I’m pleased to report we have some public signs of momentum. This week we’ll see a major update that should set the tone for many discussions over then next few months. There’s also some hopeful information that comes from reading the tea leaves meeting packets.

Wednesday Council Study Session

Get ready! This Wednesday, March 9, at 6:00 p.m, City Council has “Presentation on Broadband Initiative” first on their agenda.

It has been a year since we last heard from the City and BPW. Expect some good things. We’ll have all the details afterwards.

Laying the Groundwork for Expansion

Last week, City Council approved an ordinance to assert their right to expand broadband services. Michigan has some laws that restrict what cities can do. Holland has been in the broadband business longer, so is exempt. A key line from the meeting documents is, “The HBPW expanded its system in the central business area and now seeks to expand it to cover all residential areas of the City. “

The ordinance change is merely a procedural step, but hints at what’s next.

Campustown

A budget item in tonight’s BPW Board meeting refer to “[broadband] services in the Campustown project.”

Though not widely publicized, BPW’s fiber footprint has expanded a bit in the last four years. Typically, this has been to where expansion is easy and cost-effecting. Now we see an new budget outlay ($330,000) for Campustown expansion.

So where exactly is Campustown? I can guess, but we’ll have to wait to see. If you think you’re in, your next question is probably “when?” This is for the next budget year, which starts July 1, so expect sometime after that.