OROVILLE — Residents of Oroville may expect to see drones flying over the city Thursday through Feb. 29 as the aircraft survey city streets to map potential locations for installing new broadband internet infrastructure.
The drone surveying — funded through a $500,000 grant under the Local Agency Technical Assistance Program and administered by the California Public Utilities Commission — is being conducted in preparation for the installation of high-speed internet services to every address in the city limits when grant funding becomes available, according to Patrick Piatt, Oroville community development director.
“The drone survey is measuring the road distances and topography and once complete, we will have 40 miles of roads mapped,” said Piatt. “This mapping will be the foundation of the project design for the installation of high speed internet throughout the city in the future, once funding is available.”
Currently internet carriers and speeds vary throughout the city. Some areas have high speed connection while other areas have fairly low-speed connection. This mapping is a first-step toward the city’s overall goal to eliminate digital inequity among city residents and businesses.
“Having a project ‘shovel ready,’ having a design ready puts us in a much better position to get grants to install high-speed fiber optic lines. That’s why we applied for the grant to do this initial mapping,” said Piatt. “Sometimes we have to spend a little bit of money now to get a lot of money later.”
