Fiber in Wilsonville

In 2017, the City of Wilsonville explored the possibility of leveraging the City’s existing fiber optic assets for economic development purposes, and to potentially develop fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) for a range of users. The City evaluated the feasibility of leveraging existing assets and potentially expanding the existing fiber optics network to support an FTTP deployment in conjunction with a private partner. 

Municipal fiber initiatives, such as this, are as unique as the locality that plans, builds, and operates the networks. The success or failure of one jurisdiction’s endeavor may not reflect the outcome of a different city’s pursuit, even when the cities are very similar. One city may find that FTTP makes sense, while another may decide to build a network that connects local businesses or only connect its own facilities. Given these differences the City evaluated local needs through the lens of what is best for Wilsonville.

Ultimately the City determined that the best course of action is to utilize an opportunistic approach and install fiber conduit whenever there is a major project occurring.  The goal is to eventually connect all City assets.  In addition, the City will overbuild where applicable to put itself in the best possible position for the future.  An FTTP approach was deemed too costly at the time and the selected methodology creates a better infrastructure in the event that new ideas or opportunities become available in the future.

You can view the evaluation report here: