Sonoma County taking steps toward better communication infrastructure

We are blessed to live in West County - where you can shut off your cell phones and laptops, reconnect with nature, and enjoy the bounty of our farms, river and ocean. While we love this idyllic picture of disconnect from technology, visitors, residents, and businesses alike need resilient communications infrastructure for everything from doing business to educating our kids to staying safe in times of disaster. There is a range of efforts coming from community, county, and state stakeholders that I continue to support toward solving the gaps in our West County communications infrastructure.

One of the most interesting are the growing GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) communities in Cazadero, Fort Ross, and Timber Cove. Started by Tony Goodwin in the Austin Creek neighborhood after the Tubbs fires, the neighbors in Austin Creek have developed a local radio network to relay news and check in on each other during disasters. After the success of this example in Austin Creek, teams in Fort Ross, Timber Cove, Cazadero and beyond have purchased radios, set up networks, placed repeaters, and set up procedures for disaster communications. Within each of these community groups there are also HAM radio operators who can relay news to and from local GMRS radios. Mike Nicholls and Damian Bouné presented on these networks at the June 28th West County Disaster Prep Town Hall. You can view the recording of this presentation (and lots of great information on evacuation and home hardening) at the Sonoma County 5th District YouTube Channel.

Looking from the local level to state preparations for disaster, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in a February 2021 decision required companies providing wireline communications, including landline phone service and Internet service, to have 72 hours of backup power during power outages.

This policy is meant to protect Californians in areas with high wildfire risk.

The CPUC’s backup power requirement for wireline communications service providers must be met in eight months for three types of facilities in areas with high fire risk:

1) critical facilities such as hospitals and fire departments,

2) facilities providing service to wireless networks, and

3) facilities serving communities lacking sufficient wireless service coverage.

However, for all other facilities located in areas with high wildfire risk, the commission set implementation of the backup power requirement to 18 months.

In the meantime, the County is taking big steps forward in creating greater broadband infrastructure. In June, the Board of Supervisors approved the Access Sonoma Broadband Action Plan to explore the creation of a publicly governed entity that would deploy, own, and manage broadband infrastructure for underserved or unserved regions of Sonoma County.

The Broadband Action Plan aligns with Sonoma County’s five-year Strategic Plan for resilient infrastructure by seeking to improve equitable access to broadband internet technology, wireless and cell phone services. Broadband internet access is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. There’s a digital divide in Sonoma County where the infrastructure either does not exist or service is simply unaffordable in some communities.

This plan presents a path forward on establishing a public-private partnership that can identify community needs, leverage funding, and effectively expand access to broadband technology in Sonoma County. Because it is not considered economically viable for most private companies to install broadband to unserved and underserved parts of Sonoma County, a publicly governed broadband entity could build, own and maintain broadband infrastructure. Service providers would lease the infrastructure to provide internet services at a reduced rate. The fees paid by service providers to the public entity would be used to maintain the infrastructure. The Access Sonoma Broadband Action Plan includes $315,000 of General Fund investment for the Sonoma County Economic Development Board to conduct research and analysis of publicly governed broadband entities, including technical and local input. Staff members will share findings with the Board of Supervisors in six months on potential organization structures, recommendations for governance structure, grant funding opportunities and identification of specific projects.

In order for Sonoma County to qualify for grants, funding, and other means to improve broadband access for its communities, the actual level of broadband availability must be identified. Current broadband availability data, which is self- reported by service providers, is often inaccurate and can result in over-claimed service availability. You can help by participating in the Access Sonoma Broadband Speed Test Initiative. This initiative allows community members to test their current home internet speeds to provide granular data that will help determine the quality of access countywide. More information about the Access Sonoma Broadband Action Plan and Speed Test Initiative is available here: http://sonomaedb.org/Current-Projects/Broadband/ particularly in areas where services are lacking or non-existent. The full Access Sonoma Broadband Action Plan is available here: https://sonomacounty.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4969607&GUID=2C155E3E-CBC0- 406A-8D98-90893354EC4E.

Creating a robust and resilient communications infrastructure across the remote areas of West County is a challenge that requires community, government, and business collaboration across all levels. These projects will go a long way toward improving the safety and resilience of rural West County.