Kansas Corporation Commission Staff Recommends Approval of Chanute's Muni Broadband Expansion
The Kansas Corporation Commission’s staff recommended the KCC approve Chanute’s plan to issue bonds to pay for an expansion of the city's municipal broadband network, which serves government and community buildings, plus some local businesses. Chanute says the expansion would…
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let the city provide broadband service throughout its utility service area and support smart grid advanced metering infrastructure. KCC staff said in a report that it believes Chanute’s plans don’t duplicate existing broadband services in the area and that the expansion is appropriate for the city to undertake. AT&T and Cable One also provide broadband service in the Chanute area, but AT&T’s download speeds average 10-25 Mbps and Cable One’s average 50-100 Mbps, both below the Chanute municipal network’s range of 100 Mbps-1 Gbps, KCC staff said. They cited information from the Kansas Statewide Broadband Map Initiative. “Neither AT&T nor Cable One furnish or are currently able to furnish Gigabit connectivity to all of the City of Chanute and three miles thereof, as proposed by the City of Chanute,” KCC staff said in the report. Chanute’s network expansion plans “would not only benefit the citizens of Chanute but its community anchor institutions and community business partners as well,” KCC staff said. “By improving and expanding upon the fiber optic network currently in place by Chanute,” the city is protecting its existing investment in the network, said the staff. AT&T became an official intervener in the case last week, but hasn’t made any filings in KCC’s docket on Chanute’s expansion plans. The telco said in a statement that it wanted to receive information on Chanute’s plans but hasn’t taken a position on the proceeding. Cable One didn't immediately comment.