Project
Timeline
Millage To Installation
City of Holland residents vote on and approve the millage proposal.
Holland BPW prepares for construction. This includes selecting vendors and furthering the design of the network.
With an overall engineering strategy in place, we enter into a detailed design stage considering all of the unique aspects presented by each neighborhood, street, and home that will have an impact on construction needs.
Advance Sign-up for joining the community-owned fiber network begins. This is how to get in on the earliest service launch of each construction phase.
Internet service on Holland’s community-owned network begins to become available. As construction grows, more customers will be eligible for service.
The first millage will be due as part of the Summer 2024 tax bill for City of Holland property owners. The millage specifics (amount, years, etc.) will be based on the total project costs and results of the bond sale (interest rate, repayment schedule, etc.).
HBPW anticipates that building the city-wide infrastructure will take about three years, with the final phases completed in 2026 or 2027.
Milestones
Completed
- Successful vote on August 2, 2022 to invest in a community-owned fiber network for the City of Holland
- Onboarding of our owners engineering firm, CTC Technology and Energy
- High level network design completed
- Onboarding of Broadband Supervisor
- Initial purchase of inventory for the project
- Request for proposals issued for the design/build contract for the engineering and construction of the project
- Bids received and reviewed from several design/build firms
- EX2 Technology selected by Holland BPW and approved by the Board
A History of Community
Fiber In Holland
The Start of Fiber
Holland BPW has owned and operated fiber networks in Holland since the 1990s, first installing the networks for better management of HBPW’s water and electric systems and extending the infrastructure to businesses and entities by request.
Downtown Pilot Project
In 2017, HBPW piloted a shared-gigabit internet service fiber network for businesses and residents in the Downtown Holland corridor. The project has been extremely successful with over 200 businesses and residents signing on.
Taskforce and Community Survey
Holland City Council and HBPW commissioned a task force to engage the public around broadband in 2019. City Council further determined broadband internet as a priority for 2021, the same year in which they and Holland BPW commissioned a community survey to learn more about the general perception of broadband in our community. Here are our findings.
A Core Utility Service
70% of respondents agreed broadband is a core utility service on the same level of importance as water, wastewater and electricity.
Community-Owned
72% of respondents agreed a community-owned broadband network would significantly increase access to services and improve quality of life in the community.
Community Investment
65% of respondents agreed that a community-level investment is needed to ensure sufficient broadband access by all.
QUESTIONS?
View the service area map to determine if your home or business are in the City of Holland or visit our frequently asked questions page for more details.