St. Paul City Council Receives BAC Report

Andrea Casselton presented the St. Paul Broadband Advisory Committee (BAC) Report to the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday, September 26, 2007. [link to minutes] Casselton is the Director of Technology and Communications for St. Paul.

One year earlier, the City Council had tasked the BAC with developing an RFP for a citywide Wi-Fi system similar to that in Minneapolis. City Council Member Lee Helgen had pushed them to move quickly so everyone in St. Paul would have a choice for broadband services.

However, the BAC pulled back to examine St. Paul's long term interests and recommended a publicly owned fiber-optic network. Such a network would offer the fastest speeds, keeping St. Paul competitive. Further, a wireless network can sit atop a fiber network.

Casselton recommended the City seek partners to build the network and the Council unanimously agreed. Casselton is now seeking partnerships with Ramsey County, the State, and the St. Paul Public Schools.

The full BAC report is available here.