Port Hueneme City Council
April 21, 2025

Adopting a similar ordinance would enhance public health and safety in Port Hueneme by addressing and reducing the misuse of nitrous oxide.

Currently, California state law does not prohibit the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide cartridges, except to those under the age of 18. Additionally, state law makes it a misdemeanor for any person to intentionally inhale or ingest nitrous oxide for the purpose of causing intoxication.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Drafting, notifying businesses, and enforcement of the proposed ordinance will incur minimal costs by using existing resources related to legal review and law enforcement activities. However, these are expected to be offset by the benefits of improved public health and safety.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

Primary Strategic Pillar(s) and Initiative(s):

Safe, Secure, & Beautiful Community
• Increase levels of emergency preparedness and education ATTACHMENTS:

A. Crescent City Ordinance No. 845
Agenda Item No. 10 Page 2 of 6 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
Crescent City Ordinance No. 845 P a g e | 1
ORDINANCE NO. 845

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CRESCENT CITY REGULATING THE

SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF NITROUS OXIDE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS WHEREAS, the City of Crescent City is a general law city incorporated under the laws of the State of California in 1854; and
WHEREAS, the City is empowered by the California Constitution and the general laws of the State of California to regulate commercial activity to promote the public health, safety and welfare; and WHEREAS, the recreational use of nitrous oxide as an intoxicating inhalant is an urgent public health challenge; and
WHEREAS,the medical authorities have linked the recreational use of nitrous oxide to serious health problems, including physical illness, mental illness, injury and even death; and WHEREAS, nitrous oxide also has legitimate purposes, including its use in cooking and dessert making, as a calming aid in dentistry, and as an automotive performance booster; and WHEREAS, California Penal Code Section 381b makes it a misdemeanor for any person to intentionally inhale or ingest nitrous oxide for the purpose of causing intoxication, and anyone who is o intoxicated is also guilty of a misdemeanor; and
WHEREAS, California Penal Code Section 381c makes it a misdemeanor to sell or distribute nitrous oxide to anyone under the age of 18 (unless administered by and for medical or dental purposes by a licensed practitioner); and
WHEREAS, California Penal Code Section 381e requires that anyone dispensing or distributing nitrous oxide to inform the recipient that it is a violation of state law to knowingly distribute or dispense nitrous oxide to any person who intends to inhale or ingest it for the purpose of intoxication; and
WHEREAS, State law does not prohibit the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide cartridges, regardless of quantity; and
WHEREAS, eliminating the sale and distribution of nitrous oxide within the City’s jurisdictional boundaries will reduce the number of persons in possession of and who use nitrous oxide as an intoxicating drug and will promote the public health safety and welfare, particularly of our community’s youth population.

NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Crescent City, State of California, hereby ordains:

SECTION 1. RECITALS. The City Council finds the above recitals to be true and correct and are incorporated herein as if set forth in full.

SECTION 2. AMENDMENTS TO MUNICIPAL CODE. The Crescent City Municipal Code is hereby amended by adding Chapter 8.40, Regulation of Nitrous Oxide, to Title 8, Health and Safety, to read as follows:

Attachment A
Agenda Item No. 10 Page 3 of 6 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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Chapter 8.40 REGULATION OF NITROUS OXIDE

8.40.010 Authority and Purpose.

This chapter is enacted pursuant to the City’s police powers to protect the public safety, health and welfare. The express purpose of this chapter is to protect the public health and safety by limiting retail access to a very dangerous gas that is illicitly used as an intoxicant. Persons and businesses that legitimately utilize nitrous oxide in their products will continue to be able to do so.

8.40.020 Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter, the following words, shall have the following definitions.

A. “Device” means any cartridge, compressed gas cylinder, apparatus, container or other object used to contain, dispense or administer nitrous oxide.

B. “Nitrous oxide” means the colorless nonflammable gas (N2O) sometimes used in aerosols and sometimes used as an anesthetic, which, when inhaled, produces loss of sensibility to pain, often preceded by exhilaration and laughter and used as an anesthetic in dentistry.

Nitrous oxide is often referred to as “laughing gas.”
C. “Person” means any individual or legal entity however constituted or organized.

D. “Wholesale capacity” means to sell nitrous oxide or a device to dispense nitrous oxide to a person that will use said product in the performance of its service or the production of its goods.

8.40.030 Prohibition on Sale or Distribution of Nitrous Oxide.

Except as otherwise allowed under this Chapter, it is unlawful for any person to sell, offer, distribute or otherwise provide to any person nitrous oxide, a device to dispense or administer nitrous oxide, or any device that contains a quantity of nitrous oxide.

8.40.040 Exceptions to Prohibition.

This Chapter does not apply to the sale, offer, distribution, or other manner of providing nitrous oxide, or a device that contains a quantity of nitrous oxide, in the following circumstances:

A. If the nitrous oxide is contained in a food product for use as a propellant.

B. If the nitrous oxide or device is being sold, offered or distributed in a wholesale capacity.

C. If the nitrous oxide or device that is being sold, offered or distributed is specifically designed for use in a vehicle to enhance the performance of the vehicle.

D. If the nitrous oxide is being administered for the purpose of providing medical or dental care, by or at the direction and under the supervision of, a medical or dental practitioner licensed by the State of California and in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations.

E. If the nitrous oxide or device is being dispensed by a pharmacist, pharmacist intern, or pharmacy as defined by California Business & Professions Code §§ 4030, 4036, and 4037, as may be amended, in the course of their duties as a pharmacist or pharmacist intern, or wholesalers licensed by the Board of Pharmacy.

F. If the nitrous oxide or device is being sold, offered or distributed by a manufacturer classified under Code Number 325120 (industrial gas manufacturer) or 424690 (other chemical and Agenda Item No. 10 Page 4 of 6 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
Crescent City Ordinance No. 845 P a g e | 3
allied products merchant wholesalers) by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

8.40.050 Violations and Penalties.

Any person who violates this Chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor offense and upon conviction thereof may be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced up to six (6) months in the county jail. Additionally, any person who violates this Chapter is subject to administrative citation in accordance with Chapter

1.24 of this Municipal Code. This section shall not serve to limit any other legal remedies or actions that the City may have to address violations of this Chapter. ***END TEXT AMENDMENT***
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SECTION 3. CEQA DETERMINATION. This Ordinance has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the CEQA Guidelines, and has been found to be exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (general rule) of the CEQA Guidelines, because the City Council hereby finds with certainty that there is no possibility the passage of this Ordinance will have a significant effect on the environment.

SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY. If any part of this Ordinance is held to be invalid or inapplicable to any situation by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision will not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance or the applicability of this Ordinance to other situations.

SECTION 5. PUBLICATION. The City Clerk shall cause this ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in Del Norte County once within 15 days of its adoption in accordance with the requirements of Government Code Section 36933.

SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance will be effective 30 days after the date of its adoption by the City Council.

INTRODUCED at a meeting of the City Council of the City of Crescent City held on September 16, 2024.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Crescent City at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 7th day of October 2024 by the following polled vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

ABSTAIN:

Blake Inscore, Mayor
ATTEST:

Robin Altman, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:

Martha D. Rice, City Attorney
Agenda Item No. 10 Page 6 of 6 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
DATE: April 21, 2025
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: James Vega, City Manager
Aaron Wedemeyer, IT Manager
SUBJECT: BROADBAND MASTER PLAN UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended the City Council receive an update regarding the City’s Broadband Master Plan and approve recommended amendments to the plan resulting in a reduction of future project costs of approximately $4,293,000.

BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:

The City’s Broadband Master Plan (Plan) was developed with the expertise of Government Technology Group, a consultant engaged by the City, and was approved by the City Council on July 10, 2023. The plan was developed in a different economic climate during a period when the city was receiving significant cannabis revenues, and included several multi-million dollar projects that need to be reevaluated with a goal of financial sustainability for the City. Staff has been focused on implementing more efficient solutions over the past two years, and is now recommending a revised plan that would result in a reduction of future project costs of approximately $4,293,000. As funding was not identified during development of the plan, remaining projects still require funding and staff will continue to look for lower cost solutions and may bring further revisions back depending on budget circumstances in future years. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the current status of the Plan and to request approval for proposed amendments.

Current broadband services within Port Hueneme
• The majority of City has in-ground broadband, provided by either Charter/Spectrum or Frontier. According to FCC form 477 (self-reporting by providers) and CPUC coverage maps, the only remaining areas of the City that are underserved/unserved are Hueneme Bay and the Hueneme Beach Park.
• According to data entered by vendors with the FCC and CPUC, Verizon, TMobile, and AT&T all provide 5G wireless services throughout the City Agenda Item No. 11 Page 1 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
Report and Revision of Broadband Master Plan
April 21, 2025

limits. Survey results from the Plan included complaints that service was less than desirable at the beach park and Hueneme Bay.
• The City owns dedicated fiber between City Hall, Public Works, and Housing. There is no direct connection to the Community Center, but it does have current access to 1GB/s fiber internet.
• T-Mobile and Spectrum currently provide Wi-Fi based home internet options.
• The Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County have their own supply of broadband services.
• Local schools, Ventura County branch library and police/fire facilities have broadband services.
• Bubbling Springs Park has new conduit which was installed during park redevelopment, to allow the provider to easily place new fiber, if they choose to expand services in the future. This is an example of dig-once infrastructure placement.

Broadband Master Plan Recommendations
The Plan includes a five-phase approach to implementing conceptually designed projects intended to enhance broadband service within the City of Port Hueneme.

Considering the current status of broadband service and actions taken since the adoption of the Plan, staff is recommending that the scope of phase 2 be significantly reduced and phases 3 and 5 be eliminated. A summary of each phase, along with proposed amendments, is provided below.

Phase 1 - Ventura County Middle-Mile This is a project to provide backbone network connectivity throughout Ventura County, the necessary infrastructure to connect homes and businesses to the internet but does not address local individual connections. This project is progressing in phases with current efforts occurring along the 126 freeway, Simi Valley, and upper Ojai. City staff participates in the Ventura Council of Governments (VCOG) Broadband working group to advocate for construction that would benefit services in Port Hueneme.

Phase 2 - City Facilities This phase recommends connections between Library, Community Center, City Hall, Public Works, and Housing buildings and also calls for the enhancement of service at Hueneme Beach Park for both economic development and tourism. With the exception of the Community Center, all city facilities are currently connected via dedicated fiber optic cabling which has been in place for more than 20 years. The Community Center is connected to the city network via a dedicated VPN tunnel which provides sufficient connectivity. Installation of a direct fiber connection would be costly and provide minimal enhancement to existing service. The branch library, which is operated by Ventura County, is already serviced by high-speed fiber.

The Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grant accepted by the City Council on January 21, 2025 will design reliable, high-speed service to Hueneme Beach Park. This design-based grant is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025. It is recommended that this phase be amended to eliminate work associated with connecting the facilities noted above. The LATA grant will provide an estimate for Agenda Item No. 11 Page 2 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
Report and Revision of Broadband Master Plan
April 21, 2025

construction costs associated with enhancing service in the beach area, which will replace the current cost estimate of $983,000 for this phase. .

Phase 3 – Schools/City network This phase recommended connecting the school district building to the City’s network, to increase available speeds for the district. City staff contacted representatives from the Hueneme School District to explore the potential for shared network infrastructure. School district staff indicated they already have a robust 10GB fiber ring connecting all the schools and the district’s main office.

As such, there is no identified need for the work proposed in this phase. Amending the plan to delete this phase eliminates the proposed work and associated $1,123,000 cost estimate.

Phase 4 – Diversity This phase calls for ensuring multiple paths to key anchor institutions (City Hall, Police, Fire). Diversity is considered the Gold Standard for fiber deployment, leveraging distance between fiber paths to provide redundant paths for those institutions that have a need for near 100% connectivity to the internet. The industry standard is that network paths are separated by at least 25 feet, to prevent a single accident from disrupting network access. This phase’s goal would remain unchanged from the original Plan. Staff will continue to explore options to enable diversity and redundancy in the pathway anchor institution buildings. The estimated total cost of this phase is $1,948,080 and remains an unfunded estimate.

Phase 5 – Hueneme Bay The Plan identified Hueneme Bay as the largest concentration of unserved/underserved users. Phase 5 called for the expansion of network infrastructure to bring services to this area. Since the adoption of the Plan, the City has communicated with the Hueneme Bay HOA (Carefree Living Association) regarding the status of high-speed internet service within Hueneme Bay. Last year, staff was informed that the Board of Directors selected a vendor to serve as their fiber optic provider and that a second vendor was in the process of connecting high-speed internet for its existing customers. Additionally, the City has approved a telecommunications company’s application to construct a cell tower that would serve Hueneme Bay residents. It is anticipated that these projects will enhance services available to residents of Hueneme Bay, and remove the area from the unserved/underserved status. Amending the Plan to delete this phase eliminates the proposed work and estimated cost of $3,170,000.

The Plan also outlines “Next Steps” to be taken to accomplish the 5 phases. Due to the proposed elimination and modification of work within these phases, staff is recommending changes to these actions. Specifically, it is recommended that items be eliminated:

Step 1. Creation of Advisory Board
With the proposed elimination of phases 3 and 5, and reduction of work in phase 2, the need for an advisory board is diminished. As noted, existing staff resources are being used to manage phase 1, and are working with SCAG representatives to design a project to satisfy work called for in phase 2. Lastly, as noted, staff will continue to explore options to accomplish diversity and redundancy goals noted in phase 3.

Agenda Item No. 11 Page 3 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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April 21, 2025

Steps 5 and 6. Creation of Broadband Enterprise Fund and Financing Strategy Since the phases consist of projects and not ongoing services provided to the public, the use of an Enterprise fund is inappropriate. Staff do not recommend that the City venture down the path of becoming a Municipal Service Provider, as described on page 56 of the original Plan. Staff is unaware of any city in Ventura county that is acting as a Municipal Service Provider, even very large cities with significant resources.

Step 11. Donate surplus computer equipment
Staff attempted this in the past. In an effort to ensure computers were donated to local charitable organizations, a process was designed to allow interested parties to apply for surplus computer equipment. Preference was given to Port Hueneme – based organizations, and then the selection of recipients was expanded on a first-come, first served basis. Staff spent significant hours processing requests, but when an eligible list was established and applicants reviewed the surplus items, many times they declined to take the equipment. Surplus equipment was generally well past useful lifespan, and the effort to refurbish and bring to a useable status was not deemed cost effective. For a variety of reasons, including lower cost and environmentally friendly, staff recommends to modify the plan to send the surplus equipment to recycling centers to ensure the items are disposed in an environmentally conscious method.

Summary of Proposed Changes
Staff recommends amending the Plan to modify phase 2, eliminate phases 3 and 5 and remove steps 1, 5, 6 and 11 from the Next Steps section. This amendment would streamline the Plan, allowing for better prioritization of staff time, city funds, and resources by removing projects that are not essential and allow staff resources to be spent on more impactful tasks.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

Primary Strategic Pillar(s) and Initiative(s):

Innovation & Opportunity
• Invest in new programs and technologies to strengthen our economy and attract innovation
FISCAL IMPACT:

No funds had been allocated to the Plan at the time of adoption. The removal of phases 3 and 5 reduce unfunded project cost estimates totaling approximately $4,293,000.

ATTACHMENTS:

A. Copy of July 10, 2023 Broadband Master Plan
Agenda Item No. 11 Page 4 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025

Broadband Master Plan
Study
for

City of Port Hueneme
250 N Ventura Road
Port Hueneme, CA 93041

From

2930 Geer Rd
Suite 273
Turlock, CA 95382
(209) 678-3077
[email protected]
Agenda Item No. 11 Page 5 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
Attachment A
City of Port Hueneme, CA Broadband Master Plan Study Page 2 GTG ©2023 July 11, 2023
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 5 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 7 Key findings ................................................................................................................... 8 Asset Inventory ............................................................................................................... 9 City Owned Broadband Infrastructure...................................................................... 9 Private Owned Broadband Infrastructure................................................................. 9 Port of Hueneme ........................................................................................................... 9 Ventura County ...........................................................................................................11 Technology Trends...................................................................................................... 13 Market Analysis............................................................................................................ 17 Providers in Port Hueneme .................................................................................................................. 18 Frontier Communications Corporation ............................................................................................. 18 Charter Communications, Spectrum ................................................................................................. 19 Yondoo..................................................................................................................................................... 20 WIFI Harbor ............................................................................................................................................ 20 T-Mobile ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Satellite Providers .................................................................................................................................. 21 Service Availability .....................................................................................................22 Address Assessment .............................................................................................................................. 22 FCC Broadband Maps ........................................................................................................................... 24 Data Centers .......................................................................................................................................... 30 Goals and Needs ........................................................................................................... 32 Broadband Survey.......................................................................................................32 Survey Responses .................................................................................................................................. 33 Internet Services..........................................................................................................33 Quality of Service........................................................................................................34 Devices ..........................................................................................................................35 Respondents Comments............................................................................................36 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................37 Affordable Care Program (ACP)................................................................................37 Community Outreach Meetings................................................................................38 State and Federal Data ...............................................................................................39 Gap Analysis.................................................................................................................. 42 Conceptual Design ....................................................................................................... 43 Tradeoffs ......................................................................................................................45 Phases ...........................................................................................................................46 Agenda Item No. 11 Page 6 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
City of Port Hueneme, CA Broadband Master Plan Study Page 3 GTG ©2023 July 11, 2023
HLD Footages and Budget .........................................................................................50 Timing……………………………………………………………………………………….51
Business Models and Financial Analysis.................................................................53 Business Models..........................................................................................................56 Capital Expenses .........................................................................................................56 Operating Expenses ....................................................................................................57 Revenue Potential .......................................................................................................57 Financial Viability .......................................................................................................57 Grants and Other Funding Sources .........................................................................57 Phased Implementation Plan ..................................................................................... 58 Form or designate a broadband advisory board...................................................58 Create policies and workflows .................................................................................58 Create a Technology Enterprise Fund .....................................................................59 Pursue Last Mile funding...........................................................................................59 Find Vendor for a P3 agreement to build Last-Mile..............................................59 Build network according to HLD..............................................................................60 Support Digital Inclusion ..........................................................................................60 Next Steps....................................................................................................................... 60 Figures
Figure 1 - Methodology............................................................................................................ 7 Figure 2 - Port of Hueneme Rail Line ................................................................................ 11 Figure 3 - Ventura County Middle-Mile HLD................................................................... 13 Figure 4 - Addresses Evaluated........................................................................................... 24 Figure 5 - Access Fiber Optic Broadband......................................................................... 25 Figure 6 - Access to min 100/20 Broadband Speeds ................................................... 26 Figure 7 - US Cellular Coverage Map ................................................................................. 27 Figure 8 - T-Mobile Coverage Map...................................................................................... 28 Figure 9 - Verizon Coverage Map ....................................................................................... 28 Figure 10 - AT&T Coverage Map......................................................................................... 29 Figure 11 - FCC 4G LTE Coverage Map ............................................................................. 30 Agenda Item No. 11 Page 7 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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Figure 12 - Data Center Locations...................................................................................... 32 Figure 13 - NTIA Areas of Need.......................................................................................... 40 Figure 14 - California Priority Need Locations............................................................... 41 Figure 15 - California Interactive Broadband Map........................................................ 42 Figure 16 - HLD Map............................................................................................................... 46 Figure 17 - Beach Park Coverage Area .............................................................................. 48 Figure 18 - Last Mile HLD...................................................................................................... 50 Figure 19 - Level of Effort..................................................................................................... 53

Tables
Table 1 - Frontier Offerings ................................................................................................. 19 Table 2 - Spectrum Offerings .............................................................................................. 20 Table 3 - Wifi Harbor Offerings .......................................................................................... 20 Table 4 - T-Mobile Offerings ................................................................................................ 21 Table 5 - Port Hueneme Satellite Providers..................................................................... 21 Table 6 - Addresses Researched......................................................................................... 22 Table 7 - Survey Completion................................................................................................ 33 Table 8 - Type of Connection .............................................................................................. 34 Table 9 - Quality of Service .................................................................................................. 35 Table 10 - Types of Devices ................................................................................................. 36 Table 11 - ACP Enrollment ................................................................................................... 38 Table 12 - NTIA Report Categories .................................................................................... 39 Table 13 – Construction Methods ...................................................................................... 43 Table 14 – Estimated Cost by Phase.................................................................................. 51 Table 15 - Potential Funding by Phase.............................................................................. 51 Table 16 - Estimated Timing per Phase............................................................................ 52 Agenda Item No. 11 Page 8 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
City of Port Hueneme, CA Broadband Master Plan Study Page 5 GTG ©2023 July 11, 2023
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 the new foundation for more prosperous communities.

Although different technologies, the terms broadband and internet can be interchangeable terms that refer to ability to access the “NET” or internet. ”High-Speed” Broadband is the term for devices to connect to the internet via wireless, fiber optics, hybrid fiber coax, or DSL technologies. The Federal Communications Commission has defined broadband as internet speeds of at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. California has set a higher standard of 100Mbps down and 20 Mbps up.

The internet of things (IoT) is the concept that most devices can be connected to the internet to make life easier, faster, more efficient, and better. From refrigerators to televisions and cloud-based voice services, many devices and technologies will be connected to the internet with the ability to report data and provide information. Outside the home, there are smart city applications such as intelligent traffic control systems, smart irrigation systems, total building monitoring systems, city-wide wi-fi networks, and much more.

Technology advancements are creating an online reality that cannot be ignored, and any city/town that does not embrace this new reality will be left behind.

Distance learning, telehealth, and remote working are requirements for residents to be able to function in this new online environment. Until recently, broadband was viewed as a luxury provided by the private sector, with cities and towns held captive by the whims of these companies regarding which geographic areas to build and provide these services. Water, power, and sewer are utilities that are a part of city planning efforts, and broadband must be included as a new utility and treated as such by towns, cities, counties, and states. Broadband communications have become a quality-of-life issue and is the foundation to improve the sustainability, workability and livability of a community.

Broadband is the technology or medium that individuals can connect online with their friends, businesses, nonprofits, or any website through accessing the internet. The technologies used can be fiber optics, wireless, Citizens Agenda Item No. 11 Page 9 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), satellite, cellular, coax/cable, etc. All the technologies have pros and cons associated with them and these are accounted for in this study.

Broadband is required if anyone wants to live and take part in the world around them. Long gone are the days of going to the bank to make cash withdrawals, writing checks and paying bills through the mail are tasks rarely done anymore.

We use ATMs that are ubiquitous to get cash back when purchasing from a store, most businesses that have an online presence use a form of online bill pay which makes the process of paying bills a quick and easy task for the most part. Health care is another area of everyday life that is changing at a rapid pace. It is common for doctors to conduct appointments online through a variety of video applications reducing the need for driving to the office, doctors can see more patients and prescribe medications that can be picked up or even delivered to your address.

It has been the practice of cities to rely on the private sector to upgrade and provide broadband and internet access to the residents and businesses along with phone and television. The problem with this attitude is that private sector companies’ business strategies rely on a return on investment (ROI) and any area in a city that does not produce a fast enough ROI is skipped and not provided. Having limited broadband wasn’t a major issue or such a great impact on the lives of the residents until recent years when the technology and economy began transitioning to an online environment. Incumbent providers, the big companies that have long been relied upon, cannot or will not provide the cities and residents with the high-speed access they need to areas that don’t improve their bottom line.

Partnering with Government Technology Group LLC (GTG), a Broadband Master Plan study was performed to discover and outline the needs and then devise a plan to help fill those needs. The City recognized the need for essential highspeed affordable broadband services for all residents including unserved or underserved areas of the City. The Government Technology Group (GTG) performed an assessment of the Broadband Needs of the City exploring opportunities for improving and expanding high speed broadband communications for all residents in their jurisdiction.

The assessment included a survey of the community, workshops with residents and local businesses and discussion with major stakeholders.

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The outreach performed by GTG clearly showed there is a need to expand fiber to areas of the City that are underserved. The top reasons because of the research include building a foundation for economic development and improving access to unserved and underserved areas of the City.

This broadband study provides recommendations for the organization and is a roadmap to keep the organization focused on using time and resources efficiently.

Methodology
The methodology GTG used for this plan uses proven steps that encompass the vital information needed to provide a plan and steps to accomplish the plan.

Figure 1 - Methodology
Asset Assessment is investigating and analyzing what assets 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.

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 residential and business needs.

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

DISCOVERY PHASE
Asset Assessment
Market Assessment
Needs Assessment

VISION PHASE
High-Level Design
Recommendations

FINAL REPORT
Next Steps
Final Report
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City the 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 that 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 Plan.

Final Report and Presentation
Key findings
• Port Hueneme residents are happy and enjoy life in Port Hueneme. • The City has multiple areas that are underserved with broadband verified by state and federal broadband maps.
• Incumbent providers have limited plans to expand in Port Hueneme. • While most of the residents are covered with high-speed broadband, there were complaints of reliability and there is a lack of fiber infrastructure to future proof the City.
• There are priority areas of the City per the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) which are eligible for Last Mile grant funding including businesses in the community. The CPUC regulates utilities related to broadband in California and assures Californians have access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. • The Port of Hueneme has redundant fiber connections and is well supported with broadband.
• The Navy is also well served and has no need for additional help at this time.
• The Port Hueneme Beach Park is not well served with wi-fi or cellular signals.
• Hueneme Bay is an area of need.
• Ventura County is planning a middle-mile project including connecting Port Hueneme city hall to the Ventura County network.
• The City lacks a Dig Once policy and developer agreement standards for expanding broadband infrastructure at a reduced cost to the City. • The City has the following primary objectives in this broadband effort:
o 1. Inclusivity – to provide the opportunity for high-speed broadband service to all residents, businesses, schools, local government, nonprofit organizations, healthcare service providers, tourism establishments, etc.
o 2. Reliability – To provide a service that is dependable and has redundancy built in.

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o 3. Reasonable cost – To provide broadband that has reasonable and affordable monthly charges.
o 4. To provide broadband infrastructure that supports economic development and future smart city initiatives.

Asset Inventory
Assets are everything owned by a City that has value. This includes physical items as well as the non-physical such as space and intellectual property. An 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 focuses on assets that are or can be utilized for broadband. Some assets evaluated include:
• Network equipment
• Fiber optic cables
• In ground conduits
• Wireless towers and antennas
• Agreements with assets attached
• Office space, rack space
City Owned Broadband Infrastructure
Port Hueneme has limited assets currently to help advance broadband. The City does not own any fiber optic cables or conduits.

Private Owned Broadband Infrastructure
There are private companies that own and maintain fiber optic, cellular, and fixed wireless networks in Port Hueneme.

Port of Hueneme
The Port of Hueneme has good redundant fiber connections through local providers and is not looking to expand or add to these connections currently.

However, the port owns the rail line that transports goods from the docks to the shipping areas to be loaded on to trucks. See map below. It is believed that there are fiber optic cables in the right-of-way of the tracks, Fiberlocator is one Agenda Item No. 11 Page 13 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
City of Port Hueneme, CA Broadband Master Plan Study Page 10 GTG ©2023 July 11, 2023
source of this information. The owner of the cable is unknown and cannot be validated by any database or records from the Port.

After physical inspection of the right of way (ROW) trying to find handholes, fiber cable markers, construction restoration, or any other sign of fiber cables there were no signs of fiber that could be found. One practical way that this may be determined is to call 811 and see if there are any providers that have that ROW on their system.

In discussions with the Port, they are willing to help and possibly partner with the City to help in expanding broadband. A conceivable way is to allow for and use the rail line right of way (ROW) to place fiber optic cables in for use by the City, Port, or Ventura County. Rail ROWs are commonly used throughout the world as fiber optic cable placement due to the wide easements and most major obstacles being mitigated during the construction of the rail line.

The Port also has fiber in place to the public safety building and is amenable to sharing this infrastructure with the City.

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Figure 2 - Port of Hueneme Rail Line
Ventura County
Ventura County is designing and constructing phase 1 and 2 of a middle-mile fiber optic diverse network. One of the goals of this project is to connect city halls and select other facilities together. The plan is shown in the figure below.

There are portions of the plan that are not able to be shown due to nondisclosure agreements (NDAs). However, Port Hueneme is part of the Oxnard portion of the network and will be built as part of that phase. It is anticipated the connection to the Port Hueneme City Hall will take place in Phase 2 which is anticipated to be completed 2024/25.

Ventura county is planning on connections within the county including multiple cities and anchor institutions to bolster the fiber network and broadband capacity in the area. The Ventura project will also be connecting to data centers Agenda Item No. 11 Page 15 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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and function as a transport network encouraging more internet service providers to support rural and currently underserved communities.

For Port Hueneme to remain competitive due to the regional fiber optic projects, it is imperative that the City expand fiber optic networks within the City to support economic development.

The City should watch regional efforts of the County regarding the pending Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that will coordinate broadband in the region. Grant funding to create the JPA was recently approved to create the JPA. It is recommended the City should join the JPA when the opportunity arises.

JPA benefits include reducing cost due to joint builds, providing economies of scale related to last mile funding and reducing risk to the City. The City may also have the opportunity for reduced costs on a regional basis related to design engineering.

Obligations related to joining the JPA include:
• Future letters of support and collaboration for grant funding • Sharing of assets and the Public Right of Way (PROW). The PROW is the area of any public street, highway, lane, path, alley, sidewalk, bridge, tunnel, park way, waterway, casement, or similar property within the City, used for purpose of installing and maintaining water, sewer, broadband or other infrastructure to support the City’s needs.
• Joint builds when appropriate
• Shared costs for use of leased circuits if any in the backbone or gateways to Points of Presence (PoPs)
County build out in Phase 1a & 1b
- Phase II – Ventura to Oxnard, Port Hueneme to be included in this phase Will Connect to City Hall ~ 24/25
- Possible Joint Bid to reduce costs for Last Mile funding - Possible including of design engineering into regional effort (10+miles) s Agenda Item No. 11 Page 16 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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Figure 3 - Ventura County Middle-Mile HLD
Technology Trends
Overall, activities, processes, and resources are being digitized and virtualized.

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 megatrend toward demand-driven, pull-based systems, including agile development and lean production. Much of the rationale for digitization has been around cost avoidance or reduction, while the larger trend is primarily focused on increasing customer value and revenue but doing so more efficiently. These trends are interacting with socioeconomic trends, particularly the aging population and reduced workforce, and climate change. While beyond the scope of this study, this report supplies a solid foundation for effectively addressing the trends noted below.

A specific trend directly impacting local governments is the emergence of Smart Cities, 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 Agenda Item No. 11 Page 17 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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of its inhabitants and business.”1 While Smart City activities have often been very technology-centric rather than citizen-centric, the general purpose is to improve and integrate public processes. Generally, Smart Cities 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 you operate and deliver value to customers.”2 This has important implications municipalities, not the least of which relate to residents and other external stakeholders. For Port Hueneme, digital transformation means residents are likely working remotely or running businesses from their homes. Of course, it also means major changes for the City itself. Specifically, citizen/customer-facing systems must be deployed and/or upgraded so the City’s business can be done online. This also means the City should supply some form of connectivity, such as electronic kiosks and public Wi-Fi, for convenience and those who do not have access as well as amenities.

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—most web-based—that were impractical or unavailable in the past.

A general class of cloud-based applications and related technologies focuses on adding intelligence to assets and machines of various sorts, allowing them to be integrated with information technologies (or vice versa). Operational technologies (OT) are “[p]rogrammable systems or devices that interact with the physical environment … [to] … detect or cause a direct change through the 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 Agenda Item No. 11 Page 18 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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monitoring and/or control of devices, processes, and events.”3 For municipalities, OT includes everything from garbage trucks to traffic signals.

Increasingly, OT is being added to “dumb” assets such as manholes, 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 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 in and of itself. Rather, it is a means to improved outcomes that enables other trends.

Beneath all these trends runs a more fundamental trend: 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. Too much OT has 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 frauds 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, bandwidth, or latency that fiber optics can provide. Wireless, cellular, or HFC cannot hold a candle to the speeds or reliability of fiber. Japan’s NICT set a new speed record over a single strand of fiber at 1.02 petabits per second. 4 To put this into
perspective it is “equivalent to sending 127,500 GB per second or 10 million channels of 8K broadcasting per second.” Fiber is essential for backhaul for all 3 https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/operational_technology 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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networks to connect to the internet, this includes all cellular networks. Fiber optic cables are flexible strands of glass that trap the light inside a core of only 8-10 microns inside of a strand that is 125 microns. Trapping the light and being able to control where it is going allows fiber to avoid the many issues that arise form wireless networks and copper networks such as obstacles in a wireless environment to the slow speeds of analogue or digital signals over copper.

Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) provides last mile connectivity by building fiber optic cable directly into homes, businesses, and anchor institutions. It is also referred to as Fiber to the Home (FTTH) or Fiber to the Business (FTTB).

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 importance thinking that either wireless or wireline is the only way to go. In more urban areas, the reality is 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 back-haul, 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 high-speed 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 costeffective networks.

Cellular 4G and LTE refers to fourth generation technology and “Long Term Evolution” cellular service. This technology is different than Wi-Fi. Cellular and Wi-Fi are both wireless systems, meaning both use radio frequencies to transmit and receive data. Wi-Fi (known as an access point) has limitations regarding its range to a few hundred feet. A cellular 4G transmitter (cell site or base station) provides mobile access out multiple miles from its location. “5G” internet or fifth generation technology, requires mobile companies to attach small cell device or "nodes" towers connected to wired fiber networks.

The small cell devices provide a connection to a home router via digital data. 5G networks have limitations that a direct fiber connection avoids i.e., weak Agenda Item No. 11 Page 20 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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signals and network congestion. To avoid these issues, wireless providers install more towers or small cell sites in areas that are impacted. The typical 5G network requires 5-10 times the number of cell towers than 4G to operate at full capacity.

Satellite is another budding technology that is currently going through 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 travelling at the speed of light, going that far into space being bounced off a satellite and returning to earth creates extremely high latency, the time it takes for data to reach the other end.

Satellite signals are shared which requires 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 function better than it currently is. The FCC in December granted to 7,500 satellites to be deployed, however Starlink was recently denied RDOF subsidies of nearly $885 million because the satellite provider failed to provide the speeds promised and the high cost of the dish required at residents’ homes. Satellite 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 it’s still developing technology for consumer broadband — which requires that users purchase a $600 dish — with nearly $900 million in universal service funds until 2032.”
Market Analysis
GTG analyzed the broadband landscape for the City of Port Hueneme to determine the current options available for the households and businesses in the area. The focus was to understand the broadband speeds, pricing, and access in the various parts of the City. Focus is on fiber and HFC (hybrid fiber coax) networks that can support high-speed broadband with a minimum of 100/20 Mbps, the State of California definition of broadband. DSL is an obsolete technology that is only useful in areas where there is no other option as it is too slow to maintain a realistic involvement in the digital world.

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Port Hueneme has two incumbent providers, Frontier and Charter/Spectrum, both offering gigabit service, Frontier uses fiber technology while Spectrum uses an HFC deployment. The offerings from both companies cover most of the City with high-speed internet access for both residential and business.

Providers in Port Hueneme
According to the FCC new broadband map representing FCC form 477, there are two facility-based providers operating in Port Hueneme, Charter/Spectrum and Frontier. Facility based companies own their own infrastructure and provide wireline, not wireless, services. T-Mobile is the only cellular, 5G to the home, company operating within the City limits. Satellite companies operating in the City are Starlink, ViaSat, and Hughes Net.

Frontier Communications Corporation
Frontier Communications Corporation provides communications services to residential and business customers in urban, suburban, and rural communities in the United States. Currently operating in 25 states, the Company offers a variety of communications solutions services through its fiber-optic networks, including video, high-speed internet, advanced voice, and frontier secure digital protection. Frontier also offers DSL, digital subscriber line, service to approximately eight million homes and businesses.5
Frontier is Building Gigabit America™ the company is focused on supporting digital inclusion through better fiber optic access. Frontier communications emerged from bankruptcy vowing to double its fiber-to-the-premises footprint by extending to an additional three million more homes and businesses. It is believed that most of the expansion will be done in densely populated and urban areas.
5 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/05/frontier-exits-bankruptcy-claims-it-willdouble-fiber-to-the-home-footprint/ Agenda Item No. 11 Page 22 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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Table 1 - Frontier Offerings6
Provider Technology
Download
Speed MRC Data Cap
Frontier Fiber Optic 50 50 Mbps $49.00 No
Fiber 500 500 Mbps $59.99 No
Fiber Gig 1,000 Mbps $79.99 No
Fiber 2 Gig 2,000 Mbps $99.99 No
Fiber 5 Gig 5,000 Mbps $154.99 No
DSL - Basic 3-9 Mbps $34.99 No
DSL - Advanced 10-15 Mbps $37.99 No
DSL - Premium 25 Mbps $44.99 No
Frontier offers both Fiber-to-the-home and DSL services in most of the City.

Charter Communications, Spectrum
At Charter, they connect their customers to superior communications and entertainment products with the highest quality service. From Spectrum Internet Gig and their path to 10G, to Advanced Wi-Fi and Spectrum Mobile, their fast and secure broadband network powers the future.

In addition to their ongoing network expansion, Charter’s multi-year, multibillion-dollar rural construction initiative will add over 100,000 miles of fiberoptic network infrastructure to deliver gigabit-speed internet access to more than 1 million currently unserved, mostly rural homes and small businesses across the country. Spectrum offers hybrid fiber coax (HFC) throughout the City which is not symmetrical but for residential use it will perform nicely.

Businesses, especially those that require high data transfer rates and large file sizes or need off-site network backup on a regular basis, can struggle with the slower upload speeds.
6 https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/internet/frontier-internetreview/#frontier_internet_at_a_glance Agenda Item No. 11 Page 23 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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Table 2 - Spectrum Offerings7
Provider Technology
Download
Speed MRC Data Cap
Spectrum HFC Internet Ultra 500 Mbps* $39.99 No
Internet GIG 1,000 Mbps* $59.99 No
* Non-symmetrical up to 30 Mbps upload
Yondoo
Some residents in the Carefree Living HOA reported having Yondoo as an internet service provider. Internet searches trying to find company information and service available showed Port Hueneme not serviceable.

WIFI Harbor
WIFI Harbor is an internet and TV provider only operating in the Hueneme Bay HOA offering two plans for wireless internet. There is a $150 installation fee.

WIFI Harbor also offers free Santa Barbra and Los Angeles TV stations with the purchase of an HDMI streaming stick for $89.99.

Table 3 - Wifi Harbor Offerings
Provider Technology
Download
Speed MRC Data Cap
WIFI Harbor Wireless 10 Mbps $35.00 NO
Wireless 20 Mbps $50.00 No
T-Mobile
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is 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 is a flat rate. No added taxes or fees, no equipment costs, no annual contracts, and no 7 https://www.spectrum.com/buy/featured
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price hikes. Availability for this service requires the upgrading or new construction of 5G antennas which does not happen on a city-wide basis, rather an incremental build over time. Coverage in Port Hueneme is limited and there is minimal subscribership.

Table 4 - T-Mobile Offerings8
Provider Technology
Download
Speed MRC Data Cap
T-Mobile 5G
Best
Available* $50.00 NO
*Up to 100 Mbps
Satellite Providers
Satellite providers available in the City are ViaSat, Hughes Net, and Starlink.

Satellite companies use wireless signals transmitted from a base station/ground unit bouncing that signal off an array of satellites orbiting the earth at an average of 26,000 miles. Even at the speed of light a 52,000-mile round trip adds a great deal of latency. Latency is the time takes for data to pass from one point on a network to another. Starlink has begun adding satellites at a 350-mile orbit and those using these lower orbit satellites have a much better, lower latency, with a better speeds and performance, however, Starlink’s application to add an additional 9000 low orbit satellites has been denied due to a myriad of reasons the foremost being not understanding how low orbit objects behave over time, what happens if/when they return earth.

Another reason is the need to keep “space pollution” in check by not allowing there to be too many things in orbit limiting the ability to observe space from the earth’s surface.

Table 5 - Port Hueneme Satellite Providers
Provider Speed MRC Data Cap
ViaSat9 12-25 $69.99 60 GB
50-75 $99.99 150 GB
8 https://www.t-mobile.com/homeinternet/faq?INTNAV=tNav%3AContactAndSupport%3AHomeInternetFAQ 9 https://www.viasat.com/satellite-internet/best-offer
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100-150 $149.99 500 GB
Hughes Net10 25 $64.99 15 GB
25 $74.99 30 GB
25 $89.99 100 GB
25 $149.99 200 Gb
Starlink11 25 $120.00 1 TB
Service Availability
Once the providers are identified, it is important to understand the areas the providers operate.

Address Assessment
For a better understanding of the availability of providers and the broadband options they offer to specific locations, GTG pulled forty random addresses and researched the options available at each address. The addresses came back with similar with many of the residents with at 100/20 Mbps speed available. Those results are shown in the chart below. The addresses were randomly selected and have no reference to any person or ownership.

Table 6 - Addresses Researched
Property
Count Address Spectrum - Cable
Frontier
- Fiber Satellite
1 N 5th St X X
2 Maplewood Way X X X
3 Evergreen Ln X X X
4 N 6th St X X X
5 Seaspray Way X X
6 E A St A X X
7 N 7th Pl X X X
8 W Clara St X X X
9 W C St X X
10 N 8th Pl X X X
11 N 5th Pl X X X
10 https://internet.hughesnet.com/order-online/product-selection/ 11 https://www.starlink.com/
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12 Courtyard Dr X X
13 8th Circle X X X
14 N 5th St X X X
15 N 7th Pl X X X
16 N 5th St X X
17 W Hemlock St X X
18 Dockson Pl X X
19 Seamist Ct X X
20 Seashore Ct X X
21 Baybridge Ct X X
22 Neptune Pl X X
23 N 2nd St X X
24 Captains Ave X X
25 Discovery Cove X X
26 W Bolker Way X X
27 Victoria Ave X X
28 Blue Dolphin Dr X X
29 Harbor Breeze Dr X X
30 Elfin Green X X
31 San Miguel Cir X X
32 Lillian Dr X X X
33 Myrna Dr X X X
34 Gill Ave X X X
35 Evergreen Ln X X X
36 Forest Loop Dr X X X
37 W Hemlock St X X
38 Pearson Rd X X
39 Parsons Dr X X
40 Jelley Dr X X
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Figure 4 - Addresses Evaluated
The evaluation confirms what was expected based on the FCC maps below showing the availability of technologies and speeds throughout the City.

FCC Broadband Maps
The Federal Communications Commission 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 a lot of critics that claim the information is not accurate due to providers wanting to show they offer better services in a wider area than they actually do.

The newest map is searchable by technology, by address, or area, and although arguably not as accurate on an address-by-address basis, as one would hope, it does provide valuable information on a larger scale. Below is the new FCC map showing the addresses that have access to fiber-optic broadband. The green Agenda Item No. 11 Page 28 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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indicates the location where providers report that the address has access to an FTTH network. The map below shows the areas of Port Hueneme that have access to a fiber network, green dots. Industrial and large data usage businesses require the highest bandwidth to transfer large data files and in Port Hueneme, most of those entities lack the fiber needed. Incumbents do not build in these areas due to the required return on investment needed. The good news is that most of the residential areas have access to quality high-speed broadband.

Figure 5 - Access Fiber Optic Broadband12
Figure 6 below shows the FCC map, locations with green dots, the areas of the City that have access to the state minimum of 100/20 Mbps regardless of 12 https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/location-summary/fixed?version=jun2022&zoom=12.05&vlon=- 118.092928&vlat=33.861785&br=r&speed=100_20&tech=3
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technology. The industrial and retail sectors are not well served by fiber optic networks; however, they are served with a Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network.

Figure 6 - Access to min 100/20 Broadband Speeds13
4G Coverage and 5G Coverage
According to FCC Form 477 LTE reporting (wireless coverage reported by providers), it shows that the entire Port Hueneme area is covered with 4G and 5G cellular service from Verizon, T-Mobile (Metro PCS and Sprint), and AT&T.

There are always small pockets of every city that are not covered by cellular signals and are not reported or shown on maps. It is nearly impossible to ascertain this information without metering these signals in the field. The map 13 https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/location-summary/fixed?version=jun2022&zoom=12.05&vlon=- 118.092928&vlat=33.861785&br=r&speed=100_20&tech=1_2_3
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below shows the results from the FCC F477 mapping according to providers' information.

FCC LTE Coverage Map
The 4 cellular providers covering the USA are required to report their coverage areas as shown in the maps below. The carriers are AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. US Cellular is the only carrier not nationwide and supports areas shown on the map below.

Figure 7 - US Cellular Coverage Map
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Figure 8 - T-Mobile Coverage Map
Figure 9 - Verizon Coverage Map14
14 https://coveragemap.com/coverage-map/verizon
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Figure 10 - AT&T Coverage Map15
Gaps on Coverage
When viewing coverage maps it is important to remember that the maps show general coverage for outdoor applications. It does not show coverage or lack thereof inside buildings. Although there may be good coverage in outside locations, inside locations within buildings in the same area can be much worse and even have no service at all. These are also terrain, foliage, and other obstacles that create pockets of no coverage even when the maps show good coverage. There are a few options that cities can do to help the coverage in public buildings such as cellular amplifiers, which are relatively inexpensive that can be installed and amplify the cellular signals inside a building by adding antennas creating a small indoor data antenna system.

Port Hueneme residents have reported that the cellular coverage is limited at the beach park area. This is an area the City could investigate deploying a city wi-fi network to support residents and visitors with the opportunity to create a more interactive experience for those using the network. The below map is provided by the FCC with the reported areas served by the 4G LTE networks. As 15 https://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html
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you can see, in the area where the beach park is located, there is no reported coverage of 4G or 5G.

Figure 11 - FCC 4G LTE Coverage Map
Data Centers
For any city, community, or region, connectivity is limited to connecting to the internet and the speeds and/or bandwidth is what matters. An oftenoverlooked part of a fiber optic network is the connections to data centers.

Data centers (DCs) are buildings or locations where many internet providers, private company networks (Facebook and Amazon for example), point to point connections and other opportunities to connect to each other. These locations provide wholesale low cost/high speed internet services greatly reducing costs while improving Internet speeds. Port Hueneme does not have a data center.

There is one nearby in Ventura. There are several data centers in Los Angeles (16), to the northwest, and in Santa Barbra. Not all data centers are created equal with some having more clients, connections, and space available. Nonneutral DCs are owned by companies that compete with other clients that may want to have a point of presence (POP), such as AT&T or Lumens, while other DCs are owned by carrier neutral companies that do not compete.

Data Center Map acts as a link between potential customers and suppliers of DC services worldwide, such as colocation, dedicated servers, cloud servers, Agenda Item No. 11 Page 34 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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managed hosting, IP transit and many other hosting services. Apart from that their comprehensive database, they also cover other relevant aspects of the industry, such as internet exchange points, presence of fiber providers, details about network carriers and other details that can be relevant when looking for colocation.

Providers can use the site to promote their services and facilities, while potential customers can use it to narrow down a list of potential suppliers that live up to their requirements. The service itself is completely free of charge to both parties and easy to use.16
The closest Carrier Neutral data center to Port Hueneme is located at:

Key Information Systems
30077 Agoura Ct, First Floor
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
With the pending Middle Mile fiber project in the region (fiber infrastructure that connects city’s together), Port Hueneme will have the opportunity to access low cost/high speed internet services at a DC. It should consider taking advantage of this access in addition to the other services data centers provide such as housing equipment for business continuity.
16 https://www.datacentermap.com/
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Figure 12 - Data Center Locations17
Goals and Needs
Broadband Survey
Online surveys are one of the best ways to look past the inadequate federal and state broadband maps, census maps, and other resources and get the real response from locations in Port Hueneme with what we assume is the truth about broadband. The following is information gathered from the online survey that was conducted in Port Hueneme over an 8-week period with an excellent response rate of 266 total responses. Although 66 responses were partially complete, the information is valuable and is included when possible. The survey is intended to gain an understanding of the perception and reality of broadband throughout Port Hueneme on a location-by-location basis. Some of the questions are plotted on a map to gain a visual depiction of the data. Speed test is one of the questions that is plotted on a map to see if there are sections or areas of the City that are lacking high-speed broadband connections. 17 https://www.datacentermap.com/
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Survey Responses
The City had an average response rate compared to other municipalities where GTG has conducted similar surveys. Complete responses are surveys where all the information is complete with the incomplete surveys missing at least one answer. The incomplete responses still add value to the data gathered. Any response that was missing more than half were removed and is not part of the data set used.

Table 7 - Survey Completion
Internet Services
With this survey data, we have a more complete picture of the type of services available to Port Hueneme residents. According to survey data in the chart below, 71.5% of survey participants have access to high-speed broadband compared to 19.1% of participants having low-speed broadband connections.

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Table 8 - Type of Connection
Quality of Service
Internet access is not a one size fits all service and acceptable internet measures access alone and isn’t factoring in quality, simply put, having highspeed broadband does not mean the connection is reliable, affordable, or consistent. With only 56.2% of the survey participants saying the internet is good or adequate, that leaves 43.8% with in adequate broadband options that need improvement.

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Table 9 - Quality of Service
Devices
A user’s demand for a reliable broadband connection is largely decided by the types of internet connected devices they use in their homes and businesses.

This device information helps us better understand what speeds and latency will be needed. Laptops, desktop computers, and smart phones require the highest speeds while streaming devices, smart TVs, and voice activated devices like Google Home, Amazon Echo and Siri products do not require as much bandwidth or speed.

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Table 10 - Types of Devices
Respondents Comments
“I have no current or foreseen issues with existing levels of service” – Respondent 14
“I live in the Hueneme Bay 55+ community. We have no choice for good internet service. It would be nice to have a choice. ´- Respondent “My internet is fine. The power goes out more often than the internet.” – Respondent 43
“Less delays will save time with filing and accessing records. Communication would be improved. “– Respondent 250
“We have sufficient choices and access to broadband at the Port of Hueneme” – Respondent 140
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Survey Conclusion
The survey and speed test resulted in areas that do not have good broadband choices. Hueneme Bay is one of the areas that needs support and bolstering of broadband. This is confirmed by state and federal maps regarding underserved locations. Reliability was the main concern and comment from the respondents, this is something that the incumbent providers need to address and try to resolve these issues.

Smartphones and laptops are the most commonly connected devices used to access the internet. Most residents are satisfied with their internet and don’t seem to be concerned with expanding broadband.

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
The following gives insight into the number of residents using government assistance to access the internet through the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP provides a $30 a month benefit to qualifying households to help pay for internet access and a one-time $100 award to the purchase of a device used to access the internet.

Adoption Rate is the percentage of the eligible households that are signed up for the ACP and eligible unconnected Households is the number of households that qualify for the ACP but currently have no internet access. This chart provided by educationsuperhighway.org shows there is a considerable number of residents that need to be informed about and helped to participate in the program.

In the table below you can see the adoption rate in Port Hueneme is 34%, the same as the national adoption rate for all potential enrollees. There are 4161 eligible households with 1427 currently enrolled. Of those eligible households there are 1123 that don’t have access to the internet, are not connected to, or are using cellular services for the internet needs of the household.

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Table 11 - ACP Enrollment18
City ADOPTION
RATE

ELIGIBLE

HOUSEHOLDS

ENROLLED

HOUSEHOLDS

ELIGIBLE

UNCONNECTED

HOUSEHOLDS
Port Hueneme 34% 4161 1427 1123
Community Outreach Meetings
Two community outreach meetings were conducted to gain a better understanding of the needs of the community. The first meeting was held at the community center on February 3rd, 2023, and was attended by 17 individuals, businesses, and a representative from Spectrum. Those in attendance supplied valuable feedback about the current services available to them. The residents that lived in Hueneme Bay HOA area reported dissatisfaction with current services and expressed an interest in the City helping provide and support better services. The Spectrum representative expressed a desire to help the area. Overall, it was a good meeting.

The second meeting was held at the Hueneme Bay Center and was attended by over a hundred of the residents. The residents of the HOA expressed great dissatisfaction with the services they were receiving.

Hueneme Bay, Carefree Living Association of Hueneme Bay, is an HOA with close to 780 residential units.

The City held a third Zoom meeting for residents on March 15th, 2023. Concerns voiced during the meeting included the need for competition, availability of services to underserved areas, improved reliability, improved economic development with support for businesses and the desire for hubs and internet at bus stops.

There was a desire for fiber broadband infrastructure to support Smart City services. This would provide the City with the foundation to tackle low hanging fruit based off department needs as it relates to Smart City including wi-fi at the beach.
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State and Federal Data
The FCC maps shown in figures 5 and 6, in the Market Analysis section, are ones that show what providers are available and the technologies they offer.

The maps in the section are from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the California Interactive Broadband map that show the needs that exist based on information provided by the last Census Bureau tabulation.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is based on speed test data, census data, and form 477 reporting data. Areas shaded in red are areas that have needs based on the criteria found in the below chart. The map shows one small red area in the southern portion of the City by the Port that no provider reports supporting above the federal 25/3 threshold for broadband. This area has minimal business and no residential locations.

The criteria that are reported in this map are:

Table 12 - NTIA Report Categories
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Figure 13 - NTIA Areas of Need
The California Interactive Broadband map provides many different data sets that are particularly useful for analyzing the needs for cities in California. The figure below shows priority areas as defined by the CPUC used for the CASF last mile funding. The mapping provided by the state does not show the city limits.

However, the clump of residents circled in red, is the Hueneme Bay area, and these residents need improved broadband. These in need locations have been identified by the state as locations that qualify for California Last Mile Grant funding as part of SB 156 that was passed last year. If the City seeks and is approved for the last mile grant, it would provide connectivity to Hueneme Bay including connections to the home. The City should investigate this funding opportunity. There is approximately twenty million dollars available to Ventura County which is available for the City to apply for.

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Figure 14 - California Priority Need Locations
Another way to show broadband need is presented in the below figure, it shows the availability by speed, and it is clear on this map, that the Hueneme Bay area and neighboring streets are lacking broadband and need support.

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Figure 15 - California Interactive Broadband Map
The Figure above shows the areas that are served, unserved, and priority unserved according to the CPUC. The uncolored or blank areas are ones that do not have information available. Port Hueneme has a few smaller priority unserved areas in the industrial locations of the City by the Port.

Gap Analysis
The gaps in fiber optic infrastructure appear to be in the last mile, from internet service providers’ distribution networks to residents’ homes.

Consequently, reliability and speed seem to be key issues for residents. There also seem to be gaps in cellular coverage. The City has major gaps in its policies related to fiber and other network infrastructure. These include:
• “Dig Once” and joint-build policies and programs
• Development conditions that include fiber
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• Limited City assets for Broadband infrastructure to leverage • The City has limited wireless communication capabilities near the beach area
• The City has limited technical staff to support expansion of broadband • The City has priority areas that are unserved or underserved within the community
• The City has areas where reliability is an issue
Conceptual Design
High-Level Designs, HLDs, are a conceptual design that includes routes, possible construction methods, and overall footage to gain a budgetary overview as well as possible timeframes needed to complete the project.

The HLD is put together utilizing the most cost-effective construction methods first: existing fiber optic cables, conduits, and other existing infrastructure before considering new construction. New construction methods such as boring, plowing, micro trenching, or aerial, are by far the most expensive and slowest ways to build a network. Although the cost of new construction methods can vary greatly, they are typically more expensive than using existing infrastructure. The chart below shows the construction methods available and estimated cost for each.

Table 13 – Construction Methods
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
Upgrade traffic interconnect
conduit $30 – $40
Removing interconnect cables,
upgrade handholes and sweeps, pull
new cable, splice, test, document
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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 $15 – $25
Using a vibratory plow with 4'
stinger to place conduit prior to
new cable placement
Micro trenching $15 – $25
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 $100 –
$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 $75 – $100
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 Port Hueneme HLD including:
• All new underground construction will be directional drilling/boring. • Construction costs are for placing conduit only.
• Fiber optic cables will be 100% underground construction providing a more robust network.
• Underground networks are better protected
• Phased deployment is a 5-year period dependent on funding • Per foot costing is based on average pricing from local vendors.

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• Any cabinets, hubs, or assets built must be placed in the public right-ofway. • Drops to each location are estimated at $1500 each
Tradeoffs
Construction methods cost 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 good and bad elements about them, and the tradeoffs are something that needs to be considered in advance of construction of a network. Below are examples of tradeoffs when considering different construction methods.

Example 1: New underground construction can be done in a variety of ways with varying costs 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 practical in neighborhoods where there is little traffic and little exposure to major emergencies, such as water main breaks, which require major excavation in a hurried manner possibly exposing the shallower fiber to possible damage and outages. However, in major intersections, heavily travelled roads, water mains, storm drains, side sidewalks and gutters microtrenching presents a much higher risk to damage that using directional drilling/boring which is much deeper at 36” -48” deep on average.

Example 2: When implementing a wireless network, it relies on a fiber backbone to operate effectively and setbacks with regards to tower and pole placement would need to be adjusted accordingly. The cost and speed of deployment may be the best possible tactic for network construction, below are possible tradeoffs:
• Wireless Telecommunication Facilities ordinance would have to be updated with setbacks reduced or eliminated leading to reduced control allowing all wireless and cellular providers that same access adding towers and poles.
• Aerial equipment is more exposed to the elements, destruction, wildfires, and as such can have a higher maintenance cost. • Wireless networks are susceptible to line of site issues with foliage, buildings, concrete structures, hills, and other blockages that change over time. Trees grow, buildings are constructed, and foliage changes over time which could lead to worsening wireless connectivity.

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Phases
Attempting to provide the best possible scenario aiding the City of Port Hueneme HLD in deploying a fiber network is broken down into five phases. It is important to note that although the City separated into phases, each phase should be evaluated and built in order of need, spreading out the cost and speeding up deployment. The phasing for the HLD is designed in a way that where each phase builds on the previous phase and the phase should be built in order.

HLD Map
Figure 16 - HLD Map
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Phase 1 – Ventura County Middle-Mile
As part of the Ventura Middle-Mile project the plan is to connect all the city halls in Ventura County, anchor institutions, and provide a path for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to use to support the underserved communities in the county. Phase 1 is supporting the county in this effort and using parts of the cable to feed two city sites: Public Works headquarters and the housing authority. The cost and timing for this phase is estimated and would need to be worked out with the county.

Phase 2 – City Facilities
Phase 2 connects the city facilities: Public Library, community center, city hall/police station, public works headquarters, and housing authority. The importance of this phase is to create a city owned network reducing the need for 3rd party vendors and the costs associated with those circuits.

The Beach Park area is also part of this phase to support economic development and tourism by providing wi-fi at the beach using existing light poles and other existing infrastructure as homes for the antennas. The map below shows the beach park area, and the green is the area that the City should provide free wi-fi.

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Figure 17 - Beach Park Coverage Area

Phase 3 - Schools
The 3rd phase is to connect the schools within the city limits to the City network and provide more inexpensive solutions. School districts can be very independent from the influence of cities and counties, therefore, the need of the school district for this phase would need to be worked out and coordinated with the school district.

Phase 4 – Diversity
Phase 4 provides diversity to the network to protect from outages. Diversity is having at least two separate paths providing service to either portions of the network or to individual sites. The acceptable industry standards for diversity are the paths need to have at least 25 feet separating each cable on the network. Redundancy is similar to diversity except it refers to internet connection diversity.

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Diversity and redundancy are needed for a robust network especially when there are sites that are extremely sensitive and need constant internet connection. City Halls, fire stations, and Police stations fall into this category, as well as emergency operations centers and mobile command centers.

Phase 5
Phase 5 is supporting the area of highest need, Hueneme Bay, by building off the network constructed in the previous phases. In 2022 California passed SB156 which allocates $6 billion towards the expanding broadband infrastructure and access in California. $2 billion of that is set aside for last mile construction to priority locations as defined on figure 14 earlier in the report.

Hueneme Bay has multiple areas that have been identified as priority locations and could be paid for through the Last Mile Grant, which the City should be pursuing.

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Figure 18 - Last Mile HLD
HLD Footages and Budget
The below chart shows the footage by phase with the estimated budgetary construction cost for each phase. The footage is based on road center lines and could be adjusted during low-level engineering with the actual routing being called out and decided. The amount of this change is minimal and should not exceed 1%-2% of overall cost and has been compensated for in the footage called out in the table.

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Table 14 – Estimated Cost by Phase
Phase
Funding
Source Footage
Estimated
$/Foot Total
Phase 1 - Ventura County Last Mile 2,312.0 $10.00 $23,120.00 Ventura County 1,294.0 $10.00 $12,940.00
Phase 1 - Total 3,606.0 $10.00 $36,060.00
Phase 2 - City Facilities Last Mile 2,556.0 $120.00 $306,720.00 P3 or City 5,635.0 $120.00 $676,200.00
Phase 2 - Total 8,191.0 $120.00 $982,920.00
Phase 3 - Schools Last Mile 4,306.0 $120.00 $516,720.00 P3 or City 5,048.0 $120.00 $605,760.00
Phase 3 - Total 9,354.0 $120.00 $1,122,480.00
Phase 4 - Diversity P3 or City 16,234.0 $120.00 $1,948,080.00 Phase 4 - Total 16,234.0 $120.00 $1,948,080.00
Phase 5 - Last Mile Last Mile 26,416.0 $120.00 $3,169,920.00 Phase 5 - Total 26,416.0 $120.00 $3,169,920.00
Total 63,801 $7,259,460.00
Contingency 10% $725,946.00
Grand Total 63,801 $7,985,406.00
Table 15 - Potential Funding by Phase

It is recommended that the City place conduit and find a partner ISP to install their own fiber. Although the assumption is the City wants an all-underground network, for budgetary comparison, aerial construction is typically 25% of the costs of underground. Aerial construction requires using telephone poles, a short-term cost-effective construction method but long term there is no cost advantage to aerial. This option would also require the City or a partner to be a registered CPCN company to use the aerial infrastructure, it also creates a more vulnerable network. It also assumes the aerial construction would rely on overhead Fiber Optic Cable (FOC) instead of conduit.

Potential Funding Source Footage Total
Last Mile 35,590 $ 4,418,128.00
P3 or City 26,917 $ 3,553,044.00
Ventura County 1,294 $ 14,234.00
Grand Total
w/Contingency 63,801 $ 7,985,406.00
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Timing
Approximate timing for each phase can be found below. Timeframes are subject to following assumptions:
• 20-day work month
• 100% underground build
• Fielding is ¼ mile per day
• Engineering is ½ mile per day
• Construction, boring, at a 3000’ per week rate, per rig • Vendor can dedicate one rig to project
• Same vendor will be used for all phases for engineering and construction Phase 1 timing is dependent on the county and the middle-mile project and at this point is difficult to report with any accuracy.

Phase 2 should be eleven months in total and includes securing a vendor(s) to do the fielding, engineering, permitting, and construction for the project. The following phases will use the same vendor reducing the time to completion beyond phase 1.

Phases 3 – 5 are lined out below, are estimates only and do not include extra time for securing a vendor. If the vendor does not work out time would need to be added to secure new vendors as needed.

Table 16 - Estimated Timing per Phase
Phase
Footage
Vendor Selection
Fielding And
Engineering
Permitting
Construction
Total
Phase 1 - Ventura County Total

3,606
Unknown will need to be coordinated with the
County
Phase 2 - City Facilities Total

8,191 4 2 1 3 10
Phase 3 - Schools Total

9,354 - 2 1 3 6
Phase 4 - Diversity Total

16,234 - 3 1 4 8
Phase 5 - Last Mile Total

26,416 - 3 1 6 10
All times in Months
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Business Models and
Financial Analysis
There are a range of business models for local governments to impact broadband development, from passive, policy-only models to fully active, fullservice models. Given the City of Port Hueneme’s limited organizational capacity, the best model for the City is policy development in conjunction with a public private partnership. The City should develop policies to encourage local, non-profit broadband service providers. This would involve establishing expedited, non-discriminatory access to local public rights 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 find the proper business model for a municipal network, local governments need to understand numerous factors and how they interplay with each other.

The different business models shown in the table below compare the various levels of investment and amount of municipal control. The City of Port Hueneme has different options from doing nothing, letting the incumbent providers handle broadband all the way to becoming a municipal ISP and provide services to the businesses and residents in Port Hueneme. Rarely is either extreme, do nothing or a full Municipal ISP overbuild, a viable option, key factors will typically lead to a viable business model between the extremes.

Figure 19 - Level of Effort
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Business Models
Any business model beyond leasing a limited amount of dark fiber will require dedicated staff. The Program or Division would need a Broadband Manager with a strong understanding of 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— may be contracted out or may be managed by the Public Works Department staff. 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 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 differing levels of assets, capital, and staff to support municipal networks. Some cities have a sufficient staff they can run and monitor a network and some cities contract the majority of the operations to private companies or individuals and have very 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 to of commitment from both parties when considering the following:
• Who will pay for the network construction?
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• What funds will both parties be required to put into the agreement?
• What are the roles and responsibilities of either party? • 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 can have a significant impact on the broadband networks include dig once policies and developer agreements. Dig once policies put in place a mechanism for cities to add infrastructure while other companies and agencies are doing work in the right-of-way. This allows cities 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 that streamline 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 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, and healthcare. Government owned network can provide a better quality of service at lower costs.

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Open Access Provider
Open access networks are those networks that do not offer exclusive access to anyone 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.
• Provide a phased deployment approach, including prioritization and costs for each phase.

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Operating Expenses
• Develop the cost model for operations, including O&M, 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 Port Hueneme has been identified by the state and federal government as having priority areas for providing broadband services resulting in the City being competitive for most federal and state grants that support expanding broadband to unserved and underserved communities including last mile funding. The City should monitor and apply for transportation related grants which can be coupled with expanding fiber optic installation during the project.

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Mile grant does not require a match, it does give points for contributed funds or in-kind services. The City should also consider adopting a Public, Education and Government (PEG) fee if it does not have one in place. PEG funds can be used to upgrade Council chambers and extend government related services in the community that support PEG programming and broadcast. This would provide an alternate funding source that can be used to begin the installation of broadband infrastructure within the constraints of the funding source. Other funding source options include bonds, debt, or direct revenue (fees & taxes).

Building out broadband infrastructure does provide the City with opportunities to obtain lease funding for any infrastructure built.

Phased Implementation Plan
Form or designate a broadband advisory board
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 with one to two council members and City staff that have the level of authority and interest to ensure Broadband progresses in the community. We recommend that to avoid any conflicts of interest, the council should not appoint any individuals with ties to broadband service providers that could be perceived as having an unfair influence on the board’s decisions.

Create policies and workflows
Dig once policies are an effective way of ensuring the City can capitalize on private sector investment by adding conduit(s) for the City anytime underground construction is being performed in the public-right-of-way, ROW.

Developer agreements are another way to have developers of larger parcels or land development. 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, through policies and updated requirements, the City can alleviate some of this by ensuring the permitting process is streamlined. These policies need to be created or updated with positive influences to encourage private sector investment in Port Hueneme. Realizing this is a good policy, it should also be advised that creating a dig once policy and development agreements varies from agency to agency depending on their needs and community desires. A dig once policy is of higher importance than Agenda Item No. 11 Page 62 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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updating development agreement requirements and should take precedence.

These policies take time and careful consideration for a community, including coordination with public works staff, regional utilities and providers to protect the City’s interest especially regarding the public right of way and pavement quality/maintenance.

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.

Pursue Last Mile funding
In 2022 the State of California passed SB 156 which allocates $6 billion dollars to expand broadband. $2 billion of that has been set aside for the last mile connection. Applications will be accepted starting in the middle of July 2023.

Last mile is the connection from the middle mile or main network to the home.

The locations that qualify for the funding are priority sites found on the California Interactive Broadband Map. There are a few scattered locations throughout the City with a large clump of addresses in Hueneme Bay and surrounding streets. The HLD provided shows a high-level design and build required to support the Hueneme Bay Area. As mentioned earlier in the report, there is over twenty million dollars allocated to Ventura County which is accessible to Port Hueneme.

Find Vendor for a P3 agreement to build LastMile
If the City is successful in securing last-mile funding, the City needs to secure a vendor and create a public private partnership (P3) agreement with it. This vendor will need to be responsible for the fielding, engineering, permitting and possibly construction. In many cases the engineering will be done by one vendor while the construction to be completed by a different vendor.

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Build network according to HLD
The City should investigate phase 1 with Ventura County and participate in the project as needed or desired. Phases 2-4 should be built as funds are available and directed by the Broadband Advisory Committee. Dig once policy and developer agreements should be leveraged to increase the City network as much as possible.

Support Digital Inclusion
The digital divide means there are households that have great access to the internet, have devices for internet usage, can afford services, understand how to use the internet, among other positives, and those that don’t have these.

Households can suffer from the lack of all these things or just one, the difference between the haves and have nots is known as the digital divide.

Digital inclusion is the process of trying to eliminate the divide through policies and programs designed to address these issues. The City of Port Hueneme needs to work on digital inclusion efforts to help households get and stay relevant in the ever-changing online environment.

The City needs to work with Ventura County’s digital inclusion efforts to have a synergistic approach to helping all residents and households in the area. The City should promote the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), in coordination with local ISPs, 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. Training and economic advancement organizations need to be engaged and promoted through all City avenues.

Next Steps

1. Create a board to advise, keep abreast of, and hold accountability for broadband.
a. Define roles and responsibilities
b. Establish safeguards to prevent conflict of interests Agenda Item No. 11 Page 64 of 66 CC Agenda 04-21-2025
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2. In addition to the board assign or hire a person to be the City’s point person.

3. Create workflows to ensure broadband is a consideration on all city capital improvement projects, permitted work in the ROW, and planning efforts.
a. Planning projects to be reviewed by broadband committee for relevance to add broadband components when needed.
b. Permits submitted by private companies performing work in the ROW, reviewed by broadband committee, adding dig once policies to applicable permits.

4. Review city policies update as needed.
a. Dig Once policy
b. Developer agreements

5. Create a broadband enterprise fund to support broadband efforts, construction, and partnerships.
a. Evaluate the adoption of a PEG fee if not already in place and assign a portion of Public, Education and Government (PEG) fees to a broadband fund where applicable.
b. Assign a portion franchise fees to a broadband fund
c. Assign ARPA funds to the project if available and deemed appropriate.

6. Create a financing strategy that separately tracks revenues and expenditures for this fund.
a. Create a funding policy that established a reserve as well as strives to ensure that revenues match expenditures without being a burden to the City’s General Fund.

7. Explore funding mechanisms
a. Explore grant opportunities
b. Franchise Agreements
c. Public Private Partnerships

8. Create an RFP to find partnerships with a local ISP
a. Find a partner that can engineer and construct phases 2-5. b. Create a partnership that will accomplish the goals of the broadband plan in providing underserved households, priority sites, according to the California Interactive Broadband Map, with reliable service.

9. Work with a partner to finish the buildout of the network.

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a. Collaborate with the partner to build the phases of the network that are most needed. Further discovery may be needed to determine the best buildout locations and timeframes.

10. Promote digital inclusion efforts for the residents of the City. a. Port Hueneme suffers from the lack of access to reliable high-speed broadband.
b. Promote the Affordable Connectivity Program. Port Hueneme is affluent but there are still those residents that have a challenging time affording internet access.

11. If the City has surplus computer equipment at hand, the City should consider donating to local groups and individuals that would benefit from a laptop or mobile device. This program would assist unserved and underserved without computer equipment to take advantage of broadband when it is available to them.
a. Senior Centers
b. Youth Centers
c. Economic Development Groups
d. Small Business Associations
e. Under privileged households
f. Schools
g. Etc.

12. Leverage the momentum of fiber deployment for Smart City applications a. Connected lighting – Public safety and energy efficiency b. Traffic monitoring – Improved traffic flow and CO2 reduction c. Environmental Monitoring – Public health and fused data for Internal Combustible Engine (ICE) vehicles that helps further demonstrate improved traffic flow
d. Water monitoring – Data provides insights into leak detection and energy efficiency
e. Public WiFi – Citizen engagement/Social inclusion/Economic development
f. Smart Governance - Improve operational efficiency within the City – Improve e-governance services and citizen engagement
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