San Antonio recently released a high-profile request for proposals (RFP) called “Digital Connectivity in Underserved Community Areas,” which lists multiple ZIP codes in the city and in Bexar County, some unincorporated.
“The city of San Antonio, Bexar County and other partners are seeking to enter into funding agreements with known Internet service provider (ISP) or other firms to design, build out and provide improved broadband infrastructure/service in underserved communities. Neither the city of San Antonio, Bexar County or other partners will directly own the infrastructure, nor will they serve as a pass-through for the customer as an ISP. This effort is to provide access to information in the form of a public service for the residents of the city of San Antonio and Bexar County,” the documents state.
Unserved neighborhoods are defined as having Internet speeds less than 25 mbps and underserved as neighborhoods with less than 100/20 mbps. Census tracts listed in the RFP attachments show some 19,000 “disconnected households.”
Questions posed to potential vendors include:
- Does the vendor have 100/20 mbps middle- or last-mile infrastructure to the prioritized locations?
- Is the vendor planning to deploy 100/20 mbps middle- or last-mile infrastructure to these locations?
- Is the vendor willing to work with the city and county to deploy upon grant approval funding?
- What is the cost to deploy?
The city is the lead agency on this effort, and the RFP serves “as the path for any resulting funding agreements. Funds may come from local, state or federal funding including grants funded through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; municipalities serving as the pass-through for funding, they will not be responsible for project oversight.” (Grant funding provisions are listed on page 26 of the document.)
The RFP is due electronically by 11 a.m. Oct. 5; final questions are due Aug. 26; no faxed or emailed proposals will be accepted.
San Antonio and groups in the area have been laying the groundwork for improving Internet connectivity. Recently, Edgewood ISD, as part of Connected Beyond the Classroom, received a grant to help provide home Internet access for students in that school district.
