding procedures.

Active Directory Audit Tool for auditing and management. H $15,350 $10,100 $10,100 $10,100 $10,100 63 IT Policies and Procedures Incident Response Plan followed by policy library. H $12,500 $20,000 $15,000 64 Mobile Device Management Verizon MDM - Assume InTune - can use 3rd party assistance. H $10,000 $10,000 $5,000 $20,000
65 Network Management Tools (Configuration Management) What's Up Gold, PRTG or similar. H $25,000 $30,000 $25,000 Desktop Management Assume InTune - can use third-party assistance included above. M N/A N/A
Cybersecurity
66 Audit Logs and Log Management Log Management tool - separate from SIEM - Arctic Wolf H $125,000 $175,000 $63,904 $67,100 $70,455 $73,978 $77,677 $81,560 67 Backups and Testing Consolidate cloud and on-premise backups to Rubrik. M $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 68 Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Do after backup consolidation. H $15,000 $25,000 $15,000 69 Firewall Filtering and Consolidation High Availability pairs for each Internet Connection.

Separate firewall CH <-> PD. Three year agreement H $175,000 $200,000 $175,000 $175,000 70 IT Security - General Barracuda or M365 G5 for email archival H $18,000 $36,000 $36,000 $36,000 $36,000 71 Multi-Factor Authentication City staff to complete. H $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 IT Staffing
72 IT Staff Training Training plan development H $165,000 $185,000 $25,000 $30,000 $36,000 $42,000 $45,500 73 IT Staffing L
74 GIS Staffing Contract to start. H $450,000 $500,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $162,750 $170,888

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Technology Master Plan
Budget
Low High FYE 2025 FYE 2026
Project Range Biennial Budget
FYE
2027
FYE 2028 FYE 2029 Current
FYE 2024
Initiative
IT Initiative Comments
Priority
75 Enterprise Applications Support Add two business analysts. One to start with EAM, second to start with ERP. M $133,000 $173,000 $155,000 $162,750 $170,888 76 Staff Security Awareness Training In progress H $15,000 $15,000 Telecommunications
77 VoIP Phone and Telecommunications Replacement Expect funding to be committed in FYE24 H $150,000 $200,000 $177,000 $177,000 $177,000 $200,000 $200,000 $652,211 $5,675,224 $3,745,982 $1,962,730 $2,753,950 $2,286,559 *Other Funding Sources (Grants, Reserves, Funded, Planned and/or Estimated) ARPA Funds Utilizing for Broadband Master Plan $1,200,000 State Grants Utilizing for Broadband Master Plan $300,000 $1,500,000 Expected Telecommunications Savings Offset to VoIP & Telecommunications Initiatives $53,000 $53,000 $53,000 $53,000 $53,000 GIS Fund for CIP 1331 Second Phase Setup $50,000 $100,000 IT Technology Reserve Fund $1,500,000 $500,000
Public Safety State Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Grant $166,667 $166,667 $166,667 PEG Fund for CIP 1298 City Council Chambers A/V $175,000 Retirement of XXX
Operational Funds (FYE 2024) & expected (FYE 2025-6) $477,211 $1,219,874 $393,668 Subtotal - Other Funding Sources 652,211 4,489,541 2,713,335 219,667 53,000 53,000 Net new Funding $0 $1,185,683 $1,032,647 $1,743,063 $2,700,950 $2,233,559 Total Plan Budgets $8,895,902

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Council Presentation
City of Newark
Presented by
David Krout, Partner, Management
Consulting and Applications
Tom Jakobsen, Partner, IT Infrastructure
and Operations
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Presenters
•25 years Applications Procurement
Experience
•Worked with over 120 agencies
(process review w/ thousands of
dept. users)
David Krout, CPA (inactive),
Managing Partner
•40+ years IT Infrastructure /
Operations Consulting
•Oversees more 10+ IT
departments for other agencies
•IT Infrastructure, Virtual CIO and
IT Strategy Advisory
Tom Jakobsen
Partner
2 Packet Page 271
•Introductions
•Technology Plan Objective
•Planning Methodology
•Assessment
•Strategies, Goals and Objectives
•Project Budgets
•Questions
3 Agenda
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Introductions
Who We Are
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Working with local
government agencies
throughout the US:

Cities Counties
Utilities School
Districts
National in Scope – Local in Presence
5 Packet Page 274
US Agencies
Serviced
500+
Projects
Nationwide
3,500+
Technology
Assessments
and Plans
150+
National in Scope – Local in Presence
6 Packet Page 275
California Agencies Served
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Technology Strategic Plan Objective
Actionable Roadmap for Improvement
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Technology Master Plan Purpose
• Align technology with the
Ci y’ gi n go l
• Consider IS Strategic
Framework, presented Nov.
2020
9 Planning
makes
expenditures
more
efficient
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Technology Master Plan Purpose
• Identify and budget project initiatives:
• Improve constituent services
• Increase department operational efficiency
• Reduce risk and improve cybersecurity
•Provide actionable multi-year
roadmap
• Includes priorities, budget estimates, and
timelines 10
Planning
makes
expenditures
more
efficient
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Methodology
The Process and Approach to Developing the Plan
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Phased Approach
Business Operations issues
and needs determined first …
with strategies and goals to
get there …
culminating in actionable
initiatives …
working with the City’s Team
throughout
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12 Assessment
The Current Environment
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Assessment
Strengths
• Dedicated, hard-working staff
• Most are new to the City
•Staff understand the mission and
work very well together
• Motivated to improve operations
and constituent services
• IT Infrastructure/cybersecurity
improving
• Move to Microsoft 365
strategically sound
14 Packet Page 283
Assessment
Areas for
Improvement
IT
• Need additional IT Operations
tools
• Incident response and disaster
recovery planning high priority
• Includes cloud-based disaster
recovery
• In Process:
• Telephone system and data
network improvements
• Public Safety Video and facilities
security improvements
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15 Assessment –
Business
Applications
• ERP y m “ n ” by
vendor
• Should be replaced within 5 years
• Lots of demand for departmental
system improvements
• 28 application initiatives in the Plan
• Improve reporting and workflow
automation
• Reduce shadow systems and
manual processes
16 Packet Page 285
Assessment –
Business
Applications
• Potential Major System
Improvements:

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
System modules
Some Timekeeping performed in Excel
Enterprise Asset Management system
should be replaced
Document Management system
improvements and training necessary
17 Packet Page 286
Assessment –
Business
Applications
• Many high priorities
• Most system improvements
business application related
18 Packet Page 287
Assessment –
Business
Applications
Improve application utilization
Follow best practices for system
assessments, procurement and
application management
• Focus on training to streamline
operations
• Use software assessments and
process reviews to identify system
improvements
• Improve data availability and
management to expand reporting
capabilities
19 Packet Page 288
20 IT Spending improved
significantly
IT Spending below benchmark
(29 similar agencies)
Assessment – IT Spending
IT Infrastructure technology deficit reduced; Technology deficit remains for departmental applications and IT operations Packet Page 289
Strategies, Goals, and Objectives
The Big Picture
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Technology Strategies
• Expand staff technology training opportunities
•Expand Microsoft 365 first, then prioritize annual training • Continue infrastructure & cybersecurity improvements
• Expand IT operational toolset
• Replace Help Desk system
• Develop processes for inventory, onboarding/offboarding • Develop GIS capabilities
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22 Department/Application Strategies
• Gain efficiency through improved application utilization • Continuous improvement through Assessment, Process
Review, Software Selection, and Implementation Best
Practices
• Replace:
• ERP system
• Timekeeping and Scheduling
• Replace Enterprise Asset Management System (Work
Orders and Asset Management)
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23 IT Staffing
Needs
• Large technology deficit
• Needed:
• Cybersecurity focal point
• GIS capabilities
•Business application analysis skills
• Recommend a cautious approach
to staffing
• Utilize contract subject matter experts
in the near term
• Consider additional Business Analyst
skills at a later date
24 Packet Page 293
Budgets
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TMP Budget
•6-year plan
•Departments prioritized their initiatives
•IT prioritized technical initiatives
•Funding identified for approximately 50% of
recommended initiatives
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26 Budget Notes
FYE2025 includes significant technology projects
Project Budget Funding Source
Broadband Master
Plan – Phase 1
$1,500,000 ARPA & State
Grants
Physical Safety
Improvements
$2,000,000 CIP
CH & PD Server
Replacements
$500,000 IT Reserve Fund
Total One Time Costs $4,000,000
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Budget – Strategic Technology Plan
Major spending categories: Business Applications,
Smart Technologies, & IT Infrastructure 28
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Budget – Strategic Technology Plan
83% of recommended spending is High Priority
29 Packet Page 298
Plan Budget Summary
All
recommended
projects will
follow normal
budget request
and
procurement
policies
•Technology infrastructure
improvements:
•Continuously increase cybersecurity toolset
- reduce risk
•Improve IT operations tools
•Expand disaster recovery capabilities
•Significant enterprise application system
improvements desired
•Recommend third-party assistance for
major application system improvements
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30 Questions and Answers
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Thank you!
Th ’ w p.

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Item  F. 2.

DATE 04/25/2024
TO Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM Ed Miranda, Information Technology Director/CIO
SUBJECT    Receive a presentation of the draft Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report and provide feedback
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council receive a presentation of the draft Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report recommending strategies for the City to increase the availability, affordability, and quality of broadband internet services. City Council feedback will be incorporated into the final Plan.

BACKGROUND
On March 11, 2021, the Federal Government passed the American Rescue Plan Act, commonly referred to as “ARPA”, a $1.9 trillion relief package aimed to stimulate the economy. Under ARPA, the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) was established and $11.8 million was awarded to the City of Newark. The City Council held a work session on October 7, 2021 to discuss options to spend the City’s $11.8 million allocation. On October 28, 2021, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 11275, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Recovery Plan, to guide staff on the expenditure of funds. This plan approved two initiatives to support sufficient infrastructure to provide robust and equitable broadband services throughout the City.

The first initiative, development of a Citywide Broadband Master Plan, was allocated $200,000. The second initiative, broadband infrastructure (partial implementation of the Master Plan), was allocated $1,000,000. The City of Newark then received $1.8 million from the State of California through Assembly Bill 179, largely due to the legislative efforts of Assemblymember Alex Lee, 24th District. The use of these funds will follow findings, recommendations and strategies of the Broadband Master Plan and will focus on the priorities developed through the master plan process to improve the existing broadband network.

Packet Page 302
In January 2023, proposals were requested from qualified consultants to develop a Broadband Master Plan. In March 2023, the City Council approved a contract with Government Technology Group (GTG) to develop the Plan. This report to the City Council includes the progress made on the draft Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report. The final Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report will be presented at a future City Council meeting.

DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
Since March 2023, GTG and their consultants have been conducting a comprehensive process to develop the City’s first Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report. The scope of the Broadband Master Plan is to help the City of Newark explore competitive, reliable, and cost-effective broadband technologies to address the needs of the community at large, with a focus on unserved and underserved areas.

Broadband infrastructure enables innovation in business and operational processes and communities are demanding new communication speeds to simplify or speed their work. Fiber infrastructure provides efficient error-free communications that allow for real time-sharing of information between City facilities, including traffic signals and public safety, while improving internet services for the community, including residents, businesses (commercial and industrial), schools, health services, and other organizations.

GTG followed a structured, phased approach that built upon earlier stages and findings to discover and resolve foundational gaps in the communications needs of the City with recommendations, roadmaps, and prioritizations to support broadband technologies. The planning methodology for the Broadband Master Plan was a collaborative effort with staff and community input through conversations, surveys, meetings, workshops and reviews, supplemented by subject-matter expertise and awareness of industry best practices and evolving trends.

The methodology (Discovery Phase, Vision Phase, Final Report) GTG used for this plan consisted of proven steps, encompassing the vital information needed to establish a Broadband/Smart City plan and the steps to accomplish said plan.

The study articulates a mission and vision to accommodate the City's current and future "Smart City" projects. The City of Newark's Broadband Master Plan is a framework for the next ten years that will facilitate the City's mission of providing superior public services that enhance the quality of life for the community. The plan will assist with the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the need for Smart City services due to the proliferation of connected devices, including utility assets, streetlights, traffic signals and surveillance cameras. In addition, the plan will enhance economic development, education, healthcare and the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Newark while allowing the City to target investments and develop capabilities that Packet Page 303
while allowing the City to target investments and develop capabilities that contribute to achieving strategic and organizational objectives.

The Broadband Master Plan will guide and enable decisions on how fiber optic technologies support City and community needs. In addition, it will enhance operational and business processes to help staff collaborate within and across divisional boundaries. The Broadband Master Plan lays out steps for the City to use broadband services to improve efficiencies in delivering services to the community, including broadband friendly policies that support the Citywide Broadband Master Plan.

Project initiation establishes the foundation for effective communication and the successful completion of the project. The Discovery Phase focuses on the assessment of the City's current environment and how fiber optic communications support the City's needs while identifying gaps, opportunities, and long-term provision of a broadband communications system. This discovery and assessment phase resulted in a gap analysis between vision and the current fiber infrastructure realities by means of working closely with stakeholders to perform a comprehensive assessment. Surveys were conducted to assess and determine overall satisfaction in terms of broadband and broadband service delivery and support. In addition, GTG assisted with gathering information on all City and private assets to incorporate into the plan (asset inventory, stakeholder outreach, market analysis, governance discussions).

The Vision Phase builds the tools and vision for the future of Newark including high-level design, cost and funding analysis. Workshops and road maps contribute to the understanding of how that future can be achieved. The culmination of the assessment of the current environment, combined with the needs and goals of all the stakeholders, focuses on planning the future with a supporting fiber optic network. The vision requires an understanding of the needs, goals, and funding opportunities the City will be able to leverage to complete the overall project goals and objectives.

The final step follows a structured methodology to develop a Broadband Master Plan that is supported by the information gathered in the "Discovery" and "Vision" phases to develop actionable recommendations and projections for future broadband improvements that support residents, local businesses and services, regionalism, and Smart City technologies. In the City of Newark's Broadband Master Plan, GTG highlights the top six recommended prioritizations:

Define roles and responsibilities, assigning a point person to lead broadband and community connection efforts.

1. Establish a staff committee for oversight and accountability for program initiatives and progress.

2. 3. Consider a Public Private Partnership (P3) for a partner that can engineer Packet Page 304
and construct the high-level design as well as attract an internet service provider to provide internet services to the residents, businesses and organizations of Newark.

Create policies and procedures relative to broadband development, including a dig once policy and wireless facilities ordinance.

4. Develop funding mechanisms or financing strategies that help pay for broadband programs such as a Technology Fund, Public, Educational, and Governmental PEG fund (cable franchise fees), and enterprise funding which will be critical for the initial and ongoing success of broadband development.

5. Incrementally build city-owned broadband infrastructure with a P3 or other model.

6. The presentation from GTG will provide an overview of the Broadband Master Planning process, including community engagement, and present recommendations for the City as a strategic roadmap that focuses on using time and resources efficiently. Following the presentation, GTG will solicit feedback from the public and City Council.

FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.

REVIEW AND APPROVAL
Prepared by - Edwin J. Miranda, Information Technology Director Reviewed by - Lenka Hovorka, Assistant City Manager
Reviewed by - Krysten Lee, Finance Director
Reviewed by - Kristopher J. Kokotaylo, City Attorney
Approved by - David J. Benoun, City Manager
Attachments
Report - Draft Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report Presentation - Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Report Packet Page 305
Broadband Master Plan
and Smart City Report
for

37101 Newark Blvd.

Newark, CA 94560

From

2930 Geer Rd
Suite 273
Turlock, CA 95382
(209) 678-3077
[email protected]
Packet Page 306
City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 2 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 4 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 6 Methodology............................................................................................................................................ 6 Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Asset Assessment ........................................................................................................... 8 Planned Assets ....................................................................................................................................... 9 City-Owned Broadband Infrastructure ..................................................................................... 9 Technology Trends ............................................................................................................................10 Market Analysis............................................................................................................. 15 Key Findings ..........................................................................................................................................16 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................................28 Service Availability....................................................................................................... 29 Address Assessment.........................................................................................................................29 Goals and Needs ............................................................................................................ 34 Broadband Survey...............................................................................................................................34 Speed Test Results.............................................................................................................................39 Comments from Business Respondents................................................................................40 Comments from Residents............................................................................................................42 Community Outreach Meetings..................................................................................................45 Policies ............................................................................................................................. 45 Gaps .................................................................................................................................. 47 Conceptual Design ........................................................................................................ 49 Tradeoffs .................................................................................................................................................51 Phasing......................................................................................................................................................52 HLD Footages and Budget..............................................................................................................56 Business Model and Funding...................................................................................... 58 Business Models ..................................................................................................................................58 Grants and Other Funding Sources ..........................................................................................62 Recommendations......................................................................................................... 63 Next Steps........................................................................................................................ 66 Connected Communities ................................................................................................................69 Case Study Examples.................................................................................................... 70 Packet Page 307
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Newark Strategic Horizon ........................................................................................... 72 Top Areas of Opportunity .............................................................................................................72 Other Smart City/Connected Communities Recommendations ..............................73 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 75 Packet Page 308
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Executive Summary
Broadband is a 21st century challenge, ranked as one of the most important technology investments to make worldwide. It is key for economic development purposes, competitiveness, job creation and a new foundation for more prosperous communities. In Newark’s case, there is a desire to improve reliability and speeds in the community, including wireless and 5G technologies. Broadband increases the opportunities to achieve these goals.

Access to the internet is a critical part of everyday life for most of the world.

The internet, known as a network of networks, allows individuals to connect to each other, no matter where you live or do business in the world. Broadband is the way we connect to the internet, using diverse types of technology such as copper wireline, fiber optics, cellular, wireless, coaxial cable (coax) or even satellite.

Although different technologies, the terms broadband and internet can be interchangeable terms that refer to ability to access the “Net” or internet. “Highspeed” broadband is the term for devices to connect to the internet via wireless, fiber optics, hybrid fiber coax or digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has defined broadband as internet speeds of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload.

California has set a higher standard of 100Mbps down and 20 Mbps up.

The internet of things (IoT) refers to a collective network of devices that can communicate with each other, the cloud
and other networks. IoT integrates everyday
“things” such as refrigerators, TVs, cars,
phones and a myriad of devices and implants to
continuously monitor and report their status with
minimal or no human interaction needed. The IoT relies
on broadband, in all its many forms, to connect to the
internet.

Technology advancements are creating an online reality that cannot be ignored, and any city that does not embrace this new reality will be left behind. Distance learning, telehealth and remote work are requirements for residents to be able to function in this new online environment. Until recently, broadband was Figure 1 - Internet of Things
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viewed as a luxury provided by the private sector, with cities held captive by the whims of these companies.

The City of Newark is no different. Partnering with Government Technology Group LLC (GTG), a Broadband Master Plan and Smart City Study was performed to assess broadband and Smart City opportunities in the city.

The City recognized their community’s desire for high-speed, affordable broadband services. GTG performed the assessment of the broadband and Smart City needs of the city, exploring opportunities for improving and expanding high speed broadband communications for all community members in their jurisdiction, while taking advantage of broadband communications to support innovative Smart City solutions.

The assessment included a survey of the community, workshops with residents, stakeholders and businesses, and discussions with City staff to obtain a holistic view of their needs.

The outreach performed by GTG shows that the city is served by broadband internet, but there is a need to expand fiber to other areas of the city in order to support municipal services and build infrastructure that could be used to improve competition between broadband providers in the city. Broadband expansion could also be beneficial in improving wireless connectivity in the city for public safety, public works and for the general public with expanded 5G services.

For Newark to be successful in moving forward with the recommendations of the Broadband Master Plan the following top six recommendations should occur:
1) Define roles and responsibilities, assigning a point person to lead broadband efforts, and continual oversight on program initiatives and progress.
2) Establish a staff committee for oversight and accountability for program initiatives and progress.
3) Consider a public private partnership for a partner that can engineer and construct the High-Level Design (HLD) as well as attract an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to provide Internet services to the community. 4) Create policies and procedures relative to broadband development including a dig once policy and wireless facilities ordinance. 5) Develop funding mechanisms or financing strategies that help pay for broadband programs, (i.e., Technology Fund, PEG fees, enterprise Packet Page 310
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funding) for the initial and ongoing success of critical broadband development.
6) Incrementally build city-owned broadband infrastructure with a public private partnership (P3) if this model is selected.

This report provides recommendations for the organization as a strategic roadmap that focuses on using time and resources efficiently.

Introduction
Methodology
The methodology GTG used for this plan consists of proven steps, encompassing the vital information needed to establish a Broadband/Smart City plan and the steps to accomplish said plan.

Figure 2- Methodology
Asset Assessment is investigating and analyzing what assets—street and traffic lights, towers, existing conduit or fiber, for example —exist in the city that can be leveraged for the expansion of broadband. GTG looks at city-owned assets as well as privately owned assets.

DISCOVERY PHASE
Asset Assessment
Market Assessment
Needs Assessment

VISION PHASE
High-Level Design
Recommendations

FINAL REPORT
Next Steps
Final Report
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Market Assessment includes researching the area and discovering what services are available, in what areas they are available and at what price.

Needs Assessment is required to understand what the city needs to support economic development, as well as community needs related to broadband and Smart City innovation.

High-Level Design provides a road map for the expansion of broadband through construction. Although it is not always recommended that municipalities build a network to serve the community, a high-level design is necessary to understand what it would take to build a network, providing the city an opportunity to incrementally build and take advantage of Dig Once policies, developer agreements and capital projects.

Recommendations comprise the totality of the report, with an outline of the direction the city should follow to support the needs of the community.

Next Steps apply actions to the recommendations to accomplish the tasks required for implementation of the broadband and Smart City plan.

Final Report and Presentation including all the elements outlined above in a final document and presentation to staff, city council and the public, if desired.

Key Findings
• Expanding broadband to city facilities will reduce telecommunication costs for the city, while providing a foundation for improved services, such as attracting a private sector partner to expand low-cost, high-speed internet within the city.
• Most community members have access to high-speed broadband but the existing infrastructure (i.e., lack of fiber) is not future proof. Some providers are using a hybrid fiber coax solution while others continue to use dated copper lines.
• Internet Service Provider broadband infrastructure is dated impacting reliability.
• Cellular coverage within city facilities is lacking or spotty. This could be due to saturation of coverage or something blocking the signal, i.e., trees and buildings.
• There is a desire for Wi-Fi for business, inclusivity, old town area, restaurant row, the Senior Center, community center and parks. • Newark is interested in developing broadband in a way that offers a competitive advantage for its community.

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• The City lacks a Dig Once policy and Developer Agreement standards for expanding broadband infrastructure at a reduced cost to the city. • Broadband access and affordability are issues for lower-income residents.

All businesses—particularly large, technology-focused businesses—need reliable, modern broadband infrastructure.
• Newark works closely with property owners and developers to streamline the development and building permit review and inspection processes.

The City should continue enhancing these processes as needed. • The City issued an RFP to reduce telephone and Internet costs to select facilities. The City’s broadband plan should be considered during the evaluation process to assist in reducing costs while improving speeds and reliability.
• The City has a security framework in place, a foundational piece to support Smart City/Connected Community programs.
• The City has multiple opportunities to implement Smart City solutions, taking advantage of broadband infrastructure planned for implementation.
• The City is in the process of updating its streetlights. The new streetlights are Smart City/Connected Community ready, i.e., they can be used to expand Wi-Fi when funding becomes available.
• The City has Smart City/Connected Community projects and services in place, i.e., eNotifications, TextMyGov.
• There is a desire to improve cellular coverage at the Mall and Costco. The City can help provide Wi-Fi outside the buildings but private businesses need to work with cellular providers to improve service inside the buildings.

Asset Assessment
Assets are everything owned by a city that has inherent value. This includes physical items, as well as the non-physical, such as space and intellectual property. Asset inventory is one of the first steps in the planning process and is required to find a starting point for infrastructure expansion. For this study, GTG focused on assets that are or can be utilized for broadband. Some assets evaluated include:
• Network equipment
• Fiber optic cables
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• In ground conduits
• Wireless towers and antennas
• Agreements with assets attached
• Office space, rack space
Planned Assets
Planned assets and capital improvement projects are necessary to track and are included in the network designing process because they can add a great deal of infrastructure at a reduced cost. These projects can also speed up deployment by taking advantage of opportunities that can be used later when needed. Some of the opportunities can be agreements with other agencies, counties, rail lines, ISPs and more.

Newark has a few planned projects that fall into these categories:
• Traffic Signal Interconnect – Three separate projects running along Cherry Street, Thornton Avenue, and Newark Boulevard provide transportation flow and control improvements.
• Old Town Project Development Area Streetscape Improvements – Major project to enhance the downtown core of Newark.

Each of these projects offer Newark improved opportunities to add fiber, conduit, and access points as they are developed. Additionally, these projects could help Newark expand its reach of fiber throughout the community, providing opportunities for residents, businesses, schools, and other government facilities to gain access to high-speed broadband infrastructure.

City-Owned Broadband Infrastructure
The City owns very limited broadband infrastructure (assets such as buildings, connected community streetlights, but no fiber). To provide improved services for the community and the potential for enhanced internet services for community, the city should take advantage of Dig Once policies and regional efforts to build out the high-level design provided in this report.

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Technology Trends
Overall, activities, processes and resources are being digitized. On one level, this is simply a function of the increasing capacity and speed of digital technologies. On another level, these trends are driven by a larger mega-trend towards demand-driven, pull-based systems, including agile development and lean production.

Pull-based systems produce just-in-time results, like getting a coffee at a cafe; it is not made until you order it. Tying this to agile and lean production, you ensure information is visible and accessible as needed, improving decision making and collaboration, resulting in improved, cost-effective services. Much of the rationale for digitization has centered on cost avoidance or reduction, whereas the larger trend is primarily focused on increasing customer value and revenue in an efficient manner. These trends are interacting with larger socioeconomic factors, particularly the aging population, a shrinking workforce, and climate change. While beyond the scope of this study, this report provides a solid foundation for effectively addressing the trends noted below.

A specific trend directly impacting local governments is the emergence of a Connected Community (Smart City), which can be defined as “a place where traditional networks and services are made more efficient with the use of digital solutions for the benefit of its inhabitants and business.”0F 1 While
Connected Community activities have often been very technology-centric rather than community-centric, the general purpose is to improve and integrate public processes. Generally, Connected Communities focus on energy, environment, and public-facing activities, but major internal changes, typically referred to as digital transformation, are necessary for external improvements. “Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how businesses, including local governments, operate and deliver value to customers.”1F 2 This has important
implications for municipalities, not the least of which relate to residents and other external stakeholders. For Newark, digital transformation means residents are likely working remotely or running businesses from their homes. 1 https://commission.europa.eu/eu-regional-and-urban-development/topics/cities-and-urbandevelopment/city-initiatives/smart-cities_en 2 https://enterprisersproject.com/what-is-digital-transformation Packet Page 315
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Of course, this also implies major changes for the city itself. Specifically, community/customer-facing systems might be deployed and/or upgraded so the City’s operations can be done completely online. This also means the City should be providing some form of connectivity, such as electronic kiosks and public Wi-Fi for convenience, and for those who do not have access to affordable or reliable internet at home or at their business.

Three related trends are the rise of cloud services, integration of information technologies (IT) with operational technologies (OT), and, most significant for current purposes, emergence of broadband as a utility.

Cloud services include a wide range of applications, data collection, processing and storage and network functions provided via numerous, distributed computing resources. The two major implications for municipalities are (a) reduced need to operate servers but (b) increased costs for and reliance on online services along with (c) new applications—mostly web-based—that were impractical or unavailable in the past.

A general class of cloud-based applications and related technologies focus on adding intelligence to assets and machines of various sorts, allowing them to be integrated with IT (or vice-versa).

Operational technologies (OT) are “programmable systems or devices that interact with the physical environment [to] detect or cause a direct change through the monitoring and/or control of devices, processes and events.”2F 3 For
municipalities, OT includes everything from garbage trucks to traffic signals.

Increasingly, OT is being added to “dumb” assets such as manholes, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, traffic, parking meters and streetlights. Integration with IT enables cost reduction and performance improvement.

Broadband is technically any channelized communications media, but it has come to mean always-on, high-speed internet access. Broadband is important for people, as it allows them to access media content, connect with friends and pursue their interests. As businesses and government undergo digital transformation, broadband is increasingly important in everyday life. Access to education, jobs and healthcare effectively require broadband. On the other side of this trend, businesses and municipalities that do not have and use 3 https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/operational_technology Packet Page 316
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broadband are at a huge competitive disadvantage. While it may seem a bit pedantic to include broadband as a trend in a report for a broadband study, it is important to understand that broadband isn’t an end, but rather a means to improved outcomes that enables other trends.

Beneath all these trends runs a more fundamental observation: The critical and growing need for robust cybersecurity. Internet access can provide a way for malicious hackers to steal data from or take over municipal systems. As the amount of OT increases, so do the digital vulnerabilities that allow hackers to control them, operate software bots and attack other systems. Cybersecurity is as much about practices and procedures as well as technologies. For example, “deep fake” technology and spoofing—imitating or taking over accounts—are being used to get critical information or direct payments. People need to be educated about how to recognize possible scams and “social hacks” and avoid them.

Fiber optics has become the gold standard for broadband deployment. There is no broadband deployment medium that can compare to the speeds, symmetrical bandwidth or low latency that fiber optics provide. Wireless, cellular or hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cannot compare to the speeds or reliability of fiber optics. Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) set a new speed record over a single strand of fiber at 1.02 petabits per second.3F
4 The following two tables show download comparison speeds. The state of California and the Federal Communications Commission now both recommend 100Mbps down and 20Mbps upload speeds as the minimum benchmark for broadband. One-hundred megabytes down is considered the standard now with anything higher being considered above average.

It should be noted that copper technologies are shared. This can impact the speeds in the community. For example, if all subscribers are watching the Superbowl at the same time using copper, their download speeds would be impacted.
4 https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/japans-nict-sets-new-data-transmission-speedrecord#:~:text=Japanese%20researchers%20have%20set%20a,(32%20miles).

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Figure 3 - Download Times Comparison
Library of Congress - Estimated 240 Terabytes (240,000,000 Megabytes) Seconds Minutes Hours Days Months
25 Mbps DSL 9,600,000 160,000 2,667 111 3.7
50 Mbps Cable 4,800,000 80,000 1,333 56 1.9
100 Mbps Cable/Fiber 2,400,000 40,000 667 28
500 Mbps Cable/Fiber 480,000 8,000 134 6
1 Gbps Cable/Fiber 240,000 4,000 67 3
10 Gbps Fiber 24,000 400 7

1.02 Petabits Fiber 0.227
Figure 4 - Library of Congress Download Comparison
Fiber optic networks are essential for backhaul of all networks to connect to the internet, including cellular networks. Fiber optic cables are flexible strands of glass that trap the light inside a core only 8-10 microns wide inside of a strand that is 125 microns wide. One hundred and twenty-five microns are approximately the same size as two strands of hair or one grain of table salt.

Trapping and controlling the light allows fiber to avoid the many issues that arise from wireless and copper networks, such as obstacles in a wireless environment and the slow speeds of analogue or digital signals over copper.

Wireless technologies are advancing in ways never imagined. There are two basic trains of thought on broadband: fixed wireline and wireless. The two rarely come together, and proponents of each technology overplay their own Packet Page 318
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importance, thinking that either wireless or wireline is the only way to go. In more urban areas, the reality is that wireless last-mile deployment is the future.

Last-mile refers to the connection from the street to the resident. This is commonly referred to as fiber-to-the-neighborhood. Fiber optics networks are essential for backhaul, connecting each neighborhood to the internet. However, the cost savings realized by a wireless last-mile cannot be overlooked, especially with the current wireless technologies available. Terragraph is a wireless company that uses different technologies and deployment strategies to overcome the inherent issues with the typical wireless deployments. Tarana Wireless is one such company that is reshaping the future of wireless deployments, making it faster, easier, and more cost-effective to deploy highspeed broadband. Companies such as Mimosa, Ubiquity, and others are all creating better, stronger, more resilient equipment with higher bandwidth.

Wireless technology is a way that municipalities and private companies quickly deploy more cost-effective networks.

Satellite is another budding technology that is currently experiencing growing pains. Satellite uses light to relay information from the end user to a satellite orbiting the earth at either low level, 250-350 miles above the earth, or as far out as 26,000 miles. Although the signal is traveling at the speed of light, going that far into space, being bounced off a satellite and returning to earth creates exceedingly high latency, the time it takes for data to reach the other end.

Satellite signals are shared, which require a lot of satellites to be in orbit with many base stations on earth, connected to fiber optic networks providing the end users a connection to the internet.

Starlink wants approval for 30,000 low orbit satellites to be deployed for the satellite network to improve functionality. The FCC in December 2022 granted approval for 7,500 satellites to be deployed. However, Starlink was recently denied Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) subsidies of nearly $885 million because the satellite provider failed to provide the speeds promised at a high cost per dish required at residents’ homes. Satellite technology holds possibilities as a broadband provider to the more rural areas of the USA that have no other options.
“Starlink’s technology has real promise,” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel explains. “But the question before us was whether to publicly subsidize its still developing technology for consumer broadband — which requires that users purchase a $600 dish — with nearly $900 million in universal service funds until 2032.” Packet Page 319
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a trend that is talked about across every aspect of business and industry. However, Newark should be extremely cautious, as this is an emerging technology that has significant risk associated with putting it in practice.

Newark should consider the following cautionary points as it relates to artificial intelligence, depending on where and how it is planned to be used:
• Bias. AI systems are trained on data, and if that data is biased, the AI system will be biased as well. This can lead to discrimination against certain groups of people. Newark should take steps to ensure that the AI systems used are trained on unbiased data.
• Privacy and security. AI systems collect and store a lot of data, and this data could be misused or hacked. Newark, as well as all cities, should take steps to protect the privacy and security of the data that is collected and stored by AI systems.
• Transparency and accountability. It can be difficult to understand how AI systems make decisions. This can make it difficult to hold AI systems accountable for their decisions.

To help mitigate some of these risks Newark should consider the following:
• Develop ethics guidelines for the use of AI. These guidelines should address issues such as bias, privacy, security, transparency, and accountability.
• Invest in AI research and development. This research should focus on using AI systems that are more fair, transparent, and accountable. • Partner with the private sector and academia to develop and implement AI solutions. This will help to ensure that Newark is able to access the latest AI technologies and best practices.

While AI could be a powerful tool, it's important to be aware of the maturity and risk associated with it.

Market Analysis
The Market Assessment section of the study serves the purpose of evaluating broadband availability to determine whether it aligns with the requirements of the local market. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the local broadband landscape in Newark, GTG conducted an analysis of current services Packet Page 320
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and associated pricing within the city. For effective broadband planning, it is imperative to understand the offerings and costs of technology providers.

Various factors contribute to disparities in broadband access and adoption in different areas. The primary cause of such discrepancies is geographical access to broadband, where certain locations lack providers offering broadband services in proximity. Additionally, the affordability of services plays a pivotal role, as the cost may be prohibitive for some potential subscribers.

Broadband access and adoption are shaped by many factors, encompassing availability, pricing, service quality and the extent to which it caters to a community's needs. In the realm of broadband and telecommunications, service quality primarily revolves around the speed and reliability of the services provided. Broadband is increasingly viewed by many municipalities as a modern utility, given its integral role in our daily lives. Consequently, the focus is predominantly on high-speed, dependable broadband, with customer service becoming a significant consideration only in competitive market environments.

GTG focused on the following questions when conducting the market assessment:

1. What is the current coverage of the local providers?

2. What technologies are offered: fiber-to-the-home, HFC (hybrid fiber-coaxial), DSL, 5G or Satellite?

3. What are the pricing tiers for each provider?

4. What is the competitive nature of broadband in Newark? GTG conducted a comprehensive analysis of the broadband landscape within the City of Newark, with the aim of assessing the available broadband options for residents, businesses, the city itself and other entities. This analysis delves into several key aspects, including the internet speeds offered, the associated pricing, the providers of these services, the level of competition within the local market and an evaluation of the existing and planned broadband infrastructure.

Key Findings
• The City of Newark is served by local providers. According to network maps shared by the local providers, the community has access to highspeed broadband.

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• The largest provider in the area is Comcast/Xfinity and is the only provider that covers around 98% of the city. Providers are outlined next in this section.
• According to the FCC Broadband map, approximately 32% of the residents have access to a FTTH (fiber to the home) provider, offering up to 1000 Mbps symmetrical download and upload speeds (this speed is appropriate for a most community members including those that use games, graphics, video and small businesses).

FCC Broadband Maps
The FCC Broadband Maps, officially known as the Federal Communications Commission Broadband Data Collection, are a crucial initiative in the United States, designed to improve the accuracy and transparency of broadband coverage data. These maps are instrumental in ensuring that everyone has access to reliable, high-speed internet services, playing a pivotal role in shaping broadband policy, investment, and infrastructure development across the country.

Data Collection: The FCC Broadband Maps involve the collection of data from ISPs to create an up-to-date and detailed representation of broadband coverage nationwide. ISPs are required to report information on the availability of their services, including maximum advertised speeds, technology used (e.g., DSL, cable, fiber) and geographic coverage.

Challenges and Controversies: The accuracy of these maps has been a subject of debate. Critics argue that they may overstate the availability of broadband in certain areas, leading to inadequate funding allocation. There are also concerns about the reliability of ISP-reported data and the need for more independent verification.

Mapping Accuracy: One of the primary objectives of these maps is to provide an accurate depiction of where broadband services are available and where they are not. This information is vital for identifying underserved and unserved areas that may lack adequate internet access.

Transparency: The FCC Broadband Maps aim to enhance transparency and accountability in the broadband industry. By making coverage data publicly available, consumers can make more informed choices about their internet service providers and advocate for better connectivity.

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use this data to allocate resources, design subsidy programs and prioritize areas in need of improved broadband infrastructure.

Ongoing Improvements: The FCC has been actively working to enhance the quality and reliability of its broadband maps. These improvements include better data collection techniques and increased granularity in mapping, enabling a more precise understanding of coverage in smaller geographic areas.

Impact on Rural and Underserved Communities: Accurate broadband mapping is particularly crucial for rural and underserved communities. It helps direct resources to areas that are most in need, bridging the digital divide and ensuring that everyone have access to essential online services and opportunities.

In summary, the FCC Broadband Maps are a fundamental tool for shaping the future of internet connectivity in the United States. They enable better-informed decision-making, transparency, and the equitable distribution of broadband resources to ensure that everyone can participate in the digital age. Continued efforts to refine and enhance these maps are essential to address the evolving needs of our increasingly connected society.

Most of the nation considered 25Mbps up and 3Mbps down to be slow and inadequate for broadband internet speeds. California’s standard was already set to 100Mbps up and 20Mbps down and in 2024 the FCC adopted these same minimum recommendations which are considered good for residential use. For business use, it depends on the needs of the business i.e. 100Mbps up and 20Mbps down may be good for small businesses but large business or those with a heavy reliance on the Internet (including most local governments) rely on much higher speeds with symmetrical 1000Mbps up and down speeds being the standard.

The FCC maps below show residential “units” consistent with Census 2020 Housing Units. Anything under 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up is considered unserved or underserved per this map. The FCC considers areas unserved or underserved to be eligible for Federal grants. This does not mean the areas are served by high-speed reliable future proof fiber. Older technologies may be in place that are subject to speed limitations and reliability issues.

FCC Maps can be found at: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/location-summary.

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Figure 5: FCC Map showing availability to fiber optics, Newark, CA Packet Page 324
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Providers in Newark
According to the FCC broadband map5, there are six available providers in Newark: Comcast Corporation, AT&T, Hughes Network Systems LLC, Space Exploration Holdings LLC, T-Mobile USA Inc and ViaSat Inc.

Comcast Corporation is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses: Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the United States' largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and provides these services to businesses. Comcast is the predominant provider in Newark; 63.7% of the city’s residents are subscribers, according to this survey. Current Comcast/Xfinity offerings in Newark can be found in the chart below6.

Provider Technology Speed/ Mbps $/Month Data limit
Comcast Hybrid-Fiber
Coaxial 75 $51.00 No
Comcast HFC 200 $35.00 No
Comcast HFC 400 $50.00 No
Comcast HFC 800 $60.00 No
Comcast HFC 1000 $60.00 No
Comcast HFC 1200 $80.00 No

AT&T, recognized as the world's largest telecommunications company, holds the second-largest position in the mobile phone services industry. Notably, in recent years, this multinational conglomerate ventured significantly into the media and entertainment sectors, particularly through its acquisition of Warner Media in 2018. However, a shift in strategy emerged in February 2021, when AT&T announced its intention to spin off DirecTV, six years after acquiring this satellite TV business. Subsequently, in May of the same year, plans were unveiled to spin off Warner Media and merge it with Discovery. 5 https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/location-summary/
6 https://www.xfinity.com/digital/offers/plan-builder
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Under the leadership of CEO John Stankey, AT&T seeks to refocus its efforts on expanding its 5G wireless connectivity capabilities. In pursuit of this objective, the company is currently engaged in a highly competitive, multibillion-dollar battle against rivals such as T-Mobile and Verizon. This battle revolves around achieving the fastest speeds and the most extensive 5G network coverage.

Provider Technology Speed/ Mbps $/Month Data limit
ATT Fiber 300 $55.00 No
ATT Fiber 1000 $65.00 No
ATT Fiber 1000 $80.00 No
T-Mobile offers 5G home internet for just $50 a month with AutoPay, up to 50% savings against the industry benchmark, or $30 per month for families with Magenta MAX, T-Mobile’s most popular phone plan. It’s a flat rate, with no added taxes or fees, equipment costs, annual contracts, or price hikes.

Availability for this service requires upgrading or constructing 5G antennas.

This does not happen on a city-wide basis, but rather an incremental build over time.

Provider Technology Speed/ Mbps $/Month Data limit
T-Mobile 5G max 235 $ 50.00 No
Satellite providers available in the city include ViaSat, HughesNet and Starlink.

Satellite companies utilize wireless signals transmitted from a base station/ground unit, bouncing these signals off an array of satellites orbiting the Earth at an average distance of 26,000 miles. Even at the speed of light, a 52,000-mile round trip introduces a significant amount of latency. Latency refers to the time it takes for data to travel from one point on a network to another.

Starlink has begun deploying satellites in a low earth orbit, approximately 350 miles above Earth's surface. Users of these lower orbit satellites experience significantly lower latency, better speeds and overall performance. However, Starlink's proposal to add an additional 9,000 low orbit satellites has been denied for several reasons. Foremost among these is a lack of understanding Packet Page 326
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about how objects in low Earth orbit behave over time and what might happen when they eventually re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.

Another reason for the denial is the concern about space pollution. Allowing too many objects into orbit could limit our ability to observe space from the Earth's surface and pose potential risks to existing satellites and space missions.

Provider Technology Speed/ Mbps $/Month Data limit
ViaSat Satellite 12 $ 69.99 40 GB
ViaSat Satellite 25 $ 99.99 60 GB
ViaSat Satellite 30 $ 149.99 100 GB
ViaSat Satellite 30 $ 199.99 150 GB
ViaSat Satellite 30 $ 299.99 300 GB
Hughes Net Satellite 25 $ 74.99 50 GB
Starlink Satellite 25 $ 110.00 1 TB
4G Coverage and 5G Coverage
According to the FCC Broadband Map7 shown below in Figure 6, 3G has been upgraded and is no longer being used or deployed by any carrier, with 100% of Newark having access to 4G, 5G and 5G NR (New Radio). Newark area providers include Verizon (Figure 7), T-Mobile (Metro PCS and Sprint), US Cellular and AT&T (Figure 8). In every city, there are small pockets that are not covered by cellular signals, which are not reported or shown on maps. It is nearly impossible to ascertain this information without metering these signals through mobile mapping efforts. Mobile mapping uses software and antennas, which test and record the signal strength throughout the city and is used to identify pockets that need to be bolstered with more cellular towers. FCC maps are general coverage provided by the carriers. Reality is that cellular signals are interfered with by many things like buildings, trees, mountains, weather, etc.

Resulting in, depending on interference, bad splotchy service not reported by providers, so the coverage maps look better for publicity and selling services. 7 https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/areasummary/mobile?version=jun2023&geoid=0650916&type=place&zoom=11.95&vlon=- 122.109695&vlat=37.521020&tech=tech4g&env=0
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Newark suffers from this, just like every other city, with residents’ report suffering from many pockets of bad cellular coverage that have not been identified by mobile mapping, something that should be accomplished by the cellular providers. Figure 6 below shows the coverage of 4G, 5G, and 5G NR (new radio) throughout Newark. This image shows the reported coverage by the carriers. This is not always accurate and can be misleading. The map does not consider the interferences that exist in Newark like trees, buildings that create pockets where coverage can be limited or non-existent.

Figure 5 - FCC Broadband Map showing coverage of 4G, 5G, and 5G NR (New Radio)
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Figure 7 – Verizon Coverage Map
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Figure 8 - ATT Coverage Map showing availability of 5G+, 5G and 4G LTE according to AT&T’s website
Privately Owned Fiber Optic Cables
In Newark, there are several providers with both metro and long-haul fiber assets, as illustrated in the maps below. The first image (Figure 9) displays local metro networks (metropolitan or regional networks). These networks are instrumental in providing high-speed, reliable connectivity within the city.

The second image (Figure 10) showcases the long-haul fiber routes that traverse Newark, and it includes infrastructure owned by Level 3, CenturyLink and Electric Lightwave. These routes follow many of the city's major corridors, serving as the backbone for data transmission over longer distances.

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These extensive fiber networks, both metro and long-haul, are essential for supporting the growing demand for data and communication services in Newark. They not only enable businesses, residents and other entities to access high-speed internet, but also play a pivotal role in connecting the city to the broader region and the global digital infrastructure. As Newark continues to develop and expand its technological capabilities, these fiber assets will be crucial in facilitating economic growth, innovation, and improved connectivity for all.

These assets can be accessed by a P3 if the City engages one to expand fiber communications in the community at a faster rate and reduced costs since they are already in place and do not have to be built from scratch.

Figure 9 – Fiber Assets available in Newark
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Figure 10 - Newark long-haul fiber routes and infrastructure.

Data Centers
Connectivity in any urban area, community or region is predominantly defined by its access to the internet, with the critical factors being internet speeds and available bandwidth. One often underestimated component of a fiber optic network is its links to data centers. These data centers serve as hubs where numerous internet service providers, private enterprise networks (such as Facebook and Amazon), point-to-point connections and various avenues connect with the global network converge. In the City of Newark, there is one data center situated within its boundaries at: Apple Newark Data Center, 39800 Eureka Drive Newark, CA 94560
There are 88 data centers within a 25-mile radius of Newark, with the majority in San Jose and San Francisco. With this high concentration of data centers, Newark has options when it comes to connectivity and access to the internet, anchor institutions, and other municipalities.

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Significant benefits of connecting to a regional hub include business continuity and disaster recovery benefits. These locations allow for offsite storage and redundancy in critical systems that the city could take advantage of.

In addition to private data centers, the California Department of Technology (CDT) is working on the California Middle-Mile project, which refers to the development and implementation of a middle-mile network in the state of California. It is part of the effort to expand broadband infrastructure and improve internet connectivity across the state. The project aims to establish a network of fiber optic cables that connect various communities and regions within California, providing a reliable and high-speed backbone for broadband services. The middle-mile network is planned to run along 680 and I-880. The CDT will also be building Data Hubs approximately every 50 miles on the middle-mile network and splice boxes/vault every 2400 feet. GTG recommends the City coordinate with CDT to determine a location for the connection to the middle-mile network that will provide access to other local governments for sharing communications and having access to high-speed low-cost Internet services in addition to providing areas for disaster recovery equipment.

Other opportunities include working with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) or the City of Fremont to connect the City’s fiber network to the regional Oakland hub or the Hurricane Electric hub in Fremont for access to high speed, low cost Internet services.

Conclusion
Newark is served by the local incumbent providers with broadband per the CPUC maps. There were complaints related to customer service, reliability, costs and accessibility from the community. It would benefit the area to have a more competitive landscape, however, the area is not being neglected and the City should continue to work with and support the local providers. Studying the 4G and 5G provider coverage maps you can see the entire area has access to 5G cellular coverage and 5G home coverage.

Although Newark is covered by the local providers and access to broadband seems to be an option for most of the community, in addition to complaints regarding customer service, reliability, costs and accessibility, the issue of adoption comes into view. The lack of adoption can be caused by a few reasons including affordability, access to devices, and digital illiteracy, among others.

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Newark should become an active participant in helping alleviate the digital divide.

Two major complaints from staff and the community were reliability and speed of 5G coverage with areas that impact public safety, public works, and the community. The City should evaluate the need for additional towers within the city to increase speeds due to saturation and reliability for public safety purposes or determine if this is limited to pockets where buildings, trees, etc. may be causing coverage issues and an additional tower would be unnecessary.

Service Availability
Once the providers are identified, it is important to understand the areas the providers operate within.

Address Assessment
For a better understanding of the availability of providers and the broadband options they offer to specific locations, GTG pulled 40 random addresses and researched the options available at each address as shown in Figure 11. Those results can be found in the table below. Actual addresses researched are not included for privacy concerns.

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Figure 11 – Address Assessment in City of Newark
Street
Comcast
HFC
ATT
Fiber
ATT
DSL Satellite
TMobileFixed
wireless

RAMSGATE DR X X X X X

BRETON DR X X X X

REYMOUTH DR X X X X

ORLEANS DR X X X X X

CRYSTAL SPRINGS

DR X X X X X

HALEY ST X X X X X

COLBERT PL X X X X X

PAPAYA ST X X X
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Street
Comcast
HFC
ATT
Fiber
ATT
DSL Satellite
TMobileFixed
wireless

CHERRY ST X X X X

BIRCH ST X X X X X

BAY BREEZE ST X X X X

LUMA TER X X X X X

CHERRY ST

BLUEGRASS CT X X X X X

EBBETTS ST X X X X

CROYDON PL X X X X X

ASHBOURNE CT X X X X X

MANOR CT X X X X

CHAPMAN DR X X X X X

DICHONDRA PL X X X X X

RAVENWOOD AVE X X X X X

JARVIS AVE X X X X

BENNINGTON DR X X X X X

LIDO CT X X X X X

GEORGE AVE X X X X X

NORMANDY DR X X X X X

CEDAR BLVD X X X X X

REDEKER PL X X X

CENTRAL AVE X X

MARTEL PL X X X X X

CARTER AVE X X X X X

MORTON AVE X X

SHADY HOLLOW

DR X X X X X

RAILROAD AVE X X X X X

MANDARIN AVE X X

PEACHTREE AVE X X X X X
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Street
Comcast
HFC
ATT
Fiber
ATT
DSL Satellite
TMobileFixed
wireless

SANDY COVE

WAY X X X X X

BLUE ANCHOR

WAY X X X X X

CENTRAL AVE X X X X X

ROCKVIEW WAY X X X X X
The table below shows, of the 40 total addresses researched, the providers that were available and the percentage of the coverage offered.

Comcast
HFC
ATT
Fiber
ATT
DSL Satellite
Fixed
wireless T-Mobile
Total 35 11 18 35 33 34
Percentage of
Households 88% 28% 45% 88% 83% 85%
State of California Maps
The State of California maintains a broadband availability map that, like the FCC, shows addresses that are identified as in need of broadband access. These maps are crucial to understand the areas of the city that need bolstering. These maps represent information that is supplied by the internet service providers and can be used to identify the areas and neighborhoods that each provider supports with broadband service. To help see the disparities in broadband speed, the State has the below online “Broadband Interactive Map” 8 (Figure 12) that shows, according to state complied and federal data, addresses that have a need for better broadband.

The FCC considers areas that are densely clustered with need to be eligible for grant assistance. While the figure below shows there are residents with need i.e. unserved or underserved, they are for the most part individual residents or 8 https://www.broadbandmap.ca.gov/
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residents that are not densely clustered together and therefore they are not eligible for grant assistance.

Figure 12 - California Interactive Broadband Map
FCC Broadband Maps
The FCC has a substantial amount of information that is collected through FCC Form 477, a report that providers fill out and self-report the technology they offer and where they offer it. The form has received criticism, claiming that the information is not accurate due to providers wanting to show they offer better services in a wider area than they actually do.

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The self-reporting portal, according to the Institute for Local Self-reliance, has inherent flaws such as:
9 1. ISPs may fill out forms improperly.

2. The data is out of date.

3. The data only includes maximum advertised download and upload speeds.

4. The submitted data itself overstates availability.

Understanding the results could be flawed, information given by providers shows that Newark is served by the local incumbents, stating 100% coverage with 250 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload. The problem with incumbent reporting is that it is not always accurate, and an incumbent can show one grid hexagon10 in the City to be served if one resident is served within that hexagon.

Grid hexagons vary in size and the number of residents located within them.

The average size depicted on FCC maps is approximately 36 blocks. Based on this, while the information provided by the incumbent providers shows the city is served, the information may not be accurate. One positive change in the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) is the establishment of mechanisms to dispute the claims of providers, hopefully to further refine the data and provide a realistically accurate portrayal of the current state of broadband.

Goals and Needs
Broadband Survey
To gain insight into the needs of the community, it is important to initiate community engagement to gather input from as many community members as possible. One step that GTG takes to gain as much insight as possible is to conduct an online broadband survey where the respondents can answer questions and provide information from their point of view. The survey was linked from the city’s website, and the city promoted it to the public through 9 https://ilsr.org/when-you-cant-trust-the-data-flaws-in-the-federal-communicationscommissions-broadband-forms/ 10 Isaac Brodsky, H3: Uber’s Hexagonal Hierarchical Spatial Index, (June 27, 2018), https://eng.uber.com/h3/.

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many different communication channels including social media, mass email marketing, print and digital marketing, word of mouth and in community outreach meetings. At the end of the survey, GTG collected 276 responses.

Survey Responses
The completion rate of the survey was 81.5%, with a total of 276 responses (Figure 13). Most respondents, 81%, identified themselves as residents, while 19% identified themselves as local businesses. Although not all responses were complete, the partial surveys include all surveys with at least 75% of the questions filled out. Partial surveys provide valuable information, which is why some of the numbers in the graphs do not always equal 276.

Figure 13 - Response count
The data on the adequacy of the internet connection at respondents' locations presents a significant insight into the overall satisfaction with internet services.

Despite 55% of respondents affirming the adequacy of their internet connection, the fact that 45% expressed dissatisfaction suggests that there might be underlying issues affecting user experience and expectations (Figure 14).

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Figure 14 - Internet speed adequacy survey in City of Newark This discrepancy highlights the importance of not only delivering high-speed broadband, but also ensuring consistent reliability and performance. It indicates that factors such as intermittent service disruptions, latency issues or insufficient customer support might be contributing to the dissatisfaction among a considerable portion of users.

To improve overall satisfaction, it would be beneficial for ISPs to focus not only on delivering high-speed connections, but also on addressing issues related to service reliability, consistency, and customer support. By paying attention to these factors, providers can ensure that users not only have access to highspeed internet but also enjoy a seamless and reliable online experience, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The data for internet satisfaction below highlights a significant divide in customer sentiment. With 47.3% expressing satisfaction and 52.7% reporting dissatisfaction with their current internet provider, it's evident that there is room for improvement in the service quality and customer experience provided by these companies.

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enhance its services to attract and retain customers. This competitive pressure often leads to improved offerings, better pricing, and a focus on customer satisfaction.

However, despite the positive influence of competition, it's crucial for providers to address the underlying issues contributing to customer dissatisfaction, such as service reliability and customer support. By prioritizing these aspects, internet providers can work towards enhancing the overall customer experience and fostering greater satisfaction among their customer base.

Reliability in broadband refers to the consistent and uninterrupted availability of internet connectivity. It encompasses factors such as network stability, minimal downtime, and consistent speeds. Reliable broadband is crucial for various activities, including remote work, online education, telemedicine, and general internet usage.

To ensure reliable broadband, it is essential for service providers to invest in robust infrastructure, regular maintenance, and efficient customer support.

Additionally, the document emphasizes the need for redundancy and backup systems to minimize service disruptions.

While the survey analysis document may not provide specific reliability data for Newark, such as actual down time and outages, it does acknowledge the significance of reliable broadband service for the community. 71% of respondents share that they feel their internet is reliable enough or very reliable (Figure 15). This is positive news for the community, showing that the ISPs are providing good broadband on reliable networks.

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Figure 15 – Reliability survey in City of Newark
Based on the data, the breakdown of internet service providers among the respondents is as follows:

Value Percent
AT&T 32.4%
Comcast/Xfinity 60.5%
T-Mobile 3.8%
Verizon 0.5%
Other - Write In 2.7%
These percentages represent the distribution of the different internet service providers among the responses. Comcast/Xfinity appears to have the largest share, followed by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, while a small percentage of respondents are using smaller ISPs.

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Speed Test Results
The map depicted in Figure 16 illustrates the respondent locations, categorized by speed test results, ranging from up to 25 Mbps (Federal Minimum), up to 100 Mbps (California minimum), up to 500 Mbps and up to 1000 Mbps (1 Gigabit). The data reveals that areas with high-speed connectivity are spread across the city, whereas locations with slower connections are concentrated primarily in the region south of 880, positioned between Central Blvd. and Mowry Ave. The underlying reasons for this area's notably high concentration of DSL subscribers remain ambiguous.

Upon examining why respondents chose their respective service providers, it was commonly reported that these providers were either the sole option available or were perceived as the best available choice. This implies the possibility that some users might be paying for high-speed services that aren't being fully delivered. In the case of respondents utilizing Comcast/Xfinity's HFC network, it may be necessary to consider network upgrades. Meanwhile, for those relying on AT&T's DSL services, the expectation of higher speeds is unrealistic, as DSL is an outdated technology with very limited speeds, commonly meeting the Federal standards but fail to meet the broadband standards set by the State of California.

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Figure 16 – Respondent locations with corresponding speed test results Comments from Business Respondents
In the survey conducted by GTG, respondents were invited to share their comments regarding their Internet service. Specifically, businesses were asked "Please explain how better Internet access would impact your organization. Will it help with economic development, services, or sales? Do you have other thoughts on the impact of better Internet access?” It is essential to clarify that GTG did not alter the wording or grammar of any comment, whether they were from businesses, residents or other key stakeholders. The only adjustments made were for the sake of brevity.

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Response
ID Comments
262
At this time we are told we can not improve our service because the area is not wired to accommodate high speed (even though we are paying for it) the service we have now goes out frequently in the early evenings and weekends for minutes at a time. If one or more companies would rewire our area of Newark, we can have choices of carriers, and choose a internet package that would suit our needs 236
Better Internet access would significantly enhance the operations and reach of our company. Here's how: Economic Development: A faster and more reliable Internet connection would enable us to tap into global markets, collaborate in real-time with partners and stakeholders regardless of their geographical location, and efficiently utilize cloud-based resources. This would drive productivity and foster innovation, placing us in a competitive position in the marketplace...
256
it would help with downloading large format files to create the decal panels for application to our customers vehicles. it would help with downloading parts information and manuals and diagrams along with the need to open files received from customers with their art work and or their damaged units. So yes, it would help with services, sales and the development of our business, to make it better.
235
Our building only offers access to T1 lines or higher, which we cannot afford (and maybe now fiber optics) or microwave access using a dish on the roof of the building. There is no other access option. It is very limiting for a small business like ours. There's no cable access or other ways to reasonably purchase internet access.

I'm hoping this survey results in better options for the business community.
223 We notice frequent glitches and unscheduled outages with Comcast.

And, it's very expensive!
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Response
ID Comments
240
We relied extensively on Zoom sessions, especially during the pandemic. The upload speed available to us was terrible, and the download speed was frequently inadequate. Churches are
increasingly reaching out to members at a distance. The available DSL services were inadequate for live streaming -- which is what most churches use now. The limitations have contributed to the ending of our services. Infrastructure along Cedar Blvd is inadequate for ALL utilities.

Comments from Residents
In the survey conducted by GTG, respondents were invited to share their comments regarding their Internet service. Specifically, residents were asked “What would better broadband mean to you and your family or the area?”.

Response
ID Comments
189

1. I'd love to have 500mbps / 1gbps broadband access for less than $50 per month and not have to haggle with AT&T at the end of every annual contract that I will be switching to Comcast and then they magically bring the price down for another 12 months.

2. There seems to be a relatively local player, SAIL internet which uses AT&T backbone, is there a chance to get them to become a approved provider by the city?
238
ATT said for years that fiber options were coming, but after 10 years of waiting, nada. So cable was the best option. Connectivity means everything to compete in the world today and stay informed. The speed of that connection will determine the rate of information and response in certain situations. Extremely important to stay relevant.

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Response
ID Comments
187
Better choice of providers who all provide the same level of service and speed. Right now, comcast/xfinity are the only ones who provide a decent service with speed needed.
181 Better upload speed and removal a caps would allow me to work from home
25 Better work and education experience. I am full time remote worker.
195
Broadband access is becoming as necessary as water. electricity, etc. It is important for business as many times the decision to locate at a specific city is based on availability of broadband access.
173 Broadband should be free
102
Cell service is really bad on my cell phone-get a lot of dropped calls (phone uses my Wi-Fi) Internet disconnects fairly often. I need a stable one because I work from home
48 Cheaper, more competition.
65 Comcast is very expensive & constantly raising its rates. I am a retired senior, but I haven't qualified for ACP for some reason. 213
Comment: When we move to the Birch Grove neighborhood in 2020 we were originally with AT&T, we switch ISPs because the DSL in the neighborhood were so bad that cause one of our DSL lines to go offline repeatedly. My hope is with this broadband masterplan it will prioritize the Birch Grove neighborhood to get fiber optic.
141 connectivity speeds of 1gbps which power all the connected devices for todays needs and future needs at an affordable cost.

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Response
ID Comments
119 Consistent download speeds. Even though we have high speed internet, sometimes the response is slow.
174 Consistent speed, no drop services and affordable . 148 Cost. Broadband is not available at my address.
50 Download speed 》 500 mbps , upload 》200 mbps . No sudden drops
129 Easier to stay connected throughout the city especially in newer housing developments where service can be minimal.
175
Everyone having Internet accessibility is very important to our family. I think it's important for everybody to have equity and opportunity in resources.
36 We have service through AT&T and Xfinity. This is in case one goes down, as I work from home. It would be nice if the services didn't 'hiccup' as much as they do.
205 We need choices with our broadband provider and better cellular service,
108
We take meetings from home. Our children like the stream shows.

The internet has always been horrible in this area. They told us that the wires run underground are disconnected (per ATT)… we would love to be able to do the things we need to do without such slow speeds and the constant loss of connection.
44 We use Comcast Business to get better broadband than residential already, so we are satisfied, except it is expensive.
155 We would fiber optic internet
92 We would prefer to have fiber internet over cable.

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Response
ID Comments
117
When we moved here in 2020, we had AT&T as our ISP but we ran into problems by the fact of the lines kept on going down and slowing down our speed after a year of working with AT&T it was determined that the lines in the house was fine but the outside line were the issue. My comment is that I am sure that I am not the only person in the birch grove area that is having this issue. Since we are on T-mobile home internet we have zero issues with our interent.
176 Would like to automate as much of the home as possible Community Outreach Meetings
To gather information regarding the needs of the community in Newark, GTG, working with City staff, held stakeholder outreach/listening sessions allowing the public to voice their opinions in a structured manner. Although the meetings had relatively low attendance, the participants provided some quality information. The low attendance was more than likely due to the broadband availability in Newark. The meetings were publicized by City staff with emails, publications and signs being used to inform the public of the meetings. The public tends to only attend these types of meetings if there is a serious problem they are experiencing, or the state of broadband is overall unsatisfactory. Newark is served by the local incumbents presumably leading to the low meeting attendance.

Policies
The City of Newark does not have policies in place regarding broadband and related assets. Basic broadband policies include a Dig Once policy or joint build, master license agreement, construction standards, developer agreements or similar mechanisms.

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A Dig Once policy would include procedures to facilitate broadband development and minimize restoration issues. Developer agreements are another way to have developers of larger parcels or land development provide broadband infrastructure. These could be put in place to reduce costs for expanding broadband in Newark and to support City services.

Permitting and restoration requirements follow city standard processes and timelines. The city should evaluate an expedited process to support broadband expansion.

On a positive note, the city’s general plan does reference technology in multiple areas. This is a best practice that Newark has in place including:

1. LU-1.5 Technology Focus. Promote the city as a good location for technology businesses and clean industry, capitalizing on Newark’s location within Silicon Valley.

2. Action T-2.D. Utilize Technology to Improve Safety. Evaluate and implement alternative safety measures for bicyclists and pedestrians using the latest technologies available.

3. Policy E D-1.2 Newark’s Competitive Edge. Maintain and enhance Newark’s competitive edge relative to other cities in the East Bay, Silicon Valley, and Peninsula Areas, particularly in the technology sector. This will require competitive fees and fast processing times.

4. Policy E D-1.7 Flexibility. Ensure that city policies, zoning, and economic development programs are flexible enough to respond to rapid changes in technology, real estate market dynamics, and the workplace. Economic development efforts should be modified and adapted as necessary as local, regional, national, and global economic conditions evolve.

5. Emergency Preparedness references to updating response to new requirements, technology, and communication protocol.

6. Action EH-1.B Code Updates. Periodically revise construction codes and regulations to incorporate the latest information and technology related to natural hazards such as earthquakes and flooding.

This plan supports expanding broadband and Smart City initiatives to enhance public safety, economic development, transportation, and mobility, as well as other improvements that increase efficiency and expand services to Newark’s community.

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Gaps
The gaps in fiber optic infrastructure appear to be in a lack of consistent coverage by the incumbents. Deciding where and how to build in any city or urban area is a highly secretive process and usually does not make clear sense to anyone reviewing coverage maps. Newark is not different, as shown in the map below (Figure 17); select neighborhoods are built with FTTP (fiber-to-thepremise) as reported by a national incumbent, while the neighboring areas are not built. This creates gaps for the City of Newark to try to solve and encourage providers to build satisfactory networks.

As you can also see, there is virtually no fiber network or access in the business areas around the city, with the incumbent providers not offering fiber services to commercial market. The incumbent providers will on occasion support businesses with fiber connectivity, however at very high upfront construction costs. Consequently, reliability and speed seem to be major issues for businesses. It is important that the city supports economic development, especially in the retail sector, as the city relies on sales tax as a major revenue source.

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Figure 17 – Fiber service availability
Newark has major gaps in its policies related to fiber and other network infrastructure. These gaps include:
• Dig Once policies and joint-build policies and programs. • Developer Agreements that include fiber and conduit expansion. • Siting cell sites and antennas on public assets/property, including a master license agreement
• Assets to leverage an expansion of the fiber network
• Fiber services to a significant portion of the commercial and industrial sectors of the city, as outlined in phase areas 1 – 3, which is detailed further in the report.

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Conceptual Design
High-Level Designs (HLDs) represent a conceptual framework featuring routes, potential construction methods and overall project estimated footage, offering a budgetary overview and potential timeframes for project completion.

The City of Newark presents a distinctive scenario, necessitating a tailored approach to HLD development that caters to the diverse needs of its community. With varying levels of internet accessibility among residents, ranging from connectivity that meets CPUC recommendations to the absence of broadband, the HLD must address the connectivity of city facilities, support residents lacking broadband access and contribute to the economic development of Newark.

The HLD is strategically put together, prioritizing the use of the most costeffective construction methods. Initial considerations involve leveraging existing infrastructure, such as fiber optic cables, conduits, and other preexisting assets, before implementing new construction. Underground construction, such as boring and plowing, are generally recognized as the most expensive and time-consuming approaches to network development. While the expenses associated with new construction methods can vary significantly, they generally surpass the costs of utilizing existing infrastructure. The chart below illustrates the available construction methods along with estimated costs for each.

Construction Methods Estimated
Cost/Foot Brief Description
Existing Infrastructure
Existing city owned fiber optic
cable $4 – $10
Re-splicing, adding splice cases,
testing, and documenting existing
fiber
Existing city owned empty
conduit $10 – $15
Placing new cable in existing
conduit, splicing, splice cases,
testing and documenting fiber
Remove and replace city owned
Fiber $25 – $35
Removing working circuits,
splicing, adding splice cases,
testing, and documenting existing
fiber
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Construction Methods Estimated
Cost/Foot Brief Description
Existing Infrastructure
Upgrade traffic interconnect
conduit $30 – $40
Removing interconnect cables,
upgrade handholes and sweeps,
pull new cable, splice, test, and
document
Aerial Construction
Over lash aerial cable $7 – $15
Pole Loading, place new cable on
existing strand (over lash), splice,
test, and document
New attachment aerial cable $15 – $25
Pole load, build new attachments,
place strand, lash cable, splice,
test, and document
New aerial with new poles $90 – $120
Same as above but must permit
and place new telephone poles
first.

Underground Construction
Plowing $30 – $40
Using a vibratory plow with 4'
stinger to place conduit prior to
new cable placement
Micro trenching $20 – $30
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 $110 – $125
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 $95 – $120
Uses rods and a machine to drill a
hole under the surface of the earth
at any depth needed with minimal
disturbance
Open trench $80 - $100
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 Newark HLD include:
• The HLD consists of connecting city facilities. By prioritizing the facilities according to usage and cost to construct, the HLD is broken into 3 phases.

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• The HLD does not include a ring for redundancy, which increases reliability at this time due to funding limitations. As funding becomes available or a P3 has the resources to do so, the HLD should incorporate a ring to improve reliability of the fiber nPublietwork.
• All new underground construction will be directional drilling/boring. • Construction costs are for infrastructure, including cable, splicing, and prevailing wage.
• Construction methods are chosen in order of cost effectiveness, providing a fiscally responsible build.
• Due to all construction and engineering costs increasing by over 30% after COVID-19, the HLD cost assumptions include a 20% contingency. • City assets will be used to house all major equipment and power needed to build, run, and maintain the network.
• All cabinets, hubs, distribution multiport service terminals (MSTs) and other assets built must be placed in the public right-of-way. • Routes are based on road access. There may be easements to lessen the footage and will be discovered during the low-level engineering.

Tradeoffs
Construction methods costs vary 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 positive and negative elements, 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: New underground construction can be done in a variety of ways, with boring being one of the most expensive. Microtrenching is one of the least expensive methods but has drawbacks that need to be evaluated and mitigated prior to use. Microtrenching 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 damage and outages.

However, in major intersections, heavily travelled roads, water mains, storm drains, side sidewalks and gutters microtrenching present a much higher risk to damage than using directional drilling/boring, which is much deeper at 36” - 48” deep on average.

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Example 2: Aerial construction is one of the fastest construction methods to deploy. The positive reasons for building aerial infrastructure include speed to deploy, relatively inexpensive labor costs versus other methods and easily inspectable infrastructure. With the cost of aerial about 1/5th to 1/4th that of new underground (boring), it makes aerial the obvious choice. However, there are negatives involved with aerial construction that must be understood and accepted prior to being used. This includes a vulnerable infrastructure more easily damaged and susceptible to vandalism, as well as yearly pole lease fees, making aerial not as attractive over time. The yearly pole leasing fees add up and can negate any cost savings over a matter of 20 years. It is important to understand the tradeoffs when it comes to construction methods and how those factors can affect the network overtime. Especially the upfront capex costs versus the operational costs.

Example 3: Underground construction has very high initial costs and a myriad of additional operational costs. Anyone doing underground digging must call 811 to avoid hitting utilities that have been buried. All owners of underground infrastructure must respond to these calls and mark where the underground infrastructure is located. These services have costs associated with them, which are usually outsourced to companies specializing in locating underground utilities. In the event of damage to underground infrastructure, this maintenance can be very expensive, with costs estimated to be 5% - 10% of the total network cost annually.

One can see that when viewed as a process and not simply a construction method, but rather using operating costs, vulnerabilities and other concerns, choosing an infrastructure can be a far more complicated process than initial cost alone.

Phasing
Most city-wide networks are broken into smaller phased areas that are meant to speed up deployment, bring in revenue prior to the entire network being built and to provide milestones to gauge budget, timing, and overall success of the project.

An additional benefit to the city in replacing current broadband services is reducing the reliance on very high-cost internet services and connections.

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Phase
Construction
Type Est Footage Miles Percentage
Phase 1 Aerial 6,008 1.138 41%
New
Underground 8,516 1.613 59%
Phase 1 Total 14,524 2.751
Phase 2 Aerial 3,203 0.607 73%
New
Underground 1,174 0.222 27%
Phase 2 Total 4,377 0.829
Phase 3 Aerial 4,987 0.945 78%
New
Underground 1,380 0.261 22%
Phase 3 Total 6,367 1.206
Grand Total 25,268 4.786
20%
Contingency 30,322 5.743
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Figure 18 – HLD by Construction Type
Phase 1
During the needs assessment, it was made clear that the Silliman Center is a major recreational hub for the residents, students and visitors and the facility offers many amenities that benefit those in the area. This phase contains much of the new underground construction, due to the lack of poles and other aerial infrastructure along Cherry Street. This phase connects the Silliman Center and Packet Page 359
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Fire Station 27. As shown in table 1 below, the construction cost for phase 1 is estimated at $1.214 million, making it the most expensive phase.

Phase 2
Phase 2 builds off phase 1, requiring at least some of that phase to be complete before it can be initiated. The footage in this phase is far less, but is just as important, as it connects areas of great importance for the City of Newark. In this phase, the following will be connected: Fire Station 28, Senior Center and Public Works Corporation Yard. This phase has an approximate value of $226,825, according to table 1 below.

Phase 3
Phase 3 connects the remaining two city facilities, Fire Station 29 and Community/Childcare Center by adding infrastructure to phases 1 and 2. The cost of this phase is estimated at $297,175 per table 1 below.

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Figure 19: HLD Map by Phase
HLD Footages and Budget
The following table outlines the projected construction types, along with their estimated footage and costs. The cost per foot includes prevailing wage, engineering, cable, and splicing. It does not include any new equipment. As previously noted in the report, the costs significantly surged in the last year, attributed to post-COVID inflationary trends. These pricing figures were gathered through discussions with utility contractors in the local area, who acknowledge the ongoing upward trajectory of construction-related inflation.

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However, they anticipate this phenomenon to stabilize soon. It is crucial to emphasize that given the volatile nature of construction costs, the estimates provided below will remain valid for a limited duration.

Phase Construction Type Est $/FT Segment Total
Phase 1 Aerial $25.00 $150,200.00
New Underground $125.00 $1,064,500.00
Phase 1 Total $1,214,700.00
Phase 2 Aerial $25.00 $80,075.00
New Underground $125.00 $146,750.00
Phase 2 Total $226,825.00
Phase 3 Aerial $25.00 $124,675.00
New Underground $125.00 $172,500.00
Phase 3 Total $297,175.00
Grand Total $1,738,700.00
20% Contigency $2,086,440.00
Table 1: Cost Estimate by Phase
Cost of Services by Phase
Table 1 above shows the cost of construction for the 3 phases, while table 2 below shows the current cost of service the city pays for, listed by location. As the phases are built, the operational cost for each location that will be served by the new network should be noted as savings and treated as a return on investment of the new construction and overtime, which will further justify completing the network.

Build
Phase Facility Service Address
Monthly
Totals
Grand
Total with
Taxes and
Surcharges Annual
Phase 1 SILLIMAN CENTER 6800 MOWRY AVE $1,102.66 $1,364.46 $16,373.52 Phase 1 FIRE STATION #27 39039 CHERRY $494.39 $623.46 $7,481.52 Phase 1 LIBRARY
37055 NEWARK
BLVD $114.12 $142.01 $1,704.12
Phase 1 POLICE GROUND FLOOR
37077 NEWARK
BLVD $2,341.00 $2,926.00 $35,112.00
Phase 1 COUNCIL CHAM
37101 NEWARK
BLVD $59.52 $74.40 $892.80
Total Cost $5,130.33 $61,563.96
Phase 2 SENIOR CENTER
7401 ENTERPRISE
DR $171.79 $217.50 $2,610.00
Phase 2

SERVICE CENTER/CORP
YARD 37440 FILBERT $752.24 $923.11 $11,077.32
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Phase 2 ALT EOCFIRE STATION 28
7550 THORNTON
AV $853.24 $1,025.07 $12,300.84
Phase 2 OLD FIRE STATION 1
7700 THORNTON
AVE $38.04 $45.90 $550.80
Phase 2 WATKINS HALL 37103 ASH $38.04 $45.90 $550.80
Total Cost $2,257.48 $27,089.76
Phase 3

COMMUNITY CTR/CHILD
CARE 35501 CEDAR BL $769.03 $1,003.03 $12,036.36
Phase 3 FIRE STATION 29
35775 RUSCHIN
DR $624.32 $744.39 $8,932.68
Phase 3 37365 ASH 37365 ASH $38.04 $45.90 $550.80
Total Cost $1,793.32 $21,519.84
Table 2: Current Cost of Internet Service to City Locations Business Model and Funding
There are a range of business models for local governments to impact broadband development, from passive, policy-only models to fully active, fullservice models. To follow best practices, it makes sense to develop policies to encourage local, non-profit broadband service providers. This would involve establishing expedited, non-discriminatory access to local Public Right of Way (PROW) and standards for constructing and developing network assets that use the PROW. Beyond that, the city could establish procurement preferences for services from such providers and a special class for them within a wireless facilities master license agreement.

To determine the proper business model for a municipal network, local governments need to understand the various factors and how they interplay with each other.

Business Models
Internal expansion
Any business model beyond leasing a limited amount of dark fiber will require dedicated staff. Dark Fiber is unused fiber that can be leased and is maintained by the lessee, reducing impact to staff and city resources. The program or division would need a broadband manager with a strong understanding of Packet Page 363
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facilities leasing and maintenance. The broadband manager would be responsible for the overall organizational performance, focused on finances and governance.

If the city is actively promoting use of the network, it will also need a sales and marketing specialist to identify and manage leases. The sales and marketing manager may also work with wholesale customers to promote internet services to the community. An infrastructure specialist will also be needed to follow through with the policies put in place, dig once, also to track placement, ownership, and maintenance of the infrastructure. Finally, the program or division will need a fiber management system (FMS) and should have a maintenance fund to cover repair costs. Major maintenance or repair tasks— anything requiring excavation—would need to be contracted out. Additional positions may also be needed, depending on the scope and scale of the project.

If the city were to move forward with any of the above, it would require substantial overhead and operating costs, as well as a much larger capital investment in infrastructure and equipment. Payroll can account for 90% or more of ongoing costs. Equipment licenses, maintenance, refresh, and upgrades create high periodic costs and ongoing reoccurring costs. Limiting operations to a backbone network will greatly reduce both up-front and on-going costs and set the stage for private investment.

Public Private Partnership (P3)
P3 agreements are a common business model in the modern municipal network for the construction, operation, and maintenance of city-owned infrastructure.

These agreements are so popular because they can entail any of the following business models by working with private ISPs and creating an agreement that the city can support. All cities have varying amounts of assets, capital, and staff to support municipal networks. Some cities have a sufficient staff to run and monitor a network, some cities contract the majority of the operations to private companies or individuals and have little staff that can help with the running of a network, while other cities have substantial infrastructure that can be leveraged in a P3 to ultimately generate revenue through these agreements.

It is important to understand the level of commitment from both parties when considering the following:
• Who will pay for the network construction?
• What funds will both parties be required to put into the agreement? • What are the roles and responsibilities of either party? Packet Page 364
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• Who will determine the ownership and control of any future network expansion?
• What is the revenue model that will allow both parties to benefit from an agreement?
Public policy only
Public policies are a vital part of the modern city broadband network, whether it be city or privately owned. Policies that may have a substantial impact on the broadband networks include Dig Once policies and developer agreements. Dig once policies put in place a mechanism for the city to add infrastructure while other companies and agencies are doing work in the right-of-way allowing the city to add infrastructure as part of these other projects. Developer agreements are important because they allow the city to require infrastructure to be added to the development of large plots. Other policies that should be created and implemented are those streamlining the permitting process to encourage local ISP investment in broadband throughout the city. A major deterrent for private company broadband construction in municipalities is if the permitting process and restoration requirements impact the return on investment (ROI) that drives all private company investments. This is not a real “business” model but does have an impact on the local broadband market and regardless of the business model used, policies must be evaluated and updated or implemented.

Infrastructure provider
In this business model, the municipality builds infrastructure and leases that infrastructure out to other agencies with the goal of generating enough revenue to, at a minimum, pay for the cost and maintenance of the infrastructure.

Private companies work off profits and return on investment (ROI) models that require lower cost construction and enough subscribers to offset these costs.

There are areas in every city that have a low ROI and private companies simply will not build in these areas and skip to higher profit areas. Cities can build infrastructure that the private sector can use, lowering the costs of construction and increasing the ROI. The infrastructure can be conduit only, fiber or wireless towers.

Public services provider
Cities connecting publicly owned assets, public organizations, county, nonprofit organizations, schools, libraries and/or other non-private locations are considered public services providers. These organizations are usually limited to anchor institutions, critical organizations, public safety organizations, utilities, Packet Page 365
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and healthcare. A government owned network can provide a better quality of service at lower costs.

Open access provider
Open access networks are those networks that do not offer exclusive access to any one entity. This philosophy is geared towards increasing competition and potentially increasing revenue by not limiting access to only one lessee.

Lit services are when the provider supplies the equipment, fiber and anything needed to support a certain level of service. Simply put, if the customer wants 100 Mbps service, that is what the city would need to provide. The customer pays for the level of service they want and the cost increases with the increase in speed.

Conversely, if the customer wants to provide their own equipment, the city will only provide the fiber from end to end and the customer is responsible for the equipment and speeds they are wanting. The city only maintains the fiber and does not have any involvement with the equipment. These circuits are known as “dark” circuits and the bandwidth used is not controlled by the city. Although the equipment is not provided by the city, the circuits are remarkably close in cost.

Municipal services provider (ISP)
Municipalities that provide end user services to residential and business customers are considered retail service providers. Most commonly, local governments offer triple-play services consisting of phone, television, and Internet services, essentially becoming an equal competitor to incumbent cable and broadband providers. As a retail provider, the organization is responsible for a significant number of operational functions, including management of retail services, network operations, billing, provisioning, network construction, and general management.

For a municipal services approach, the following would need to be taken into consideration:

Capital Expenses
• Develop the cost model for the network, including one-time and ongoing capital expenditures to build the network. This will include an assessment of current facility locations, city-owned land and the city right-of-way for construction and the need to purchase any land or equipment.

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• Provide a phased deployment approach, including prioritization and costs for each phase.

Operating Expenses
• Develop the cost model for operations, including operations and maintenance, network operations, field services, staffing, billing, and customer service.

Revenue Potential
• From the market analysis and outreach, determine the customer segmentation and growth on the network, across each type of customer (business, school, hospital, etc.).
• Determine customer growth rates for the network, based on benchmarking analysis from other utility and municipal providers. • Determine a proposed competitive rate schedule for potential services, using pricing information from the market analysis and benchmarking information.

Financial Viability
• Develop financial statements including:
o Operating income and cash flow
o Net present value analysis
o Projected revenues and benefits
o Uses and sources of funds
o Operational expenses
o Depreciation schedule
o Debt service analysis
o Key assumptions
• Conduct comprehensive financial analysis on the project to determine overall financial sustainability using key metrics such as free cash flow, debt service coverage, operating margin, and net income.

Grants and Other Funding Sources
The City of Newark is not competitive per the FCC broadband maps and therefore is not competitive for most federal and state grants that support expanding broadband to unserved and underserved communities. The city still does have dated broadband infrastructure in the city that is not future proof and has reliability issues per feedback from the community. The broadband maps also show multiple individual locations that are considered unserved or underserved. While not qualifying for most state and federal broadband grants, these individual locations need access and/or improvement in broadband. The Packet Page 367
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city should monitor and apply for transportation and Smart City related grants which can be coupled with expanding fiber optic installation to expand broadband in the community.

The city has been prudent in the development of a CIP (capital improvement plan) for conduit infrastructure tied to street projects. This supports expansion of broadband in the community and supports regional efforts related to broadband. In addition to the CIP, the city should evaluate the addition of a technology fee, which can facilitate building out broadband quicker, supporting the community and economic development.

The City has existing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Public, Education and Government (PEG) funds that can be used to begin the installation of broadband infrastructure within the constraints of the funding sources and if not already allocated to other city projects. Due to the city’s lack of competitiveness for current broadband grants, the city is left with limited options outside the above sources. Other options include bonds, debt, or direct revenue (fees & taxes).

Recommendations
The city needs to create a platform to attract investment and innovation. The following recommendations support the city in this effort.

Form or designate a broadband advisory committee.

Without accountability and designated resources, master plans can fall by the wayside. It is important that there is a level of accountability. The city should evaluate a committee of city staff that have the level of authority and interest to ensure broadband progresses in the community. A point person with interest in the project should be appointed the lead to this team.

Investigate a Public Private Partnership (P3).

Private companies have the experience and expertise to engineer, build out and maintain a city network. Through partnerships, allowing the partner to use the infrastructure constructed for the city network, costs can be greatly reduced and help alleviate the operational expenses of owning a network. The city staff should maintain the equipment, routers and services, and the partner should maintain the physical layer of cables and splicing. A partnership should be leveraged to add competition and reduce the need for the city to build a fiberPacket Page 368 City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 64 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
to-the-premises (FTTP) network. A P3 partnership would meet one of the city’s goals to offer internet to the public at reduced costs with improved reliability.

Create policies and workflows.

Create workflows and city policies that aid in the further development of broadband infrastructure through Dig Once policies, updated construction standards, developer agreements and requirements, including infrastructure with capital improvement projects and other policies. These policies should be applied to both the public and private sectors doing work in the public right-ofway (ROW).

Permitting and restoration requirements prove to be difficult for developers and private ISPs looking to build in the ROW. Permits can take too long to approve, but through policies and updated requirements, the city can alleviate some of this by ensuring the permitting process is streamlined.

SB 378 passed into law in 2022 and requires municipalities to allow microtrenching for the purpose of placing fiber optic cables, in certain circumstances. The city should consider creating a standard to address when microtrenching is going to be used, including policies in place for dealing with microtrenching during emergency digging in the ROW.

The city should also consider creating a digital inclusion policy that will further digital inclusion and help bring digital equity to Newark in support of digital inclusion efforts recommended below.

Create a Technology Enterprise Fund.

Dedicating all revenues generated from telecommunication carriers or ISPs through leases of city poles, ROW access, cell towers and/or land for placement of towers and other public assets to a Technology Enterprise Fund will ensure the city has a financing source for the purchase, installation and/or construction of new broadband assets and Smart City applications, particularly to take advantage of opportunities outside of the annual budget process, such as coordinated joint trenching. These funds would also be used for digital inclusion efforts.

Newark should consider investments that provide modern, reliable broadband infrastructure and programs that would offer free or low-cost services to qualified residents, the school district, and the library.

The city should also use the fund to support innovative Smart City/Connected Community programs that improve efficiencies while enhancing services for Packet Page 369
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the community. This includes infrastructure investments that deliver real-time environmental, public safety and transportation information to stakeholders, such as streetlight sensors for noise, air quality, on-street parking availability, traffic congestion and evacuation routes. “Push” notifications can be employed to relay important messages; retail location intelligence can improve economic development by offering analytic information on foot traffic in the surrounding business areas.

Incrementally build city-owned broadband infrastructure.

The city should adopt the HLD and implement policies that include broadband in all projects. If there is an opportunity to add this infrastructure as part of other projects, the city can incrementally build infrastructure as needed over time to reduce costs. This City should also evaluate projects and partnerships to create a ring adding redundancy to its network to improve reliability.

Keeping the future in mind, the broadband committee should be included in the planning process with broadband being considered a utility like power, water and sewer.

Evaluate the use of Public, Education and Government (PEG) funds where applicable to enhance services with broadband.

The City has a need in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for multiple video and audio feeds for its Joint Information Center (JIC) to broadcast and monitor live reports of events.

The City also has the need for remote location broadcasting of events, i.e., festivals and city events, which broadband would support.

The use of PEG funds is a potential source of funding to assist with these needs.

Support digital inclusion.

Digital divide is the problem and digital inclusion are the steps and activities to help fix the problem, with digital equity as the goal.

Digital divide is the gap between those who have adequate broadband and ability to use it and those who do not. It is easy to define the problem, however, less so to define the underlying causes such as affordability, physical access, owning devices that can access the internet, and even knowing how to use the internet effectively.

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No two cities have exactly the same issues that need to be solved, but there are some causes of the digital divide that exist, to some extent, in every town, city, county and state. One of those causes is the affordability of internet access. In addition to the local ISP affordability information provided on their websites, the city should promote the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which is an FCC-funded subsidy that helps ensure households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. Details can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/acp. The program is currently winding down due to lack of funding. If the program obtains funding again, the City should educate the community regarding this important tool to assist those in need is prudent.

The library in Newark has many resources to be leveraged in digital inclusion efforts including computers, iPads, and other devices the community can benefit from. The city should promote the library and its resources to the community. The library has study rooms that can be used to hold educational classes on how to use the internet. The aged population tends to learn technology more slowly and can use help with how to access telehealth, doctor appointments, online bill pay, and many other activities required to exist in the increasingly online lifestyle of the world.

Another aspect of digital inclusion is to ensure the affordability of the devices that allow users to connect to the internet. Cities have surplus equipment, desks, computers, and laptops, among other things, which could be donated to senior centers, schools, economic development centers or any other group that helps lessen the digital divide. Senior centers are in particular need, with most residents being on fixed incomes with no way to purchase devices.

Next Steps
Outlined below is a summary of the next steps the city should take to improve and expand broadband.

1. Create a staff committee to advise, keep abreast of and hold accountability for broadband.
a. Define roles and responsibilities.
b. Keep the committee small and nimble, including representatives from key departments such as Public Works, Information
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Technology, Police Department, Community Development and a representative from the City Manager’s Office.

2. In addition to the committee, assign or hire a person or consultant to be the City’s point person leading the broadband efforts lined out in the study.

3. Pursue a public private partnership (P3), create a Request for Proposal (RFP) to find partnerships with a local ISP.
a. Find a partner that can engineer and construct HLD phases 1 – 3 as appropriate and as budget allows.
b. Create a partnership that will accomplish the goals of the broadband plan in providing underserved businesses with reliable service.

4. Review city policies to update as needed.
a. Dig Once policy.
b. Developer agreements.
c. Create workflows and policy to ensure broadband is a consideration on all city capital improvement projects, permitted work in the ROW, and planning efforts.
d. Review needs for wireless telecommunication facilities ordinance.

5. Create a broadband enterprise fund to support broadband efforts, construction, and partnerships.
a. Assign a portion of PEG fees to a broadband fund where applicable. b. Assign a portion of franchise fees to a broadband fund. c. Create a financing strategy that separately tracks revenues and expenditures for this fund.
d. Create a funding policy that establishes a reserve as well as strives to ensure that revenues match expenditures without being a burden to the city’s General Fund.

6. Incrementally build city-owned broadband infrastructure with a P3 if this model is selected.

7. Evaluate the community’s needs for Wi-Fi for locations such as the Silliman Center, the Senior Cener, low-income neighborhoods, NewPark Mall the Old Town area and City parks.

8. Monitor grants such as Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD) and California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) including funding for education and accessibility. Traffic grants are also a great source of funding for expanding a fiber network.

9. Think regionally – the City should consider working with other local governments in the region to reduce costs and take advantage of Packet Page 372
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economies of scale while improving services. This includes the county, schools, Ohlone College and other neighboring cities like Fremont and Union City that are pursuing expanding broadband as well.

10.Create a digital inclusion policy and program including the following:
a. Affordable Connectivity Program.
b. Use library resources to educate individuals.
c. Standards for donating surplus equipment.

11.Promote digital inclusion efforts for the residents of the city. a. Promote the Affordable Connectivity Program. Newark has residents that have a challenging time affording internet access.

12. Instead of auctioning off extra and surplus equipment, donate to local groups and individuals that would benefit.
a. Senior Centers
b. Youth Centers
c. Service organizations
d. Economic Development Groups
e. Small Business Associations
f. Under resourced households
g. Schools
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Connected Communities
Connected Communities AKA “Smart Cities” have different meanings city to city, and the definition has evolved over time. Initially, the focus was on infrastructure projects and centrally controlled systems with reporting and analytics. These investments provided very little value for the communities they served. Now, Connected Community initiatives focus on the use of technology and data to increase collaboration, drive decisions, and improve the community’s livability, workability and sustainability.

A Connected Community Program improves internal alignment to become an efficient, collaborative, and transparent city that is continuously improving cross-departmental coordination and data-sharing, refining operational approaches and priorities through a participatory governance process and active resident engagement.

Connected Communities help keep community members feeling inclusive, safe, and informed through continuous innovation with modern technologies improving response time and situational awareness.

Newark’s Connected Community/Smart City could leverage broadband as a foundation to build equity through creative ways of providing the necessary connectivity to support unserved and underserved neighborhoods.

Newark’s Connected Community/ Smart City plan should be coupled with the City’s broadband master plan to establish a collaborative ecosystem to bring together residents, businesses, industry, government, non-profits and other stakeholders to ideate and implement solutions that maximize “Livability” for residents, “Workability” in the City and “Sustainability” for all as overarching value propositions.

With the implementation of a Connected Community strategy and plan, operational efficiency will be improved and likewise become the backbone for delivering “Newark Community Connect," enabling the city to rethink and innovate how the city functions and delivers its services.

Government Technology Group (GTG) would use the following as a framework for helping Newark achieve its goals of digital transformation. This process aids transparency, programs, and budget alignment, coordinating across organizations to realize functional requirements.

Vision
The vision establishes the foundation, by which the actual transformation is executed against. This vision should directly align with city initiatives and the Packet Page 374
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foundational principles of operational efficiency and improved service delivery.

Transformation
Transformation is the execution of the vision by way of specific projects aimed at delivering the desired outcomes. This is not so much technology centric, rather people and process oriented, leaning on technology to realize the objectives.

Outcomes
The outcomes reflect the improvements to the overall process of city operations and service delivery. They represent a new way for the city to measure performance, engage residents and build on a foundation of continuous improvement.

Note – All of these are highlighted in the Newark Final Report Slide deck.

Case Study Examples
NOTE – All of the visuals have been included in the final PowerPoint The cases below demonstrate Connected Community/Smart City use cases GTG/Smart Connections participated in with the respective cities.

East Palo Alto – Digital Equity – Full Slides are in the Final PowerPoint During the pandemic the County of San Mateo took action to make sure that its infrastructure assets were utilized to deliver connectivity services to its underserved communities, East Palo Alto was the ideal community.

GTG leveraged the county’s fiber as the backbone and solved the middle mile with CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) and deployed several WAPs (Wireless AP’s) for the public Wi-Fi in various parks and city buildings. The Wi-Fi was used to connect the homes so that there was support for distance learning and remote work. The program was an absolute success and improved the county’s DDI (Digital Divide Index) number.

San Leandro – Connected Lighting – Full Slides are in the Final PowerPoint Packet Page 375
City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 71 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
The City of San Leandro initiated an LED relamping program and decided to connect the streetlights via a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) for the purpose of energy conservation.

Lessons learned:

While the energy savings was successful, there were plans to leverage the lighting network for additional applications e.g. environmental monitoring, people counting, etc. The challenge was that the protocol for the wireless network was not broadly adopted, making it very difficult to integrate additional sensors for new applications. As a lesson learned, it is important to:

1. Ensure that the technical choice supports the strategic plan.

2. Understand the standards and protocols that are supported.

3. Leverage your infrastructure for more than a single use whenever possible.

Coral Gables – Connected Communities/Smart City Platform The City of Coral Gables Florida set out over 10+ years ago to create a Connected Community that embraced services and transparency while improving city operations. This was under the leadership of Raimundo Rodulfo – CIO. Coral Gables demonstrates the focus and effort it takes to deliver on the vision of “Connected Community/Smart City” by:

1. Establishing and revisiting their strategic plan.

2. Establishing the foundation of systems interoperability for improved service delivery.

3. Focus on innovation and open standards.

4. Clear KPI’s (key performance indicators) that are communicated to the community.

Palo Alto – Digital Twin for Traffic Monitoring Case Study Working directly with the Palo Alto CIO and the Chief Traffic Engineer, the program was executed over the course of 18 months and has garnered significant visibility from an innovation perspective. The objective was to set the foundation for traffic modernization using existing data to build a real time digital twin as insight to aid in improving traffic flow and give priority to cyclists and pedestrians at crosswalks.

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City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 72 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
Leveraging the Trafficware Managment System data provided in partnership by the city, GTG was able to deliver a baseline of the current traffic conditions to inform decisions on where to introduce “Adaptive Traffic Signaling,” as well as preparing for vision zero initiatives. The user interface allows for real time insight into traffic flow, congestion, and pedestrians at crosswalks.

The second part of the project was to deliver the ability to visualize the traffic data for the purpose of preemptive signaling, which was successfully demonstrated.

The outcome was successful and there were several additional use cases documented to leverage the traffic data combined with other city data - e.g. environmental monitors coupled with traffic flow data show the CO2 emissions based on traffic flow.

Newark Strategic Horizon
The strategic horizon aligns programs and projects to the city vision for Connected Communities/Smart City. It is meant to be updated as priorities and initiatives change over time.

Top Areas of Opportunity
The following list highlights areas of opportunity for Newark to establish project initiatives that deliver value to the city and residents alike.

1. Connected street lighting
a. Improves energy efficiency.
b. Improves community safety.
c. Reduces carbon footprint.
d. Extends additional Connected Community applications e.g. Public Wi-Fi, Air quality sensors etc.

2. Community broadband
a. Promotes Digital Equity and ensures reliable and affordable internet access for all community members irrespective of income or location.
b. Enhances education and lifelong learning.
c. Boosts economic development and innovation.

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City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 73 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
d. Improves public service and community engagement.

3. Traffic monitoring
a. Reduces traffic congestion and improves commutes.
b. Enhances public safety and emergency response.
c. Benefits environment and sustainability.
d. Prepares for autonomous vehicles.

4. Cybersecurity, privacy, and data governance
a. Improves the city’s security posture.
b. Improves transparency for the community.
c. Prepares the city for use of the extended datasets generated by the solutions.

With a robust broadband strategy, the above listed solutions deliver a solid foundation for continued innovation for Newark’s Connected Community.

Other Smart City/Connected Communities
Recommendations
Newark has several areas that align to the strategy initiatives of Livability, Workability, and Sustainability. These domains are very common amongst the majority of cities.

Livability
• Environmental Monitoring – The benefits here are aligned to the city delivering information to the residents about the conditions in the surrounding areas. Is it advised to hike, ride bikes? Is the temperature combined with CO2 emissions safe? What is the particulate count? • Digital Signage/Kiosk – The benefits here serve the residents and visitors as they will be able to walk and engage the signage for information.

Likewise, it can be used to engage residents and allow them to initiate permits and other city forms without going inside city hall. • Security Monitoring – The benefits here are aligned with residents feeling safe. It is likewise aligned with workability when the police department is looking for forensic information related to criminal activity.
• Multi-Modal Transportation – This benefits the city residents in a variety of ways.
o Getting to public transportation hubs will improve the experience for all.

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City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 74 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
o Establishing e-mobility programs for older adults
o Could get residents out of their car and into public transportation which would have an impact on sustainability.

Workability
• Wireless connectivity – The benefits of the city considering ancillary wireless connectivity in conjunction with its fiber deployment covers workability as well as livability.
o First responders will have reliable connections within a variety of areas in the city. This leans toward considering PLTE (Private LTE) for some areas of the city.
o Benefits the residents when looking at large numbers of digital signs or additionally tap to pay EV Chargers, etc.
o Field workers will have the ability to relay GIS (geographic information system) information whenever there are changes needed.
o Recreation centers will experience a much higher level of reliability as well as improved services.
• GIS program – This will benefit the city across the board. Operational efficiency when field visits are made in terms of understanding and clearly knowing where the assets, wireless AP’s, etc. are located. • Digital Twin – Digital Twins are very useful when the data is available.

The benefits tie themselves to providing insight into a variety of areas and visualizing them in a single dashboard that is updated in real time. o Improvement in traffic monitoring – Leads to adaptive traffic monitoring.
o Improvement in emergency response – Leads to managing routes to specific locations. Also, unifies the various data streams into a single view shared amongst the teams.
o Can become the “Single Pane of Glass” used by most city workers. • Security foundation – When extending Connected Community services to operational technology, the city should evaluate its security strategy and processes to reduce risk to the city from potential cyber security incidents.
• Automated redundant internet – As innovation occurs and the city relies more heavily on the Internet to support its Connected Community program, it should evaluate automated redundant internet access if the new enhancements are deemed critical to the business needs of the city.

Sustainability
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City of Newark, CA Broadband Master Plan & Smart City Report Page 75 GTG ©2024 April 25, 2024
• Buildings – With Newark's sustainability targets, buildings (both old and new) should be under consideration. Note that Newark is already in a good place with the city hall and police departments already equipped with building automation to support HVAC and building services. o Energy efficient windows for all construction.
o Solar and other distributed energy resources to reduce emissions. o Connectivity within building that monitors and manages lighting, HVAC, and energy.
• EV charging - This provides even greater value when attached to other sustainable initiatives, renewables, and other energy efficient programs.

GTG is well prepared to help Newark execute a plan for solution delivery.

With a robust broadband strategy, the above listed solutions deliver a solid foundation for continued innovation for Newark’s Connected Community.

Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of city staff and regional stakeholders from Newark. City staff provided valuable feedback on a regular basis during the project in addition to assisting with getting the word out to the community regarding this important project.

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Broadband
Master Plan
and Smart
City Study
April 2024
2930 Geer Road, Suite 273
Turlock, CA 95382
[email protected]
Where strategies meet solutions
Packet Page 381
1 Agenda
 Master Plan Overview
 Market Analysis
 Goals and Needs
 Conceptual Design
 Policy
 Partnership Opportunities
 Recommendations
 Questions
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2 Objectives:
• The City has the following primary objectives in this community-wide broadband effort:

1. Inclusivity – to provide the opportunity for highspeed broadband service to all residents, businesses, and organizations.

2. Reliability – To provide a service that is
dependable and has redundancy built in.

3. Reasonable cost – To provide broadband that has
reasonable and affordable monthly charges.

4. To provide broadband infrastructure that
supports economic development and future
smart City initiatives.

Master Plan Overview
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3 Master Plan Overview
Key Findings:
• The City would save money by connecting city facilities into a city-owned fiber optic network.
• Connecting city facilities would build a foundation
to attract a Private Sector Partner to build low-cost,
high-speed future proof broadband in the
community.
• Per CPUC Maps most residents have access to highspeed broadband.

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4 Master Plan Overview
Key Findings continued:
• While most residents are covered with high-speed
broadband, there were complaints of reliability and
a lack of fiber infrastructure to future proof the
City.
o Saturation,
o Architecture,
o Age and maintenance of broadband infrastructure
• Cellular coverage within city facilities is lacking or spotty.
• The City could benefit from implementing best
practices, such as a Dig Once policy and standards
for expanding broadband infrastructure at a
reduced cost to the City.

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5 Master Plan Overview
Key Findings continued:
• The City has a security framework in place, a
foundational piece to support Smart
City/Connected Community programs.
• The City has Smart City/Connected Community
projects and services in place, i.e. eNotifications,
TextMyGov.
• The City has multiple opportunities to
implement Smart City solutions, taking
advantage of broadband infrastructure planned
for implementation.

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6 Major Providers
• Comcast
• AT&T
• T-Mobile
• Verizon
• Concerns: Cost, reliability, availability
• Possible Issues: Saturation, Architecture, Age
& Maintenance
Market Analysis
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7 Community Outreach Meetings & Survey
• Reported dissatisfaction with current services
• There was a desire for improved reliability &
customer service
• The attendees felt there was a need for increased
competition
• Attendees expressed an interest in the City
helping provide and support better services
Goals and Needs – Broadband Outreach
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8 GAP Analysis
Take Aways
•Broadband/Fiber Gaps appear to be in the last
mile (fiber connecting a home or business)
•Consequently, reliability and speed seem to be
key issues
•Limited City assets for Broadband infrastructure
to leverage
•The City has issues with wireless communication
for public safety and public works
9 Packet Page 389
GAP Analysis
Take Aways continued
• The City has limited technical staff to support
expansion of broadband
• The City could expand its policies related to
broadband and fiber network infrastructure.

These include:
• “Dig Once” and joint-build policies and
programs
• Development conditions that include fiber
10 Packet Page 390
Conceptual Design
Routes by
Phase
Phase I – $1.2m
• Connecting
Silliman
Center
Phase II - $300k
• Public works
Phase III $300k
• Senior Center
Aerial is best
case now 11
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Outcome of Implementing
Conceptual Design

1.City services are strengthened

2.Cost savings from Telecom reductions can be used
to reinvest in future proof broadband

3.Creation of a foundation making the city attractive
to a Public Sector Partner

4. Improve Economic Development by attracting new
business that desire fiber broadband

5. Provide foundation for high-speed reliable future
proof broadband for residents
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12  Dig Once / Joint
Trench Policy
 Development
Agreements
 Capital Projects
Policy & Governance
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13 Top Recommendations

1. Form or designate a staff broadband advisory group
of key stakeholders

2.Create policies and clear workflows

3.Create a technology enterprise fund

4.Create a Public Private Partnership (P3) for last mile

5. Incrementally build Broadband Infrastructure

6. Support Digital Inclusion
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14 Packet Page 395
A connected community in relation to smart city
embraces all community, businesses, and
infrastructure which are linked through technology,
creating a more efficient, sustainable, and
responsive urban environment.

Think of it like a living organism where all parts
communicate and work together seamlessly.
• Data-driven: Sensors and devices collect data on
everything from traffic flow to energy
use, providing insights for better decision-making.

Connected Communities
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16 • Networked: High-speed internet and
communication networks connect different parts of
the city, enabling real-time information sharing and
collaboration.
• Smart infrastructure: Traffic lights, Public WiFi,
and other infrastructure adapt and respond to
changing needs based on real-time data.

Connected Communities
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17 • Community engagement: Community can access
information, participate in decision-making, and
report issues through online platforms and mobile
apps.

Connected communities strive to reduce energy
consumption, waste, and pollution through datadriven optimization while improving livability, workability and sustainability
Connected Communities
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18 Digital Transformation
Digital transformation is the cultural, organizational
and operational change of an organization, industry or
ecosystem through an integration of digital
technologies, processes and competencies across all
levels and functions in a staged and strategic way
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19 Packet Page 400
20 Newark - Connected Communities
Vision
• Define the strategy
• Identify priorities
• Create requirements
• Identify technologies
• Generate a framework for collaboration
• Cross departmental roadmap
• Install Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) across
departments
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21 Newark - Connected Communities
Transformation
22 • Internal process adjustments
• Build tech partnerships
• Re-visit business models – Operational efficiencies
and service delivery
• Community engagement
• Pilot process – Continued innovation
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Newark - Connected Communities
Outcomes
23 • Outcomes measured by KPI’s
• Transparency across organizations and residents
• Institute operationally efficient procurement and
contracting
• City as a service creation by community feedback
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Newark Strategic Path to Delivery
Foundational alignment and new baseline
23 FOUNDATION - 2024
• Cybersecurity Alignment – Data Privacy/Governance
plan
• Community Broadband – Program kick-off
• Connected Streetlights – Implementation plan
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Transformation – 2025 - 2027
24 Newark Strategic Path to Delivery
• GIS Program implementation
• Traffic Monitoring
• Digital Governance – Secure Data sharing and use
• Public WiFi/Field connectivity
• Digital/Interactive Signage
• Innovation Corridor program
• Newark Operational Dashboard – Digital Twin
• Electrification Plan – EV Chargers/Distributed Energy Resources (DER)
Data and citywide program alignment
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New Outcomes 2028+
25 Newark Strategic Path to Delivery
• New City Services Alignment
• Updated community engagement services
• Citywide performance metrics- Dashboard
• Sustainability - performance metrics
• Digital inclusion programs
• Multi-modal transportation Programs
citywide services transformed
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Connected Community
Examples
Packet Page 407
26 City of Palo Alto
Leveraging City Data - Traffic
Monitoring and Digital Twin
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27 Palo Alto - Traffic Baseline Deliverable
By clicking on
intersection blue dots
the user Interface shows
phase timing for each of
the intersections
Streaming data is used to
show the flow of traffic
as well as pedestrians
that are waiting to cross
the street
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28 Delivering Insights With City Data
By clicking on lanes the user
Interface shows countdown
timers which could be used to
help navigate autonomous
vehicles through the city
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29 City of San Leandro
Connected Lighting and
Traffic Monitoring
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30 San Leandro – Transportation Program
● Connected Traffic Signals
● Adaptive Signal Technology
● Parking Management, Bike and Pedestrian Priority
● Autonomous Vehicles
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31 County of San Mateo
Connecting the Underserved
Community – East Palo Alto
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32 Collaborative Example – Underserved Communities
4 The Challenge – Under Resourced Areas
Information Services Department
County of San Mateo 5
How San Mateo Is Connecting The Community
Information Services Department
County of San Mateo
Bell Street Park
Martin Luther King Jr Park
Joel Davis Park
East Palo City Hall
Wireless Internet
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33 City of Coral Gables
Key elements towards a
Connected Community
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34 35
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35 Coral Gables - Florida
Packet Page 417
36 Thank you for
your time.

Questions?
Packet Page 418
37 Item  F. 3.

DATE 04/25/2024
TO Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM Roya Gonzalez, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT    Adopt a resolution authorizing the acceptance of the State of California grants for the Old Town PDA Road Diet and
Complete Street Improvement Project in the amount of
$1,000,000 and for the Newark Resource Center
Improvement Project in the amount of $1,000,000 and amend the 2022-2024 Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Plan.

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION
City staff submitted requests to Assemblymember Alex Lee’s office, asking the Assemblymember to undertake legislative efforts to fund high priority projects within the City. As a result of the request and as a result of Assemblymember Lee’s efforts, the State legislature approved funding for the Old Town PDA Road Diet and Newark Resource Center Project totaling $2 million in grants. Staff recommends that the City Council, by resolution, authorize the City to accept the State of California grants for the Old Town PDA Road Diet through the California Department of Transportation and for the Newark Resource Center through the California Natural Resources Agency and also amend the 2022-2024 Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Plan.

BACKGROUND
In March 2023, Assemblymember Lee began leading legislative efforts to secure funding for high priority projects that would address citywide service needs.

Among the list of projects requested were the Old Town PDA Road Diet and the Newark Resource Center projects. As a result of the efforts of City staff and Assemblymember Lee, the City of Newark was selected to receive $2 million for improvements in accordance with State Administrative Manual Section 8002.1 and Assembly Bill (AB) 102, Amendment to the 2023 California Budget Act.

Below is the intended use of funds.

Old Town PDA Road Diet: The requested amount will improve access, safety, and connections for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, while Packet Page 419
also serving as a catalyst for private investment in buildings and uses within the Old Town PDA. The project reduces the number of travel lanes and left-turn pockets on Thornton Avenue between Olive Street and Ash Street, freeing up space for wider sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Additional safety and connectivity improvements include new high visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, bus stop amenities and landscaping to improve the convenience and comfort of alternative travel modes.

Newark Resource Center: The requested amount would be applied to the capital costs associated with modification of the building based on programming needs. This includes bathroom renovations, roof repairs, interior building modifications, landscaping in both front and back, playground equipment, pavement construction for additional parking, and security lighting, among others. The City's first resource center will serve as an entry point for social services in the Newark community. Planned use includes contract services with various health and social service providers and, when not in use by City programs, will be made available for local non-profits.

DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
The funding for the City of Newark to receive $2 million from the State of California for the Old Town PDA Road Diet and the Newark Resource Center Project was adopted in July 2023 in accordance with State Administration Section 8002.1 and Assembly Bill (AB) 102, Amendment to the 2023 California Budget Act.

Upon acceptance of the funds by the City of Newark, the State of California will work through both the California Department of Transportation (Old Town PDA Road Diet) and California Natural Resources Agency (Newark Resource Center) to disburse funds.

Old Town PDA Road Diet - At the end of 2023, the City contracted with CSW|ST2 to support the City with public outreach efforts, provide engineering services and develop final construction documents that will allow the City to bid the Old Town PDA Road Diet project for construction.  Staff kicked off a series of public outreach events to gather community feedback to ensure the final construction plans consider the wants and needs of the community.  The final construction documents are anticipated to be ready for bid advertisement in Winter 2024.  The $1 million grant received by the State of California will supplement the approved $5.14 million in One Bay Area Grant 3 (OBAG 3) funding distributed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), $69,000 in Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and approximately $6 million of local match funds from Regional Measure 3 (RM3) funds distributed by MTC.  An Packet Page 420
update construction cost estimate will be prepared by CSW|ST2 as part of the development of the 35% design plans.  Construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2025.

Newark Resource Center - In June 2023, the City contracted with KPA Group to provide architectural and engineering services and develop final construction documents that will allow the City to bid the project for construction. The design is complete, and a request for project bids is expected to be released in summer 2024.  The grant received by the State of California will supplement the $600,000 designated in the City of Newark's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the Newark Resource Center and the $232,023 from the Community Development Block Grant funds allocated for this project. This cumulative $1,832,023 will fully fund the anticipated cost of construction, including engineering and project management costs. Construction is expected to begin in early fall 2024.

FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action of adopting a resolution to accept the AB102 Old Town PDA Road Diet and Newark Resource Center grants through the State of California will increase revenue to help fund the two projects. Staff recommends an amendment to the 2022-2024 Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Plan to reflect the increased revenue and appropriation as shown below. Any unspent funds and appropriations would be carried forward to the next fiscal year.

Increase Revenue: $1,000,000 of State Grants AB102 for Old Town PDA Road Diet (GL 492.90.094.940.4792CIP1150)
Increase Revenue: $1,000,000 of State Grants AB102 for Newark Resource Center (GL 492.90.094.940.4792.CIP001360)
Increase Appropriation: $1,000,000 for general contractual services for Old Town PDA Road Diet (GL 625.90.094.940.6221.CIP001150)
Increase Appropriation: $1,000,000 for general contractual services for Newark Resource Center (GL 610.90.094.940.6221.CIP001360)
Transfers out: $2,000,000 (GL 492.00.000.000.9999)
Transfers in: $1,000,000 (GL 610.00.000.000.4999)
Transfers in: $1,000,000 (GL 625.00.000.000.4999)
REVIEW AND APPROVAL
Prepared by - Roya Gonzalez, Senior Management Analyst
Reviewed by - Lenka Hovorka, Assistant City Manager
Reviewed by - Krysten Lee, Finance Director
Reviewed by - Kristopher J. Kokotaylo, City Attorney
Approved by - David J. Benoun, City Manager
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Attachments
Grant Resolution
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RESOLUTION NO.

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

NEWARK AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO ACCEPT THE
ASSEMBLY BILL 102 (AB102) OLD TOWN PDA ROAD DIET

AND NEWARK RESOURCE CENTER IMPROVEMENTS

GRANTS THROUGH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND
AMEND THE 2022-2024 BIENNIAL BUDGET
WHEREAS, the City of Newark has been selected to receive $2 million from the State of California as a result of City staff requests and the lobbying efforts of Assemblymember Alex Lee for Old Town PDA Road Diet and Newark Resource Center Improvements in accordance with State Administrative Manual Section 8002.1 and Assembly Bill (AB)102, Amendment to 2023 California Budget Act; and
WHEREAS, the State of California included $1,000,000 for Old Town PDA Road Diet in their budget adopted July 2023 to be allocated by the California Department of Transportation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark will submit an invoice to the California Department of Transportation for the $1,000,000 allocated for the Old Town PDA Road Diet; and WHEREAS, the State of California included $1,000,000 for the Newark Resource Center Improvements in their budget adopted July 2023 to be allocated by the California Natural Resources Agency; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark will submit an invoice to the California Natural Resources Agency, Office of Bonds & Grants for the $1,000,000 allocated for Newark Resource Center Improvements; and

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Newark authorizes the City to accept Improvements.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Newark authorizes the City to accept the State of California grants for Old Town PDA Road Diet and Newark Resource Center Improvements.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Newark approves an amendment to the 2022-2024 Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Program as follows:

Increase: 492.90.094.940.4792.CIP001150 State Grants AB102 – Old Town PDA Road Diet
$1,000,000
Increase: 492.90.094.940.4792.CIP001360 State Grants AB102 – Newark Resource Center $1,000,000
Increase: 492.90.094.940.9999 Transfer Out $2,000,000
Increase: 625.90.094.940.6221.CIP001150 Old Town PDA Road Diet $1,000,000 Increase: 625.00.000.000.4999 Transfer In $1,000,000
Increase: 610.90.094.940.6221.CIP001360 Newark Resource Center $1,000,000 Increase: 610.00.000.000.4999
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Transfer In
423
$1,000,000
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any unspent funds and appropriations would be carried forward to subsequent fiscal years.

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