HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.2.l - John Stonebraker - Public Comment - 3.2.l - FW_ comment re_ 3.2.l Foothills ConnectivityFrom:Clerk of the Board
To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod;
Kitts, Melissa; Krater, Sharleen; Lee, Lewis; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.;
Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth
Cc:Simmons, Katie
Subject:Public Comment - 3.2.l - FW: comment re: 3.2.l Foothills Connectivity
Date:Tuesday, December 16, 2025 8:42:00 AM
Please see Public Comment for item 3.2.l -
-----Original Message-----
From: John S. <john@upperridge.info>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 8:32 AM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: comment re: 3.2.l Foothills Connectivity
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I hope that the Foothills Connectivity Action Plan will define what it considers the Foothills to be. Areas with
uneven topography, especially if also tree-covered, are physically difficult to serve with reliable mobile broadband.
In canyons and in closed-canopy forest, wireline broadband remains crucial.
FCC and its broadband mapping are not particularly useful in these areas.
TIGER polygons can become large and sprawling in the foothills, and service to a single address within a polygon
causes the entire polygon to go green. Additionally, in areas where population density has not been sufficient to
induce rollout of coaxial cable or optical fiber, twisted-pair DSL or IPBB has been the best available option. But
these technologies are now deprecated, and even in neighborhoods whose DSLAMs serve existing customers, new
service is no longer being provisioned.
It is thus critical that the consultants from Florida acquire ground truth from residents in underserved foothill areas
rather than relying on County Center or the FCC.
And although Hazard Mitigation is the source of funding here, equitable broadband connectivity goes far beyond
that. It is access to information in areas with no library branches, access to commerce and work-from-home
opportunities. Equitable broadband means quality of life, and it is again good to see the county making efforts
toward that end.
John Stonebraker
Magalia, CA