City, County Launch Municipal Broadband Survey

Staff Report From Savannah CEO

Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

The City of Savannah, in collaboration with Chatham County, has begun the development of a Broadband Fiber-Optic Feasibility Study. The purpose of this study is to examine how we are currently served with broadband infrastructure, particularly focused on the services available to our community residents, anchor institutions, businesses, and key services like public safety, health, and education.

Residents and businesses can assist in the study by completing a survey of their broadband environment. The surveys will be available online at www.savannahga.gov/broadbandsurvey, as well as distributed in hardcopy format throughout neighborhood associations and community centers.

An essential objective of the study is to confirm that residents, anchor institutions, and businesses have access to the services they need and that those services are competitively priced. In addition, the project will examine the types of broadband and wireless services our community will require in the future and develop a broadband plan that provides guiding principles to meet those needs.