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CenterFuse Broadband Feasibility Report <br />RECOMMENDATIONS <br />Following is a list of ideas about how CenterFuse might be able to play a role in improving broadband <br />reliability, quality and security in the greater Ellensburg community. <br />Before discussing individual recommendations, it is important to discuss what advocacy might mean for <br />CenterFuse. As the Ellensburg Business Development Authority (EBDA), CenterFuse has a wide range <br />of latitude in responding to the following recommendations. <br />Advocacy could mean something as simple as trying to persuade ISPs or the city to change practices <br />which would improve broadband. For example, CenterFuse could lobby the ISPs to improve networks <br />and provide better broadband and could be successful in bringing about needed improvements. <br />But as the EBDA, CenterFuse could do a lot more. As an example, the first suggestion just below is to <br />push to get fiber to all businesses. There arc a number of ways this could be made to happen, such as the <br />following: <br />• Encourage Consolidated, Charter, and City Fiber to build more fiber. <br />• Pursue grants that would help one of the three existing ISPs to expand fiber. <br />• Partner with one of these entities to build more fiber. <br />• Attract an additional ISP to the market to construct a new network to compete with the other <br />providers. <br />This paper does not recommend the specific way that CenterFuse should advocate for better broadband <br />for businesses because this project was aimed at identifying the broadband issues in the market. <br />CenterFuse does not have enough facts to consider some of the above solutions, so the first step needed <br />if CenterFuse wants to take an active role in solving this issue would be to undertake more research <br />needed. As an example, CenterFuse can't contemplate funding fiber until you've quantified the cost of <br />building fiber. <br />CenterFuse has a wide range of approaches for addressing most of the issues idcntified in this report. To <br />the extent that CenterFuse chooses to tackle any of these issues, your response could range from pure <br />advocacy to building the needed infrastructure and providing the needed solution. CCG Consulting has <br />worked with a number of economic development agencies that have been able to build when nobody <br />else was willing to do it. <br />Advocate for Better Business Broadband <br />1. Expand Fiber Networ <br />The fact that many businesses in downtown Ellensburg have the option to buy fiber broadband from <br />more than one ISP means that the business broadband environment is better than most other cities for at <br />least some part of your market. Consolidated claims it is willing to bring fiber to businesses in most <br />parts of the city. But the fact remains that most of the businesses outside of downtown don't yet have <br />fiber broadband. <br />Page 11 <br />