2025 City Broadband
Master Plan
Information Technology Department
Informational Report Presented to the
Finance & Management Committee on
April 22, 2025
1 Background & Legislative History
• In December 2022, the City Council authorized the acceptance of a Local Agency Technical Assistance (“LATA”) in the amount of $500,000.
• In December 2024, ITD submitted the BMP to CPUC to successfully fulfill the LATA grant terms.
• The BMP is a 102-page document that analyzes the “digital divide” in Oakland; discusses the City’s successful $15.5 million CPUC Last- Mile grant application; and presents a long-term vision for a City-run Municipal Broadband Network.
2 BMP Overview: A Plan Years in the Making
2015 Fiber-Optic
Network Master Plan
2019 Fiber-Optic
Network Master Plan Update
2025 Broadband Master Plan
1. Section 1. Introduction
2. Section 2. Broadband Master Plan Overview
3. Section 3. Community Voices
4. Section 4. The Challenge: Digital Exclusion in Oakland
5. Section 5. Municipal Broadband Networks: A Primer
6. Section 6. Current State of Public Broadband Infrastructure in Oakland
7. Section 7. Advancing a Solution: OaklandConnect
8. Section 8. Recommendations
3 Separate and Unequal: Oakland's Digital Divide
33,000
Oakland
Households
without home
internet
4 Methods: Grounding in Lived Experience
BY THE NUMBERS
• >50,000 Integrated Surveys
• >1,000,000 Internet speed tests at 18,000
unique locations
• >100 Internal Wiring Inspections
• >20,000 Phone Banking Interactions
• 65 Formal Reports of Anticompetitive
Practices at Large MDUs
5 Grounded in Truth: Cause of Digital Divide
Barriers to Broadband
6 Barrier #1: Affordability
$86.50/month
Average Bay Area
Monthly Internet Costs
Barriers to Broadband
Top Reason Why no Connected
(Single Response)
Internet service is too expensive
The smartphone can do everything I/we need
Other
35.6%
13.7%
13.7%
7 Barrier #2: Performance
Source: #OaklandUndivided
analysis of HubbleIQ
download speed data. Data
includes over 472k speed
tests from over 15k Oakland
students between October –
December, 2023
Figure 17: Median Download Speeds (Mbps) HubbleIQ Data*Note: Major ISPs include:
AT&T, Comcast, Sonic & T-Mobile
Median Download Speed (Mbps)
All Major ISPs* in Oakland by Zip Code
Barriers to Broadband
Median Download
Speed Across
all Oakland
21 Mbps
8 Barrier #3: Availability
Barriers to Broadband
9 WHO PARTICIPATES:
•The City
•Civic & Elected Leaders
•Trusted CBO Partners
•Community Anchor Institutions
•Local, State, and Federal Partners & funding programs •Industry and Labor Partners
•And, most importantly, community
•#OaklandUndivided
Coalition + Infrastructure = Access
10 A Case for Municipal Broadband Networks
11 “OaklandConnect”: CPUC Grant Project
• In September, 2023, ITD submitted a grant project as
part of the CPUC Last-Mile grant program
• Construct 20 miles of hybrid middle/last mile fiber,
primarily in Oakland's least-connected communities
• Connect 14 Community Anchor Institutions and 9
Public Safety Buildings
• Provide free or low-cost internet for ~2,500 Affordable Housing Units
• Increase capacity and improve reliability of
municipally-owned fiber network
• In September 2024, City Council accepted CPUC
award for $14M with up to $2M match from Measure U
bond funds for a total of up to $16 million
12 OaklandConnect as Submitted to CPUC
13 OaklandConnect Timeline & Next Steps
Approved & In-Progress
• Agreement with Kimley-Horn for Design & Engineering Phase Coming Soon
• Agreements with affordable housing providers and property owners for grant-funded construction and equipment
• Public-Private Partnership Agreements with Internet Service Providers to provide free or low-cost Internet Service on the Network
• Construction Agreement to construct the fiber optic network Timeline for Agreements for Council Consideration
• 3-9 Months
14 BMP Findings for Opportunities
15 Existing Fiber
• Built “ad-hoc” without a broadband focus
• Limitations with maintenance and conditions
Planned and Future CIP Projects
• 8 CIP projects planned with fiber optic additions that can be integrated into a unified network
Maintenance
• BPM identified need for ongoing Citywide fiber maintenance and operational plans and procedures
Future Unified Broadband Network
16 Broadband Master Plan Recommendations
Digital Equity Strategy Recommendations
1. Sustain the Digital Equity Ecosystem in Oakland*
2. Enhance & Strengthen City Policies to Expand Internet Access
3. Support State & Federal Digital Equity Policies
Municipal Broadband Strategic Recommendations
1. Build the OaklandConnect Municipal Network
2. Integrate Planned and Future City fiber project with Oakland Connect MBN
3. Utilize OaklandConnect for Municipal Network Transport Services
4. Develop an Open Access Middle Mile Policy
5. Develop a Rooftop Access Policy
6. Develop a "Dig Once" Policy
7. Restore OakWiFi and Explore Connecting Public Spaces
8. Coordinate with the State on the Middle Mile Initiative
9. Develop Maintenance and Operations plans/procedures
10. Track & Pursue Federal & State Funding Opportunities 17 LEARN MORE
The 2025 City of Oakland Broadband Master Plan discusses all this and more – visit the website (below). Please contact [email protected] with questions or feedback.
The Full 2025 Broadband Master Plan will be published online at OAKLANDCA.GOV
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