From the Stranger's Ansel Herz:
"The city council is going to vote next month on whether to build one anyway. Council Member Kshama Sawant, with the support of Nick Licata and Bruce Harrell, has proposed a budget amendment to create such a project. Harrell has been advocating for years for more private broadband options on Beacon Hill, where Internet speeds are notoriously slow (comedian Brett Hamil made good fun of this fact). And earlier this year, a city-commissioned study of municipal broadband recommended that Seattle pursue a broadband pilot project.
"If the City pursues a pilot," the report, by consulting firm CTC, stated, "it should consider the project not only to demonstrate the technology and gather insight for a citywide deployment, but also to build excitement and send the message that the City is prepared and ready to bring next-generation connectivity to its residents and businesses. In other words, it might be used to help drive demand."