BRIDGEPORT — City officials have spent much of Bridgeport’s $110 million federal coronavirus relief effort, one of the priorities Mayor Joe Gannim announced as part of the budget. Improvements in broadband infrastructure are not moving forward.
Proponents of the effort have expressed disappointment, but there is also the question of what happens to the particular $8 million set going forward.
Over a year ago, in August 2021, the mayor’s office We have announced some methods that we plan to use part of the city American Rescue Plan (ARP) Dollars, from helping hundreds of local businesses and nonprofits to funding youth programs and helping residents facing eviction. And they came true.
One of the largest single investments was an $8 million investment in broadband infrastructure to give residents and businesses better access to high-speed internet. Earlier this month, Ganim’s aide Tom Gaudett, who has been closely involved in overseeing the use of the ARP dollar, briefly told members of the city council’s budget committee that his broadband project is not actually taking place. I was.
Gaudett elaborated this week that a key part of the effort to lay the necessary fiber optic cables around town is “extremely expensive.”
“Even the millions of dollars we were willing to invest are far from what it actually costs,” Gaudet said.
Councilor, every Democrat like Ghanim last year, Providing its own recommendations, the Ghanim regime was also seeking public input. Otherwise, the mayor and his staff were free to use the funds as long as they followed federal guidelines.
On Tuesday, City Council Speaker Aidee Nieves said it was the first time he had heard of changes to broadband plans. She said this was an example of a mayor announcing something that could have significant, long-term impact, but no follow-through.
“I support the mayor, but he can get distracted,” Nieves said.
“I think this is another broken promise by the Ganim government,” said another alderman, María Pereira.
Gaudett said improving online access remains a priority, but the city is now looking to the state for help.In particularThe state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is developing a broadband equity grant program. Using approximately $136 million from ARP and the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in late 2021.
“We need to know from the state what they’re going to do with those dollars,” Gaudette said. It is not off the agenda to do
According to the state’s website, DEEP aims to begin accepting grant applications for select Broadband Funds in the “first quarter” of 2023 and the “second quarter” of 2024.
Tyler Mack, a member of the city council’s budget committee, said on Tuesday, “If they’re looking at the state, the mayor will reach out to our (legislative) delegation and the governor to actually get this money. You would expect to lobby. Priority.”
Pereira said he had recently wondered what happened to Ganim’s broadband initiative, calling its infrastructure “essential in urban poor cities.”
“I would say it’s a real problem,” Pereira said. “There are a lot of kids who don’t even have[online]access to do their homework. What about adults? Nowadays, almost everywhere you want to apply for a job, there are no paper applications anymore. Everything has to be done digitally. I have. .”
However, in a 2021 study, the city took over how the ARP dollars were used. Broadband actually ranked second to lastabove “sewer infrastructure” and below other priorities such as youth, mental health, domestic violence services, workforce development and the arts.
Recently, the Bridgeport Public Library stepped in to try and help.Using a grant from the Federal Communications Commission, the library system recently started renting out 500 mobile devices. — Chromebooks, laptops and wireless “hotspot” internet mini boxes — Initiatives to help households with little or no online access.
It wasn’t immediately clear on Tuesday whether or how the $8 million was spent on broadband and what was left.
Alderman Scott Burns, co-chair of the budget committee, said the group has asked the mayor’s office for updates on ARP every few months and will continue to do so. .
“We’re going to keep an eye on it, but I’m not entirely sure where that $8 million is going,” Barnes said.
One possibility is to fill a budget hole that may have been created by the slow-moving Ganim administration’s initiative to sell the city’s Sikorsky Memorial Airport to the Connecticut Airport Authority.
The mayor’s 2022-23 local budget, which took effect last July 1, was balanced at $4 million from the expected $10 million sale price. But last month, administration and CAA officials admitted The process has been slower than expected, and the final deal, which the company hoped to submit to the council for approval this year, won’t happen until 2023.
Barnes said under federal ARP guidelines, the city could use part of the $8 million to “backfill $4 million.”
Nieves also said he expects the mayor to plan part of the broadband fund.
“Now we can fill the void of not selling the airport,” she said.
