Palo Alto is still at least five years away from a citywide fiber network, but 738 residents had already contributed $50 each to to the cause, helping the city crowdsource $35,000 for a nonexistent project.
The city also moving ahead with a more detailed risk analysis and a community survey designed to gauge local interest in municipal fiber. The council s timeline calls for having Fiber to the Home in place within five years.
Andy Poggio, a longtime proponent of the citywide system, was among those who urged the council on Monday to advance the effort. We all know the advantages of the municipal fiber system for Palo Alto, attracting startups and new businesses, improving age-in-place, enabling better work from home, keeping Palo Alto a uniquely desirable place to live, Poggio said. Let s take this opportunity to build a 100% Palo Alto Fiber to the Home now.
Recognizing the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19, the City Council agreed Saturday to make pandemic recovery its top priority for 2021, while also vowing to focus on affordable housing, social justice and climate change.