As Savannah ponders a municipal broadband network, Comcast has signed up a number of heavy hitters for its planned 10-gig fiber network, including the Georgia Port Authority, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Paula Deen’s TV studio.
Comcast announced in March it would roll out a network capable of 10-gigabit symmetrical download/upload speeds to businesses, government agencies and colleges and universities before the end of 2016.
PAULA DEEN: The noted chef’s TV studio is one of the early sign-ups for Comcast’s new 10-gigabit network in Savannah.
“You can see a pretty strong response in a short amount of time,” Alex Horwitz, vice president of public relations for Comcast South, told Watchdog.org.
Other clients signed up for the 10-gig network include Fuji Vegetable Oil, Badger Rental and Tico Terminal Services.
Comcast South also plans to provide Savannah residents with download speeds of up to 1 gigabit (and 35 megabit upload speeds), but no timetable has been established for that project, Horwitz said.
“It’s safe to say that Savannah is on our radar,” he added.
Savannah’s leaders have contracted with Magellan, a broadband planning and consulting firm that has helped plan more than 200 networks across the U.S., to examine the possibility of building its own network. In theory, the network would likely serve many of the same types of facilities and compete directly with Comcast.
Magellan will create a “state of broadband” report for the city and work with city leaders to “examine the financial feasibility of creating an enhanced and more extensive broadband network for the city of Savannah,” according to a press release from the company.
Bret Bell, public information officer for the city, told Watchdog that Savannah is paying $65,200 for the consulting work on the broadband plan.
Chatham County, of which Savannah is the county seat, is also consulting with Magellan. Commissioners approved a plan at their Sept. 23 meeting to work with the company to create a strategic broadband plan for the community, allocating $65,500 for the effort.
District 7 Commissioner Dean Kicklighter chose to pull that topic out of the commission’s basket list of action items to be voted on individually. “I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying I don’t have enough [information] to vote for it,” he said.
He and District 5 Commissioner Yusuf Shabazz were the only two of eight commissioners to vote against the broadband study.
Watchdog sent email requests for interviews to all Chatham County Commissioners, including Chairman Albert Scott, as well as all members of the Savannah City Council and Mayor Eddie DeLoach. We heard back from none of them.
Martin Sullivan, DeLoach’s chief of staff, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.
In the previous announcement of the Comcast network, Stephen Green, chairman of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, said the move should further help the area’s economy.
“We’re proud that the Savannah business community continues to experience robust growth,” he said. “Comcast’s investment makes Savannah a great solution for those prospective organizations looking for a high-tech market to call home.”
Andy Macke, vice president of external affairs for Comcast South, said he’s not surprised Savannah is studying the broadband issue, with new mayor DeLoach in office and a robust economy.
“I think it’s natural to want to understand that there is broadband infrastructure in place to ensure you can meet the demand,” he told Watchdog.
Macke said he intends to meet with city leaders soon to speak with them about Comcast’s plans for the area.
He said he sees the logic of governments building broadband networks in rural areas more than in a city like Savannah, where private providers already offer services.
Horwitz said Comcast’s 1-gigabit service in Atlanta, where it is expanding, costs $70 a month and he expects comparable pricing in Savannah. He couldn’t provide a specific number for the 10-gigabit service because that pricing varies, and declined to provide a rough price range.
“It really depends on size of [the] company, what they’re using it for, number of users, number of buildings being connected, etc.,” he said. “The business side of this is always harder to answer just because companies tend to have varying requirements.”
Macke said Comcast plans to continue expanding its gigabit-capable networks for business and residents as Savannah expands, covering all homes, not just those in the nicest neighborhoods.
“It’s important to deliver speed, but it’s also important not to leave folks behind,” Macke said.