Follow the Money
Infrastructure Apartheid: They Pay $3.4M for Fiber. You Pay $150+ for Failures.
$12M+ public investment stranded while residents overpay for broken service.
Every Day We Wait Costs Us Money
Estimated ongoing countywide losses based on your assumptions.
That's $12M+ in public investment stranded while residents overpay. Based on documented public funding and price differentials.
Figure reflects avoided overpayments + pricing using a 35–50% take-rate model.
💰 The Numbers That Matter
🔧 Tune the Assumptions
Projected annual household savings: $11,400,000
Facts of the Case — Comcast's Real Monthly Cost
- Advertised monthly price: $94–$120 for tiers labeled "Fast/Gigabit/Gigabit Extra". [Comcast/Xfinity Broadband Labels 2024-2025]
- Recurring equipment: Gateway lease $15–$25/mo. [Comcast Labels: Modem Lease $15-25]
- Data caps & penalties: Many tiers use a 1.2 TB cap with $10 per 50 GB over; some higher tiers are labeled uncapped depending on area/plan. [Comcast Labels: 1.2 TB cap, $10/50GB overage]
- Other recurring/likely charges noted in labels: "xFi Complete/Unlimited data" typically $10-30/mo (per label; varies by market), late fees (5% or $10), state cost recovery, etc. [Comcast Labels: xFi Complete fees]
Why it matters: Base $99–$120 + typical $15–$25 equipment + common add-ons/fees (and overages or "unlimited" upsell) ⇒ realistic monthly out-the-door ≈ $150+ for many households. Customer complaints confirm: "My bill is already over $200.00 per month" [Bainbridge Survey p.41]
Facts of the Case — Comcast Households in Kitsap
- Working assumption for savings math: ~50,000 Comcast-served households. [Estimate based on county population]
- Annual savings formula: (Avg Comcast – Public fiber) × households × adoption = county total.
- Current headline figure: $650 × 50,000 = $32,500,000/yr At 35–50% adoption, that’s $11.4–$16.25M/yr in household bill savings. [Based on $150 Comcast - $96 KPUD rates]
Action: Official household count from FCC Form 477 or county franchise reports would strengthen this calculation.
Side-by-Side: Comcast vs. Public Fiber
We Already Paid for Better Internet
Public money built the infrastructure. Private companies pocket the profits.
💵 Federal Grants
🏛️ State/Local Match
Local contributions documented
Matching funds for federal grants
Materials & conduit provided
🏘️ ARPA Broadband
Kitsap ARPA-funded nodes & hotspots
Neighborhood buildouts + public access
Infrastructure added; access still limited
⚡ KPUD Infrastructure
700+ miles built
Fiber network for utility and public use
Ready to serve; needs interlocal + financing for last-mile
Total Public Investment
$12M+ documented
Return: City gets fiber, you get failures
The Business Case for Public Fiber
This isn't charity — it's a profitable public investment that pays for itself.
How the Money Flows (Option A vs B)
- Option A — Interlocal + Open Access (RCW 39.34; RCW 54.16.330): County + cities grant permits/ROW; KPUD builds/operates last-mile; subscriber revenue services a revenue bond; multiple ISPs can retail on the open network.
- Option B — Targeted Acquisition (RCW 8.08/8.12; RCW 54.16.050): County/cities (or KPUD) acquire specific last-mile plant; KPUD operates on day one; bond covers acquisition + infill; same revenue model.
We already built the hard part — last-mile is a modest add-on
- Middle-mile fiber is already in place. KPUD's publicly funded backbone exists; we're not starting from zero. [EDA/KPUD]
- For much of the county, the remaining gap is last-mile; order-of-magnitude bond: ~$30–$50M depending on infill density. That's roughly ≈$600–$1,000 per home for ~50,000 households (industry shorthand).
- Yes, KPUD fiber is technically available today — if you're willing to pay thousands up front for the last mile. The county could finance that final step and recover the cost through subscriber revenues.
- Contrast with "grim" national studies. A 2017 UPenn analysis said some muni builds would take "over 60 years" to break even and even projected EPB's $162M bond would take "412 years" to repay. [Governing, p.6]
- Updated reality: EPB turned cash-positive. EPB's 2019 report showed a $9M net increase in cash/cash equivalents from its fiber system. [Governing, p.6]
- Kitsap's math is better. With middle-mile sunk and a smaller last-mile bond, payback windows here reflect a mature backbone + short extension.
📊 Initial Investment
- Existing KPUD: 700+ miles built [EDA map]
- Last-mile: $30-50M (industry standard $600-1000/home)
- Total: $35-60M one-time
📈 Revenue Projections
- Open-access with multiple ISPs (wholesale + lean ops)
- Subscriber revenues service a revenue bond
- Peer example: Longmont NextLight trajectory [docs]
⏱️ Payback Period
- Backbone sunk reduces payback window
- Local rates support immediate household savings
- Peer take-rates indicate strong demand
Facts of the Case — Last-Mile Cost Envelope
- Estimated one-time last-mile build: $30–$50 million. [Industry standard: Rural $2-5K/home, suburban $600-1.5K/home, urban $300-800/home]
- Backbone (middle-mile) already in place: BTOP/NoaNet built 63.5 miles of fiber across Kitsap; KPUD maintains 700+ miles total. [BTOP Parts 7–8: p.82–86, 98–99; EDA/KPUD]
- Per-premise shorthand: $30–$50M ÷ ~50,000 premises ≈ $600–$1,000 per location (Kitsap's suburban/semi-rural density profile).
Why it matters: With backbone sunk, Kitsap's extension capex is a short hop, not a greenfield build—driving a shorter payback.
Facts of the Case — KPUD Fiber Today (Pay-As-You-Go)
- Drop/connection charge: $200 one-time to bring service from street to home where plant exists. [KPUD.org Fiber FAQ p.2]
- Financing path: KPUD Non-Contiguous Local Utility District (NCLUD) model spreads construction costs for neighborhoods. [KPUD.org Fiber FAQ p.2]
- Open-access retail pricing: ISPs on KPUD fiber advertise $65/mo for 100 Mbps, $79-96/mo for gigabit symmetrical service (no caps). [KPUD ISP partner rate sheets p.4-8]
Why it matters: Residents can already buy onto the public network piecemeal today; a county-scale last-mile bond accelerates access and spreads cost to achieve uniform, lower monthly bills.
🏆 Success Stories from Other Public Networks
Chattanooga, TN
$2.69 billion economic benefits over 10 years [EPB study]
Longmont, CO
$70/month gigabit, 64% take rate [NextLight]
Wilson, NC
City-owned fiber network with documented resident savings [overview]
Addressing the so-called "failures" of public broadband
- UPenn's 2017 study claimed municipal networks could take "over 60 years" to break even and even said Chattanooga's EPB would need "412 years" to repay its $162M bond. [Governing, p.6]
- Reality check: By 2019 EPB reported a $9M net cash increase in one year, putting it on pace to repay within its network's lifetime. [Governing, p.6]
- Provo, Utah sold its $39M network to Google for $1 in 2013, and Burlington, VT sold at a $10M net loss. [Governing, p.8]
- But here's the difference: those cities used general taxpayer funds and carried high debt loads. Kitsap's plan uses revenue bonds backed by subscribers — no drain on taxpayer budgets.
- Opposition groups like TPA call public broadband "an unnecessary and inefficient use of households' dollars." [Governing, p.7] The facts prove otherwise: over 600 communities and 300 co-ops already succeed nationwide.
- Legal roadblocks? 17 states ban or restrict municipal broadband — but Washington is not one of them. Kitsap can act now, legally and decisively. [Governing, p.7]
Why Seattle stalled — and why Kitsap can finish the job
- Seattle's feasibility studies found it could not finance a full municipal broadband build despite strong public support. [Governing, p.9–10]
- Why? High costs. Seattle faced a greenfield build — hundreds of millions with no existing backbone to leverage.
- Kitsap's advantage: Our middle-mile fiber is already built and paid for. Thanks to the foresight of our community and public utility leaders, we are already 75% of the way there.
- The only step left is the last mile, estimated at ~$50M — about $1,000 per home for 50,000 households. A modest bond, backed by revenue, not taxes.
- This is about legacy: we are building on the work of those who came before us — neighbors, ratepayers, and community leaders who knew broadband would matter — and they gave us the tools to succeed. Now it's our turn to finish what they started.
The Core Injustice
Government Gets:
- $3.4M Wave fiber contract
- Ultra-reliable service
- "Mission-critical" priority
You Get:
- $150+ monthly bills
- 45% packet loss
- 20+ months illegal operation
This is Infrastructure Apartheid. View the contract →
The Ripple Effect: County-Wide Economic Benefits
$1.64T
Potential national property value increase from fiber [Brattle Report p.6]
380,000+
New jobs from fiber deployment nationally [Brattle Report p.6]
600+
Communities already operating municipal broadband [Governing p.2,8]
100%
Students with reliable internet access
$32.5M
Potential annual household savings (100% adoption)
0.38%
Annual GDP growth from broadband [Koutroumpis 2019]
The Real Question Isn't "Can We Afford Public Fiber?"
It's "Can We Afford NOT to Have It?"
Current Annual Cost to County
- Overpayments: $54/month × 50,000 homes = $32.5M potential
- Lost property values: 4.9% discount [documented]
- Healthcare savings blocked: $186/visit [JAMA]
Total Impact: Millions annually
Public Fiber Investment
- One-time investment: $30-50M
- Household bills: $65-96 typical on open-access KPUD
- Competition + reliability improve outcomes
Total Benefit: Lower bills, higher value, better access
The Clock Is Ticking
The economics are clear. The technology exists. Only political will is missing.
Every day of delay means more money lost, more opportunities missed, and more families left behind.