'Why Wait for Google?' Asks the City of Sandy, OR

SANDY, OR - The city of Sandy, Ore., held a “Why Wait for Google?” contest - otherwise known as a market survey - asking residents whether they wanted the city government to provide 100 Mbps broadband service over fiber for $40 per month or less. About a third of respondents said they would sign up as soon as possible, and a number of others showed some degree of interest. Residents of the Cascadia Village and Bornstedt Village neighborhood showed the greatest interest, and the city, which already runs a wireless Internet utility, now plans to build an FTTH pilot project in that neighborhood.

Mayor Bill King explains on the city website, "This is a pilot program, so we’re taking it step-by-step. We want the residents and property owners in Cascadia/Bornstedt Villages to be partners with us in making decisions on how this service will work. And we want it to be democratic: whatever we do, it will only be with the support of the majority of the residents and property owners who get involved."

According to local press, the city also enacted an ordinance last month requiring developers to install underground fiber along with other utilities in new developments.