The City of Lathrop looking for contractors that could help them provide reliable and affordable high-speed internet to virtually all parts of the city.

Next week the city will be closing the bidding process for a potential public-private partnership between the city and an internet service provider that would take advantage of a planned overhaul to the city’s fiber backbone system.

According to the bid proposal, the private company would be tasked with operating, managing, and selling retail internet services over the publicly-owned fiber backbone – allowing residents to take advantage of affordable high-speed internet. In exchange for providing the customers, the City of Lathrop would receive lease payments, revenue sharing, matched contributions for grant applications, and possible new construction on the City’s network – or a combination of those things.

As part of the project, the City of Lathrop has identified a focus of providing high-speed internet services to areas of the city that are currently unserved by commercial providers. By using a backbone loop design, the project would both connect crucial City facilities while allowing last-mile connections to businesses and residential customers.

The network would a combination of both aerial and underground fiber lines – including a new aerial section serving the northern portion of Lathrop’s city limits.

And the idea of municipal governments providing high-speed internet to residents is nothing new in California.

Palo Alto and Santa Clara – both of which lie in the heart of the Silicon Valley – provide fiber infrastructure, while Truckee-Donner provides the service for both residential customers and government buildings in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The service is also offered in a number of cities in Southern California, and a citywide system has been in development for Beverly Hills for some time.

The use of government-owned networks that provide internet connectivity to areas that are often not served by such amenities has been touted by experts as one of the ways to close the “digital divide” – the historical unequal access to digital technology and infrastructure.   

Requests for proposals for the project are due by Tuesday, September 5 at 2 p.m. – where they will promptly be opened. They must be submitted to Lathrop City Hall – located at 390 Towne Centre Drive.

Any bids received prior to the closing of the window will eventually be brought before the Lathrop City Council for consideration and an opportunity for public input.