March 6, 2006 White-Paper #1: Ashland Fiber Net
WHITE-PAPER #1: ASHLAND FIBER NET
At 7 pm, Tuesday, March 7, 2006, the City Council will meet to discuss, among other things, the fate of the Ashland Fiber Net, an issue of tremendous public importance. In order to fulfill its commitment to provide the information the Citizens of Ashland need to provide the community input that our City Council wants and needs, the Ashland Free Press has published this “white paper” as an EXTRA! Rather than engage in an extended analysis of the issues, however, which we will address in a future issue, we have culled through the documentation available on the City of Ashland website and digested it all into a simple easy-to-read table that citizens can consult before, during and after the City Council meeting. Click here to go directly to the chart, which will display in PDF format. If you need a quick introduction to the entire brouhaha, read the ten-point factual outline below before you pull up the chart. (If your browser won't open the chart, click here to quickly download Acrobat Reader for free.)
First, AFN is currently an item of intense public concern, because the City is currently making payments on $15.5 Million of debt said to have been incurred as a result of construction and operations.
Second, some citizens believe that AFN should be sold, because the business is believed to be losing money and some think that the City has made a botch of it. These citizens have been quite vocal, and have brought much-needed criticism to bear on the City.
Third, back in November, 2005, the City Council received a detailed report from the AFN Options Committee headed by Paul Mace and regularly attended by City Councilmen Dave Chapman and Russ Silbiger. The Council held a big public meeting where both AFN proponents and opponents spoke at length and in detail. The group of supporters who came out strongly to support the continued operation of AFN seemed to affect the view of the Mayor and Council profoundly. Numerous entrepreneurs came to say that AFN had been a major reason for locating their businesses and homes in Ashland. For example, former Mayor Cathy Shaw presented a slide show and presentation that made it absolutely clear that AFN has benefited both commerce and culture within the City, and has lead to the growth of a community that many people find an ideal climate in which to live and work.
Fourth, the City Council directed outgoing City Manager Gino Grimaldi and his Staff to investigate and inform the Council in greater detail about the benefits of AFN to the community, and also to obtain an estimate of the market value of AFN in any sale that might be achieved in the market.
Fifth, the City Council agreed for the first time to hire a top-level City administrator to head AFN and the City’s Information Technology department, and the search for a candidate has been ongoing.
Sixth, Jefferson Public Radio stated for the first time publicly that it would be willing to enter into a management contract to operate AFN, and that it believed it could do so without sacrificing services, and further, could do so efficiently enough to generate approximately a quarter-million dollars per year to pay down the existing debt.
Seventh, City Councilman Dave Chapman and other hard-working professionals have devised a plan they call the Open-Carrier option, that essentially would put AFN on tap in every Ashland household, maintain City ownership of the system, preserve the existing ISPs position in the community, and start down the difficult path of debt reduction.
Eighth, the AFN Options Committee had proposed the idea of “spinning off” ownership and management of AFN to a nonprofit entity to be created, staffed and capitalized by the City, then left to run the system according to its own best lights.
Ninth, while some people believed that AFN could be sold to Charter Communications, the only competitor, strong voices have come out against such a sale. Further, at the November Council meeting, and in the Ashland Free Press New Years Issue, the gory details of Charter’s financial situation made it clear that such a sale would not be in the public interest.
Tenth, the AFP interviewed some of the principals behind the various proposals, reviewed all the material posted on the City website about the four options the Council will review on Tuesday night, and laid it all out in tabular format. The City staff tried to look at each proposal from the point of view of their effects on nine different areas of concern, so if those categories seem a little fuzzy and overlapping – well — we just print the news.
With that preparation, you are ready to dig into the fine print inside. The cost of producing and distributing this White-Paper has been entirely borne by The Ashland Free Press, because of the urgency of getting this information to the people. However, the AFP is advertising-supported, and should you wish to buy an ad, our rates are very reasonable, our readers are of the finest, and we are accepting ads for our April issue. To place an ad, please call 482-2321, and we’ll get back to you pretty quick!
Charles Carreon, Editor
Ashland Fiber Net — The Imbroglio Ripens
A White Knight for AFN?
Russ Silbiger's Speech To The City Council in 2001
At 7 pm, Tuesday, March 7, 2006, the City Council will meet to discuss, among other things, the fate of the Ashland Fiber Net, an issue of tremendous public importance. In order to fulfill its commitment to provide the information the Citizens of Ashland need to provide the community input that our City Council wants and needs, the Ashland Free Press has published this “white paper” as an EXTRA! Rather than engage in an extended analysis of the issues, however, which we will address in a future issue, we have culled through the documentation available on the City of Ashland website and digested it all into a simple easy-to-read table that citizens can consult before, during and after the City Council meeting. Click here to go directly to the chart, which will display in PDF format. If you need a quick introduction to the entire brouhaha, read the ten-point factual outline below before you pull up the chart. (If your browser won't open the chart, click here to quickly download Acrobat Reader for free.)
First, AFN is currently an item of intense public concern, because the City is currently making payments on $15.5 Million of debt said to have been incurred as a result of construction and operations.
Second, some citizens believe that AFN should be sold, because the business is believed to be losing money and some think that the City has made a botch of it. These citizens have been quite vocal, and have brought much-needed criticism to bear on the City.
Third, back in November, 2005, the City Council received a detailed report from the AFN Options Committee headed by Paul Mace and regularly attended by City Councilmen Dave Chapman and Russ Silbiger. The Council held a big public meeting where both AFN proponents and opponents spoke at length and in detail. The group of supporters who came out strongly to support the continued operation of AFN seemed to affect the view of the Mayor and Council profoundly. Numerous entrepreneurs came to say that AFN had been a major reason for locating their businesses and homes in Ashland. For example, former Mayor Cathy Shaw presented a slide show and presentation that made it absolutely clear that AFN has benefited both commerce and culture within the City, and has lead to the growth of a community that many people find an ideal climate in which to live and work.
Fourth, the City Council directed outgoing City Manager Gino Grimaldi and his Staff to investigate and inform the Council in greater detail about the benefits of AFN to the community, and also to obtain an estimate of the market value of AFN in any sale that might be achieved in the market.
Fifth, the City Council agreed for the first time to hire a top-level City administrator to head AFN and the City’s Information Technology department, and the search for a candidate has been ongoing.
Sixth, Jefferson Public Radio stated for the first time publicly that it would be willing to enter into a management contract to operate AFN, and that it believed it could do so without sacrificing services, and further, could do so efficiently enough to generate approximately a quarter-million dollars per year to pay down the existing debt.
Seventh, City Councilman Dave Chapman and other hard-working professionals have devised a plan they call the Open-Carrier option, that essentially would put AFN on tap in every Ashland household, maintain City ownership of the system, preserve the existing ISPs position in the community, and start down the difficult path of debt reduction.
Eighth, the AFN Options Committee had proposed the idea of “spinning off” ownership and management of AFN to a nonprofit entity to be created, staffed and capitalized by the City, then left to run the system according to its own best lights.
Ninth, while some people believed that AFN could be sold to Charter Communications, the only competitor, strong voices have come out against such a sale. Further, at the November Council meeting, and in the Ashland Free Press New Years Issue, the gory details of Charter’s financial situation made it clear that such a sale would not be in the public interest.
Tenth, the AFP interviewed some of the principals behind the various proposals, reviewed all the material posted on the City website about the four options the Council will review on Tuesday night, and laid it all out in tabular format. The City staff tried to look at each proposal from the point of view of their effects on nine different areas of concern, so if those categories seem a little fuzzy and overlapping – well — we just print the news.
With that preparation, you are ready to dig into the fine print inside. The cost of producing and distributing this White-Paper has been entirely borne by The Ashland Free Press, because of the urgency of getting this information to the people. However, the AFP is advertising-supported, and should you wish to buy an ad, our rates are very reasonable, our readers are of the finest, and we are accepting ads for our April issue. To place an ad, please call 482-2321, and we’ll get back to you pretty quick!
Charles Carreon, Editor
» Click here to download AFN.OPTIONS.CHART.LTRSIZE.pdf.
Click below to read other Ashland Free Press articles on AFN
The Former Mayor Speaks on AFNAshland Fiber Net — The Imbroglio Ripens
A White Knight for AFN?
Russ Silbiger's Speech To The City Council in 2001