Executive Summary for Municipal Broadband

THE PROBLEM

Digital Equity - 17.2% of Seattle lacks home internet, often low-income residents
Monopoly - most people are limited to only one option for broadband
Expensive - private broadband is very expensive (3x the cost of public broadband)
Customer Service - Comcast is consistently rated WORST in the entire country
Privacy - ISPs want to sell your browsing data and slow down Netflix
Transit - Seattle has a transit crisis and we need to make remote work effective
Image - current infrastructure is not representative of our high tech, world class city

Public Utility - make broadband a public utility, like Seattle City Light
Access - available to everyone, in every neighborhood
Just an ISP - private companies still provide Netflix, HBO, phone service, etc.
Fast - fiber to the home is 10x the speed of Comcast
Affordable - 1/3 the price of comparable private broadband options
Privacy - city won’t sell your data
Net Neutrality - city won’t slow down Netflix or other services
Local Control - No anti-consumer practices, data caps, mandatory bundles, rate hikes

Gigabit fiber to every home in Seattle
Could be funded with revenue bonds, paid for by future subscribers.
Low-income options for Seattle residents, similar to Seattle City Light
Look to benchmark cities for guidance (there are over 750 communities that already have municipal broadband)

Endorse - say “I support broadband as a public utility with access for all”
Leadership - advocate for municipal broadband
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Donations - Upgrade Seattle is a non-profit and we rely on your donations

Source: City of Seattle Fiber-to-the-Premises Feasibility Study, produced by CTC for Seattle in 2015
https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/Broadband/2016-6SeattleReport-Final.pdf