Michael, who is a supporter of this idea, wrote to me today with another update. At best they will not even being looking into this until sometime next year. Sadly, this follows the pattern that led to this petition in the first place. Here is the brief history of obfuscation in relation to this issue: 1. The city wouldn't really tell anyone who they were working with when I first approached them about this issue. Simply saying, "there is something coming down the line you may be interested in..." Meaning they were in negotiations with someone, but wouldn't say who. I wondered, why the lack of transparency? This isn't even a party issue. 2. Once they finally announced it, meaning their deal with CenturyLink, they made looking into anything else a "non-action item". Meaning that governmental resources couldn't be used to look into any other options. 3. When pushed on the issue, they removed looking into any public options from the strategic plan. 4. Now, after everyone but Michael tried to ignore the issue, they're pushing off basic research until next year. Even though BroadbandUSA, and many others, have literally spelled out how to proceed. I'm trying to keep this positive, as this kind of improvement is a no-brainer that our town really needs, but this is really starting to smell like something isn't right. It makes you wonder how our government views the need for Bellingham to keep pace with other cities, improve our quality of life, and provide real internet access to all of our citizens that they can afford. It feels like they are disconnected from the 1/3rd of Bellingham residents, including many families, that earn less than $25,000 a year. A $300 a month CenturyLink, Comcast, etc. package is not going to be something they can afford. Our current model also does not lead to healthy competition. This improvement is about more than just performance. It's about real choice. It's one of the best improvements we can make to help people improve their level of education, their lives, and the quality of life in the communities they serve. I plan on presenting this to the City Council once we get to 1,000 signatures. Thanks again for your support. Please help me get the word out about this issue :).