Palm Desert is considering the development and deployment of a fiber network in partnership with potential private sector partners. The partnership envisions the city leveraging funding to construct a municipal fiber ring network and identifying a partner willing to assist in creating ubiquitous fiber to the premises (residents and businesses) connectivity throughout Palm Desert.  In this model, the partner would be responsible for completing the drop construction to each demand location, which includes homes and businesses, as part of providing the services, and ongoing operations.

Please refer to Appendix A in the attachment for a map of the proposed fiber ring network.

This Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) has been initiated by the City of Palm Desert to enable it to identify one or more partners that would be interested in providing improved network services within the City limits using City-built fiber infrastructure. The City seeks input from interested potential partners regarding the terms and conditions under which partners would operate and manage Internet and other network services to homes and businesses over City-owned fiber.

Palm Desert is particularly interested in providers who will use the fiber to provide ultra-high-speed network access defined as being in the multiple-hundred mega-bit-per-second (Mbps) to giga-bit-per-second (Gbps) range.

One of Palm Desert’s primary goals of this network is economic development. With the Internet as a driving vehicle many businesses can locate anywhere if there is enough bandwidth at affordable prices. Companies that rely on high-speed connections will go where they can flourish. Responses to this EOI should state how the respondent’s approach will further the City’s goals of attracting businesses and residents and encouraging economic retention in the City.

Palm Desert seeks to make the City a more desirable place for firms and residents, who see the quality-of-life benefits of broadband both directly through home connections and through enhanced services provided to the business community.

Because this network is an important part of the City, Palm Desert seeks a wired service provider or multiple providers who are interested in providing services to the residents and businesses in the community. 

Wired services include the provision of one or more of the following services to end customers in the community: voice, video, and data/broadband content, but services proposed must include at a minimum a fiber to the premise broadband connection.  Wired services may include other ancillary services typically provided by broadband or cable providers.