Tucson spent nearly $7 million during the pandemic to create its own internet network that was used by fewer than 1,000 households, something officials called an “embarrassment” that might continue to be a drain on taxpayer dollars.
The Community Wireless Program used federal relief funds to create a broadband system similar to those operated by Cox or Comcast. The goal was to provide free internet for low-income residents so they could attend school and work when COVID-19 shutdowns began in 2020.
But only 995 households — which accounted for less than a fifth of the internet routers purchased by the city — actually participated in the program, meaning Tucson spent cash at a rate of nearly $7,000 for each family served by the initiative. That’s more than six times the typical yearly cost for internet service in the area.
The city could have funded eight years of free internet for the 5,000 homes targeted under its plan through an alternative option, which would have cost $2 million less than it sunk into the unsuccessful Community Wireless Program.
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Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik.
“I think we blew it when we invested several million dollars and connected 1,000 homes. That’s indefensible,” Councilman Steve Kozachik said. “It’s certainly not something that any of us in the city should be proud of. Any of us.”
Tucson’s strategy didn’t entirely jibe with its goals from the onset. The city didn’t want to become an internet provider indefinitely, yet officials bought equipment — like network towers, routers and interior cabling — that will last “forever” and cost local taxpayers about $300,000 to maintain each year.
It also took the city six months to begin accepting applications for the program and about a year to build the network, raising questions about why it was initially viewed as a “quick” solution by many officials.
“This wireless project was really just meant to be a quick temporary solution to keep people in school during that time immediately when the pandemic started,” Councilwoman Nikki Lee said about the program.
Other strategies, like partnering with private internet companies, were also available. It would have cost about 12 times less to get each of the target households online, required no long-term maintenance and secured internet access for needy residents “immediately.”
That approach was successfully used by other local governments and school districts while Tucson kept pouring money into …….