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TREASURE COAST REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL MEMORANDUM To: Council Members AGENDA ITEM 7 From: Staff Date: July 19, 2013 Council Meeting Subject: Resolution to Support Installation of Fiber Optic Cable for Public Use in the Florida East Coast Rail Corridor Introduction Fiber optic technology is a method of transmitting digital information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. First developed in the 1970s, fiber optic communication systems have revolutionized the telecommunications industry and have played a major role in the advent of the Information Age. Today, fiber optic technology is a vital infrastructure component that is a catalyst to enhance job creation, economic development, healthcare, and education. It is a tool that not only connects regions, but also prepares them to compete in a global, changing economy. However, Southeast Florida does not have fiber optic infrastructure available for public use throughout the region. This report presents a resolution supporting the installation of fiber optic cable for public use through the length of the region. Background Consistent with a widespread desire for connectivity throughout the region, representatives from Martin County have led the effort to expand broadband connectivity throughout Southeast Florida, the seven county region of the Seven50 Southeast Florida Prosperity Plan project, which includes Monroe, Miami -Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties. This effort to expand broadband connectivity throughout the Southeast Florida Region has been embraced by the Seven50 project, which proposes to create an investment plan to identify critical projects, programs, and infrastructure to improve the region's economy and environment. The initiative to expand broadband connectivity seeks to provide an expansive, competitive, high capacity network that becomes available to all local governments, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, and non -profit biomedical institutions. The goal of this effort is to provide 288 - strand fiber optic cable at the time work is performed on major regional infrastructure systems. This will allow for a complex network, fundamental to ensure reliability, speed, and strength in communications. The first and most significant opportunity to expand broadband connectivity in the region is with the All Aboard Florida project, which is a proposal by Florida East Coast Industries to introduce express passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando. This project spans much of the