Representatives from Cox Communications and AT&T, the largest internet providers in Baton Rouge, met with city-parish officials this week to discuss the proposed parishwide high-speed broadband plan.
Eric Romero, interim director of the Department of Information Services, says he and Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel met separately with both companies. Romero characterized the discussions as positive, saying he hopes they addressed some of the companies’ concerns about the plan.
Romero says AT&T was worried about the city-parish government running a program similar to the municipal-owned fiber subsidiary in Lafayette. Romero and other officials have stressed that East Baton Rouge Parish government is not about to get into the internet service provider business.
An AT&T representative did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting by this morning’s deadline.
Meanwhile, Romero says Cox representatives were concerned that the city-parish was not satisfied with the service the telecommunications company provides.
“Yes we are, but at the same time, we don’t know what all is out there,” Romero says, referring to the gaps in local internet service that this broadband plan would alleviate.
A Cox representative declined to comment.
However in a statement, Leigh King, vice president of Cox Business—the phone, internet and video service provider for the EBR Parish Public School System—says the company remains open to discussing opportunities with city-parish officials to expand its fiber network, including entering into a public-private partnership.
King noted Cox invested $5 million in 2012 to build a fiber optic network that delivers speeds of up to 10 GB to all public schools, and has expanded its fiber network to serve area charter schools and the city-parish library system.
The proposed plan put forth by city-parish officials could be set in motion next week when the Metro Council is set to hold a public hearing on the proposed plan. It also could vote on appropriating $150,000 for a contract with Columbia Telecommunications Co., a Maryland-based telecommunications and IT engineering consulting firm, for the company to develop a parishwide implementation strategy for high-speed broadband internet.
In broad strokes, that plan would institute a “dig once” ordinance to begin laying down the conduit pipes across the parish during regular construction projects, bringing high-speed broadband to local public schools using federal dollars.
Later, broadband capabilities would be expanded to underserved parts of the city-parish using the conduit network placed in the ground via the “dig once” ordinance.
Outside internet service providers like Google and Eatel could lease those lines, bringing increased competition.
Metro Councilman Lamont Cole notes that the shared sentiment of constituents, expressed in emails and phone calls, is “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” in support of the plan. Council members Trae Welch and John Delgado both say their constituents back the measure as well.
An online petition has even been created to allow supporters of the project to publicly express their support. The petition does not identify its creator.
Although he remains undecided as to how he will vote, Councilman Buddy Amoroso says he does believe it’s time internet falls under the purview of the council.
“We have to start looking at internet as another piece of infrastructure,” Amoroso says.
—Ryan Broussard
