San Leandro’s position as an ambitious city in close proximity to Silicon Valley puts a spotlight on the City’s innovation and vision for an efficient, affordable and reliable broadband network, supporting government innovation. As such, San Leandro has made significant progress in planning for the future through Smart City projects, such as Public Wi-Fi, HD public safety cameras, connected facilities and traffic signals, Smart Street Lights and a partnership with Lit San Leandro (LSL). This partnership has created a number of benefits for the City, including connecting city facilities, smart city devices, non-profits and many businesses. These steps have enabled San Leandro to get ahead of the curve in planning for the best interests of the community, its businesses, residents, stakeholders, and for the continued economic growth of the City based on new technologies.
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Driven by its location in the heart of the San Francisco Bay area, the city’s 2035 General Plan calls for a continued transformation as a community focused on technology, research and innovation. Although many of the traditional manufacturers are gone today, the City continues to support a robust industrial and manufacturing base and attracts investment in technology and companies that are driving economic growth in the City.
While the LSL network had connected up to 300 businesses in the area at the time that Magellan began its work with the City, only 19% of the businesses that completed a broadband survey stated that they were connected to fiber. Many of them were unaware of the network’s offerings or stated that the service was too expensive. Among residents, the City has also identified a “digital divide,” in which a large number of households do not have access to residential adequate internet service in their home. Although some of these residents may have chosen to opt out of home internet service and many others may rely solely on smartphones with data plans, for many of them, broadband internet service is simply not affordable.
The Fiber Optics Master Plan developed by Magellan’s team provides a detailed roadmap for future fiber optics expansion routes, building on the partnership with Lit San Leandro to continue expanding broadband service. It also provides a strategy for deploying Smart City solutions that can enhance the City’s services and improve the quality of life for its residents, focusing on the areas of public safety, digital inclusion, transportation, and digital services. Initiatives in these areas align with San Leandro’s existing infrastructure strengths, current and future needs, as well as address challenges facing the City and region in the future, including:
• Digital Transformation, the process of creating a digital City government experience, often called “e-Government,” which includes digital services and open data;
• Smart Buildings & Facilities, connecting facilities and using integrated management systems for climate control, HVAC, and energy management;
• Smart Streetlights, Small Cells, and preparing for the deployment of 5G;
• Intelligent Traffic Signal Systems adaptive to real-time traffic conditions for reducing congestion;
• Public Safety, using intelligence and data to help improve quality of life;
• Digital Inclusion, connecting the underserved and unconnected and helping community members engage in the digital economy; and
• Public Wi-Fi and infrastructure to drive economic development and bridge the digital divide.
The Plan also includes policy recommendations that will help drive broadband and innovation, including the implementation of broadband friendly policies and wireless policies to govern the roll out of enhanced wireless services. San Leandro’s commitment to its broadband future has already had far reaching impacts on area schools, non-profits and municipal services. The Fiber Optic and Smart City Master Plan is designed to enable the City to take this commitment further, leading the way for enhanced services that will benefit San Leandro for years to come.