HomeMy WebLinkAboutTelevate Bid
1934 Old Gallows Road, Suite 350, Vienna, VA 22182
M: 703-639-4200 | www.televate.com
Televate Response to:
The City of San
Luis Obispo
Preparation of
Broadband
Master Plan
2208-001
Due September 15, 2022
“Intentionally Blank”
Televate Proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo Page i
Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Department of Finance September 15, 2022
City of San Luis Obispo,
990 Palm Street,
San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401
Attention: Josh Erquiaga, Daniel Clancy
Televate, LLC, is pleased to submit our proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo for Preparation of
Broadband Master Plan. To provide the City of San Luis Obispo (“City”) with a best-in-class team, Televate
offers a staff experienced in broadband demand studies, broadband infrastructure design, and community
broadband assessments. Televate’s historical leadership in wired and wireless broadband solutions will
provide the City with the right partner to execute on your mission of expanding affordable broadband
services to its citizens.
We appreciate that San Luis Obispo, in advancing the economic betterment of its community, is seeking
to comprehensively evaluate opportunities to enhance broadband utilization and benefit for its
businesses and residents. Through the evaluation and documentation of existing broadband services,
market studies of the current service providers landscape, and analysis of emerging broadband
communications solutions, the Televate team will define an actionable strategy to improve broadband
accessibility in the City through the expansion of fiber assets. The plan will also identify strategies to
enhance the utilization and benefit of broadband for your community.
Our proposal is fully compliant with the requirements of the RFP. As our proposal will demonstrate, the
Televate team has the requisite community broadband project experience, including stakeholder
engagement and outreach, wired and wireless broadband technology design and operations, and
government and broadband carrier partnership modeling, among others. Our team is currently supporting
multiple broadband projects similar to the City’s program, and we are confident our approach will deliver
on the City’s expectations. We have additionally supported 14 states and United States territories with
public safety centric broadband communications consultation, and have designed, implemented, and
operated municipal next generation broadband networks.
We look forward to working with the City and its stakeholders on this critical Broadband Master Plan. We
are excited to partner with you to identify and address the broadband gaps and to improve local quality
of life as we have done with other communities and regions across the country. A. Richard (Rick) Burke,
Televate Managing Partner, will be the contact person for this solicitation. The undersigned certify that
we have legal authority to provide this proposal and contract on behalf of the firms.
Sincerely,
A. Richard Burke, Managing Partner
Televate, LLC
rburke@televate.com
703-639-4201
www.televate.com
Televate Proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo Page ii
Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
CONTENTS
Submittal Forms ............................................................................................................ 1
Qualifications ................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 About Televate, LLC ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 The Televate Project Team ........................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Team Resumes: ............................................................................................................................. 8
2.4 Hourly Billing Rates ..................................................................................................................... 17
2.5 Statement of Disqualification ..................................................................................................... 18
Work Program .............................................................................................................. 19
3.1 Goals, Objectives, and Project Tasks........................................................................................... 19
3.2 Task 1: Kick-Off Meeting & Project Management Plan............................................................... 20
3.3 Task 2: Identify and Inventory Assets ......................................................................................... 21
3.4 Task 3: Needs Assessment & Goal Setting .................................................................................. 22
3.5 Task 4: Conceptual Network Routes and Infrastructure Requirements ..................................... 23
3.6 Task 5: Technical Specifications and Cost Estimation ................................................................. 24
3.7 Task 6: Capital Project Analysis and Grant Technical Materials ................................................. 25
3.8 Task 7: Master Plan Compilation and Approval Process Support ............................................... 26
3.9 Work Schedule ............................................................................................................................ 26
3.10 Estimated Staff Hours ................................................................................................................. 27
3.11 Budget by Task ............................................................................................................................ 27
3.12 Services and Data to be provided by the City ............................................................................. 28
3.13 Services and deliverables provided by Televate ......................................................................... 28
Appendix A: Optional Services ...................................................................................... 29
4.1 Mobile Broadband Service Analysis and Mapping Using Pinpoint ............................................. 29
Appendix B: Project Descriptions .................................................................................. 30
5.1 Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System ................................................... 30
5.2 Hamilton County, OF Broadband Assessment and Strategic Plan .............................................. 31
5.3 Minnesota-FirstNet-Consultation Project (MnFCP) .................................................................... 31
Televate Proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo Page 1
Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Submittal Forms
SECTION I: PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL FORM
The undersigned declares that she or he has carefully examined the bid which is hereby made a part of
this proposal; is thoroughly familiar with its contents; is authorized to represent the proposing firm; and
agrees to perform the specified work for the following cost quoted in full:
BID ITEM:
Total Base Price: $99,288
Sales tax: N/A
Other: N/A
TOTAL $99,288
Delivery of equipment to the City to be within 180 calendar days after contract execution and written
authorization to proceed.
Certificate of insurance attached; insurance company’s A.M. Best rating: A+ .
Firm Name and Address
Televate, LLC
1934 Old Gallows Rd., Suite 350
Vienna, VA 22182
Contact A. Richard Burke Phone 703-639-4201
Signature of Authorized Representative
Date: September 15, 2022
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Certificate of Insurance
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
REFERENCES
Number of years engaged in providing the services included within the scope of the specifications under
the present business name: 21 years.
Describe fully the last three contracts performed by your firm that demonstrate your ability to provide
the services included with the scope of the specifications. Attach additional pages if required. The City
reserves the right to contact each of the references listed for additional information regarding your firm's
qualifications.
Reference No. 1
Agency Name Hamilton County, OH
Contact Name Mark Von Allman, Senior Policy Manager
Telephone & Email marc.vonallmen@hamilton-co.org ; 513-946-4415
Street Address 138 E. Court St., Rm. 603
City, State, Zip Code Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Description of services
provided including contract
amount, when provided and
project outcome
Televate is currently supporting Hamilton County, which includes the City
of Cincinnati, with the development of a broadband strategic plan to guide
the County in making a $10,000,000 investment of the County’s American
Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to expand broadband service to unserved
and underserved communities within the County. This project
incorporates a residential and business survey to define broadband
requirements and service gaps along with an extensive key stakeholder
outreach effort. Key stakeholders include various community anchor
intuitions, government agencies providing service to disadvantaged
citizens, non-profit organizations, healthcare, community housing
authority, senior citizen, and other groups to assist in defining the relevant
broadband needs.
Televate is also mapping Internet Service Provider (ISP) coverage and
interviewing ISP to define their service offering and future expansion
plans.
Televate will develop a strategic plan and offer recommendations to guide
the County investment into broadband to deliver affordable services to
unserved and underserved residents, businesses, and communities.
Reference No. 2:
Agency Name Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System
Contact Name Susy Orellana-Curtiss, Program Administrator
Telephone & Email Susy.Orellana-Curtiss@LA-RICS.org; (323) 881-8292
Street Address 2525 Corporate Place, Suite 200
City, State, Zip Code Monterey Park, CA 91754
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Description of services
provided including contract
amount, when provided and
project outcome
Secure $155M in federal grants; federal grant technical, financial and
administrative management, reporting and coordination with the NTIA
grant administrators; broadband service requirements gathering and
survey; designed a 140+ site 4G broadband LTE wireless network,
including the fiber optic and microwave backhaul network; RFP
development, financial modeling, provide regulatory support; validation
vendor design and implementation plans. Developed comprehensive
network operational plan including line item capital and operational
expenditure modeling, staffing plan, network sustainment funding
modeling, along with comprehensive standard operational procedure
(SOP) development.
Reference No. 3:
Agency Name State of Minnesota
Contact Name Dana Wahlberg, Director
Telephone & Email dana.wahlberg@state.mn.us (651) 201-7546
Street Address 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 126
City, State, Zip Code Saint Paul, MN 55101-5126
Description of services
provided including contract
amount, when provided and
project outcome
Televate supported the State of Minnesota’s Emergency Communications
Network Division with public safety broadband network strategic planning,
which also included interaction with the State’s Office of Broadband
Development (OBD). The services provided included extensive statewide
stakeholder outreach and surveys to define broadband communications
requirements, along with strategic wireless broadband network design
options and scenarios, and a variety of other related services. The project
included a statewide survey for broadband service and incorporated in a
statewide network deployment cost modeling effort.
Throughout our 21+ years of providing specialized broadband and other communications services to local and
state governments, Televate has developed extensive experience in defining broadband requirements through
online surveys, stakeholder interviews and other forms of community outreach, and in working with
government owned and operated, and commercially operated wireless and fiber optic networks to develop
strategic plans and to design and expand these networks to support the defined requirements. We additionally
have designed, procured, implemented, and operated government broadband networks as further described
within our references.
In addition to the three government broadband project references included above, Televate has numerous
others including multiple municipal broadband infrastructure assessment projects near identical to the City’s
project. We are currently providing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funded broadband services to develop
strategic plans and to guide ARPA grant broadband programs for unserved and underserved communities. These
projects are not yet complete and therefore not included as broadband project references. These ARPA funded
broadband programs provide us with key experiences and insights that will be directly applicable to the City
broadband infrastructure project. Full project descriptions are included in Appendix B: Project Descriptions.
Televate Proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo Page 5
Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Qualifications
2.1 About Televate, LLC
Televate, LLC | 1934 Old Gallows Rd., Ste. 350, Vienna, VA 22182
703-639-4200 | https://televate.com/ | info@televate.com
Founded in September of 2001, Televate, LLC is a leading state and local government, critical infrastructure,
public utility and authority technology and engineering consultancy delivering sustainable, interoperable
wireless and wired broadband networks and applications, land mobile radio, and information technology
and communications solutions to power mission critical requirements. Televate has more than 15 full and
part-time employees and contractors to make up our team.
As champions of public-centric communications solutions, Televate is comprised of engineers, strategic
planners, and program managers who are not just wireless, wired and IT technology experts—we are
advocates for agencies and organizations and have dedicated much of our careers to the delivery of
solutions and telecommunications networks for communities often underserved by technological
advancement and budgetary funding. Televate works as a liaison between the diverse communities we
serve and the legislative bodies that govern them to ensure that the needs and concerns of extended
community are voiced and addressed.
Televate is authorized to do business in the State of California and will serve as the sole vendor and overall
Program Manager (PM) for this program and will assume full responsibility for the contractual obligations
and deliverables. Televate will lead and be responsible for the entire program and program staffing to
prepare milestone deliverables and a comprehensive final report and strategic broadband plan.
2.1.1 Televate Broadband Services and Key Projects
Throughout their careers, Televate staff have led numerous design and deployments projects involving
wireless carrier networks, dark and lit fiber networks, WiFi networks, and thousands of base station sites
across all wireless technologies. Televate’s team of engineers, technologists and consultants has resolved
many of our nation’s critical communications challenges, providing a variety of technical and program
management services for dozens of technology initiatives, wired and wireless broadband networks and
distributed antenna systems. Having served customers ranging from states and large metropolitan areas to
rural counties and building owners, we have built a wealth of knowledge regarding broadband
communications technologies and requirements.
Our team has the requisite fiber backbone network design, wireless network design and propagation
analysis, radio tower planning and oversight construction and installation skills, and a comprehensive
understanding of the FCC regulations regarding these telecommunications systems. Our staff members have
decades of experience planning, designing, procuring, implementing, and operating wired and wireless
broadband systems.
Televate has been the leading consultancy in delivering local and state broadband communications systems
and solutions for public safety and other government end user agencies. Beginning in 2003, we conceived,
designed, facilitated the procurement of, managed system construction, and directly operated a multi-site
3G commercial wireless network (CDMA technology), and a fiber optic network connecting multiple local
governments in the National Capitol Region (NCR). We negotiated various fiber routes with cable TV and
other broadband service providers extending the existing independent government fiber networks into
additional critical facilities to deliver fiber-based broadband connectivity to various governments. Televate
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
additionally developed a government operated wireless broadband and fiber optic network operational
department staffing and budgetary model to operate the network. This NCRNet (www.ncrnet.us) was
launched in 2007 and many elements of the network remain operational today and have delivered
important broadband communications capabilities to the government end user community. Televate
leveraged and expanded on this initial government broadband work to provide broadband strategic
planning, system implementation and operations for 14 states and U.S. Territories (Minnesota, Ohio, North
Dakota, Florida, Virginia, Oklahoma, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Alabama, New Mexico, Idaho, District
of Columbia, Virgin Islands), and for multiple local jurisdictions.
2.1.1.1 Community Broadband Projects
Televate is currently supporting multiple county and city governments with community broadband
programs that include stakeholder interviews, residential and business broadband and internet
requirements and needs gap analysis, fiber and WiFi network design and cost modeling to support unserved
and underserved, federal and state broadband grant analysis, digital equity and a host of related broadband
strategic planning services. The majority of these projects have been in development over the past six
months and a number of them are nearing completion of the initial strategic planning phase of the project
work. These project are very similar to the broadband planning and assessment work that the City is
undertaking, and will provide valuable lessons learned and experiences of benefit.
The list below highlights a variety of Televate’s core community broadband capabilities.
Our core services include:
Residential and business broadband
services requirements and gap survey
and analysis
Broadband stakeholder and committee
/working group structures and interviews
Broadband strategic planning support
Cost modeling and estimation of wired
and wireless solutions
Support governments in developing
broadband services organization
Federal and state broadband grant
assessment and applications
Fiber network design and deployment
LTE design engineering
Technical specifications development
Technology lifecycle planning
Field testing and optimization of wireless
networks
Federal, state, and local zoning and
permitting analysis
FCC regulatory proceedings
Training, Standard Operating Procedures
(SOP), policy, governance, and cost
sharing modeling.
2.2 The Televate Project Team
Our team takes great pride in our dedication and responsiveness to client requests. We achieve this not only
by attracting high caliber project team members who are committed to the delivery of program quality and
excellence, but also by assigning multiple dynamic staff members, under the leadership of our Project
Manager, safeguarding project continuity under any circumstances. We share a common objective to
produce high quality, timely deliverables and dedicate sufficient time to meet aggressive deliverable
deadlines. The proposed team has the capacity to conduct this work, and Televate has identified additional
resources to assist in the program should the need arise.
The Televate team is composed of experienced broadband technical and business professionals with in-
depth expertise in all aspects of the project, including broadband technologies, economic modeling and
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
development, digital inclusion, and municipal fiber optic project implementation and operations. A
summary of each team member’s project role and responsibility with background and qualifications is
provided in the table below.
Personnel Brief Bio
Rick Burke
Project Role: Project Executive, broadband
business modeling,
Education: BSc Geography, MSc Program
Geography
Performance-driven executive with over 40 years of
experience in wired and wireless telecommunications and
information technology. Served as program manager for
several successful broadband network and application
deployments, including in the National Capital Region,
providing comprehensive technical, financial, governance,
and administrative management. Currently leading
broadband stakeholder engagement, digital equity,
broadband mapping and various broadband strategic
planning related activities for Televate ARPA based
broadband projects.
Joe Ross
Project Role: Project Manager, fiber optic
and wireless network design cost modeling
Education: BSc Electrical Eng, MBA
Performance-driven executive with over 30 years of
experience in communications and information
technology with nationally recognized wireless system
expertise. Program manager for several successful
broadband network and application deployments
providing comprehensive technical, financial, and
administrative management. Currently serving as Program
Manager for a number of Televate’s community
broadband projects.
Ron Seager
Project Role: Fiber optic network analysis,
coverage assessment and expansion and
cost modeling
Education: BSc Aerospace Eng, MBA
Senior Product and Technical Manager and U.S. Navy
veteran with extensive experience and leadership in the
design, development, and implementation of software
and broadband telecommunications-based products and
services.
Steve Sidore
Project Role: Fiber optic network analysis,
coverage assessment and expansion
Education: BSc Electrical Eng, MBA
Executive experience in consulting, product and software
development, program management to system design,
testing, deployment and operations of IT and broadband
telecommunications systems for Commercial and
Government Environments.
Elizabeth Herring
Project Role: Stakeholder Outreach and
Engagement; Survey Management,
Survey analysis and mapping
Education: BS, Psychology, Double
Major in Creative Writing
Over 13 years of experience performing education and
outreach with county/district and local entities in support
of the implementation of federally- and nationally
administered programs across various disciplines. Ms.
Herring has strong written and communication skills, and
has years of experience managing project tasks, vendors,
product development, and quality control processes.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
2.3 Team Resumes:
A. RICHARD BURKE
Rick Burke is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Televate LLC, a Vienna, VA-based
consultancy specializing in system engineering and program management for government
and commercial communication systems and information technology solutions. With over
40 years of experience in wireless and broadband telecommunications and information
technology, Rick has extensive system engineering and operational experience with, wired
and wireless broadband technologies, commercial cellular, land mobile radio, and other
voice and data networks. Accomplished in all facets of broadband network capital investment and operational cost
modeling and assessment, and in facilitating network operational governance and cost sharing analysis.
SKILLS
Strategic planning and
development of functional
government telecommunications
programs and initiatives
Implementing large scale, multi-
jurisdictional and multi-agency
programs
Extensive stakeholder and
community outreach including
interviews and survey techniques
Program planning,
management, scheduling,
requirements gathering,
budgetary management,
procurement, technology
development oversight,
operational governance
Crafted governance, policy,
procedures, pricing to guide
the government
telecommunications operations
Fiber and wireless broadband
network design, deployment,
and operations
VHF, UHF, 700 MHz and 800
MHz
Federal and state grant
application strategy and
preparation
GIS mapping design, analysis,
interpretation
EXPERIENCE
Broadband Communications Technology
Project Sponsor for multiple ARPA funding municipal broadband assessment projects
o Designed and leading the stakeholder interviews and outreach activities
o Supporting the development of strategies to deliver broadband services to unserved and
underserved communities
o Assessing digital equity and digital inclusion requirements and recommending strategies to
mitigate
o Broadband strategic planning report development and executive presentation
Program Manager for the National Capital Region Interoperability Program (NCRIP or NCRNet) to deliver
fiber optic and wireless broadband capabilities within the NCR
Provided strategic consultation to a regional Chief Information Officer (CIO) team advancing, among other
capabilities, a regional broadband fiber network – drafted and refined policies and procedures to guide
the implementation, operations and funding, and the data securely shared over the network
Develop comprehensive capital expenditure and operational expenditure modeling of broadband
telecommunications systems to guide staffing, funding, and overall operations
Prepared BTOP grant applications that resulted in over $200 million in awards in the State of New Mexico
and the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS)
Conducted needs assessment for public safety stakeholder broadband coverage, devices, and applications
Authored multiple technical statements of work (SOW) to support the procurement of Band Class 14 (BC-
14) RAN, CORE, network management system (NMS), user equipment (UE), fiber and microwave backhaul,
and all associated design, construct, install, and optimization services
Supported vendor evaluation and selection for the LTE BC-14 network solution and services
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Managed the LTE network design, and capital and operational budgeting to support network sustainability
cost modeling
Facilitated the development of a comprehensive training program to support end user training, together
with network operational personnel along with RAN and CORE maintenance training
State and Local Implementation Planning Grant (SLIGP) – FirstNet Consultation
Program Director for multiple State SLIGP projects – provide oversight direction, management, and quality
control for these projects
Conducted numerous outreach meetings at state, local, regional and tribal levels
Prepared and delivered dozens of technical, programmatic, and operational training courses
Drafted Public Notice and various other FirstNet requests for information
Strategic planning with multiple state rural/community broadband directors to determine if FirstNet could
support state broadband requirements
Comprehensive cost modeling of FirstNet services, data applications, devices, and integration into service
Developed governance models and operating policies and recommendations to guide broadband
adoption and operations
Prepared the State Plan Decision Process architecture and assessed draft State Plans for multiple states
Communication Planning
Spearheaded a cross-agency effort to document agency communications operations, capabilities and
solutions (Government Fiber Optic, Land Mobile Radio, Crisis Information Management Systems,
Messaging Systems, Telephony, Data Applications and Information Technology Systems)
Lead planner and author of the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Inauguration Communications Plans to
facilitate real time alerts, messaging and voice and data communications for 10,000+ first responders over
private and public wired and wireless networks
Statewide and Regional Interoperability Planning
Conducted needs assessment to perform a gap analysis of the current state of interoperable voice and
data communications
Facilitated multiple joint agency meetings and workshops and documented a full scope of interoperable
voice and data communications requirements to achieve the desired level of inter-agency interoperable
communications
Directed and managed regional interoperability to achieve a common system for sharing critical incident
management communication and information among member jurisdictions
Drive federal grant writing and grant program management and successfully lead grant awards worth
hundreds of millions of dollars
Deliver various technology, training, grant development, voice and data interoperable system design and
operations, 800 MHz rebanding and other consulting services to a variety of local, state and federal
customers
Provide radio network and technology consulting and design services to various Federal Government
operators including the Secret Service, ATF, the Treasury Department, and other Federal agencies
Grants, Training and Other
Drafted state and federal grants and managed the preparation of numerous other grants that lead to the
successful award of hundreds of millions of dollars for local, regional and state grantees
Delivered various technology, training, grant development, voice and data interoperable system design
and operations, and other consulting services to a variety of local, state and federal customers
Developed and delivered 100’s of technical and tactical training programs to practitioners,
telecommunicators/dispatchers, help desk staff, technicians, engineers and executives
Hired, training and managed 100’s of technical and administrative staff throughout my career
Operations manager, system engineer and strategic planner for a major cellular network operator
Managed an annual multi-million operations budget for a major telecommunications operator
EDUCATION
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1980 Master’s Program, Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
1978 Bachelors, Geography, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
IEEE Member, APCO Member
JOSEPH J. ROSS
Joe Ross is a performance-driven executive with over 25 years of experience in
communications and information technology with nationally recognized wireless system
expertise. He led the first public safety 700 MHz broadband deployment in the U.S. and was
an instrumental leader in the first campaigns to secure 700 MHz broadband spectrum for
public safety. He served as program manager for a number of successful public safety
network and application deployments providing comprehensive technical, financial, and
administrative management for highly complex programs. He chaired the Assessment of Future Spectrum and
Technology Working Group for the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) Technology Committee
that was created to provide the follow up to the Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee report of 1996. He consults
to a number of clients regarding broadband and public safety communications.
SKILLS
Fiber, cable, and wireless
fixed broadband
technologies, operations, and
models
VHF, UHF, 700 MHz, 800
MHz, 1900 MHz, Microwave,
Satellite, and Alternative
Spectral Bands & Wireless
Networks
Public safety application
deployment
Public Safety and Commercial
Cellular Wireless System
Design, Engineering,
Deployment, Operations,
Optimization, and Expansion
Wireless Program Director
and Network Team Leader
Executive Program and
Schedule Management and
Team Development
Customer Requirements
Definition and Program
Implementation
Technical Leadership — FCC
Related Matters
WAN, LAN, and PBX
deployment
EXPERIENCE
Community Broadband Projects
Serving as the overall project manager for community broadband projects to leverage federal, state, and
local funds to augment broadband service availablity and adoption
Oversee community broadband surveys, stakeholder engagements, and enagements with ISPs
Oversee development of financial modelling of broadband infrastructure
Oversee implementation of digital equity and digital inclusion data collection and planning
Technical Leadership
Provided the early vision for nationwide 700 MHz broadband spectrum for public safety and the use of
commercial technologies. Provided initial leadership and developed the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety
to advocate at the national level for 700 MHz broadband spectrum and national broadband interoperability
Led design and deployment efforts for the first 700 MHz broadband networks for public safety in the United
States including relationship development with infrastructure and device manufactures in a new spectrum
band
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Co-chaired the NPSTC working group that created the 700 MHz Broadband Statement of Requirements and
was very active in the NPSTC Broadband Task Force
Chaired the PSWAC Follow-Up working group in NPSTC, the Assessment of Future Spectrum and Technology
including national operational requirements gathering, technology analysis, and spectrum modeling
Co-chair of the NPSTC white paper detailing the process and projected nationwide cost to relocate local,
state and federal radio licenses out of the land mobile radio (LMR) T-Band spectrum
Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS):
Oversight of design, deployment and operations of a county-wide LTE network that integrated LTE,
microwave, and fiber
Lead technical consulting to secure BTOP grant award of $155m
Developed detailed RFP specifications for broadband related system elements as well as joint LMR/LTE
related specifications
Conducted radio propagation analyses to assist LA-RICS in the selection of public safety communications
sites
Conducted backhaul design analysis including analysis of fiber (wired) and microwave (wireless) options.
Conducted cost and financial analysis for public safety communications system
Advised LA-RICS during contract negotiation with the selected vendor for the construction, operations and
maintenance of the LTE broadband network
Oversight of vendors constructing the LTE network including risk assessment and mitigation strategies,
design review, independent verification and validation, acceptance test review, and scheduling
Developed detailed financial models for capital and operations costs for countywide wireless network
operations, including fiber and microwave fixed broadband elements
Advisor on policy and regulatory matters related to the application of LTE technology to public safety use
Arlington County, Virginia
Oversight of a program to assess cellular coverage county-wide including FirstNet coverage
Executive oversight of a program to assess the integration of Arlington County and the City of Alexandria
land mobile radio infrastructure into a single system
General Technical and Financial Management
Extensive experience in the development of broadband network requests for proposal, vendor
management, and contract management
Extensive design and design management experience for broadband communications networks including
LTE RAN, backhual, and Evolved Packet Core
Conducted online surveys involving thousands of public safety personnel statewide to collect a census of
users and their requirements for broadband service.
Extensive experience in the financial modeling of broadband communications networks including Capital
Expenditure (CapEx) and Operational Expenditure (OpEx).
Managed grant development efforts for three BTOP applicants for public safety 700 MHz LTE systems
including executive level consulting support for budgeting, system configuration, subscriber strategies, and
design
Built and led engineering teams of over 100 technical staff to engineer and implement comprehensive
communications systems
GPON, Microwave, 3GPP and other broadband technology architectures, cost structures, and operations.
Managed budget in excess of $50 million to create and implement wireless networks and solutions
Provided land mobile radio engineering and consulting services including 800 MHz rebanding, P25 vendor
selection, P25 interoperability analysis, system remediation analysis, P25 system budgeting and planning,
and Communications Planning
Ten years of experience designing, optimizing, maintaining, and managing commercial cellular systems
comprising several thousand cell sites
Deployed and managed enterprise communications and IT systems including Wi-Fi, WAN, LAN, cellular, VoIP,
Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft SharePoint
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
EDUCATION
1995 MBA, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
1989 BS, Electrical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA
RON SEAGER
Accomplished Senior Product and Technical Manager and US Navy veteran with extensive
experience and leadership in the design, development, and implementation of software and
telecommunications-based products and services. Strong business, management, and
technical skills with extensive knowledge of wireless and networking platforms and
applications. Collaborative leader, providing clarity and focus to internal and external teams,
including offshore developers.
SKILLS
Product and Engineering
Management
Network Architecture and
Design
Vendor Management
P&L Management
Go-To-Market Strategy /
Strategic Roadmap
Network Deployment and
Optimization
Business and Product
Development
Product/Project
Management Frameworks
Buy vs. Build Analysis
UX Design
EXPERIENCE
EPAM Systems, Sr. Product Manager
Provide product coaching to clients and manage the product implementation framework for EPAM development
teams. Former clients include Matterport, TELUS, Estee Lauder Group.
Netly Fiber, Consultant Sr. TechOps Manager
Build and manage a team of fiber optic field technicians, FTTH drop installation vendors as well as various general
contractors associated with high density, fiber optic buildout in the San Diego County Area.
Develop, document and train internal and external teams on fiber, construction and turnup best practices
and procedures
Manage the technical and operational customer relationship. Develop procedures to manage service order
workflow.
Prioritize and assign work schedules for field technicians and vendors
Develop productivity KPIs for teams to achieve company goals
Develop dashboard to track progress of teams in achieving productivity goals
ViaSat Inc., Sr. Product Manager, Commercial Aviation
Serve as Product Manager for Live TV product from concept to launch, creating a $60M product line and increasing
average revenue per aircraft by over 10%.
Research and define the market, opportunity, and Viasat’s value proposition with respect to the product.
Conduct customer interviews to identify critical features, create customer and end-user personas, and
understand customer product strategy.
Facilitate end-user journey workshop with major airline customer’s cross-functional team and mapped out
key UI flows.
Work with business development to implement content strategy for providing optimum channel line-up
that intersects customer value, pricing, and network capacity considerations.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Define executive, technical, customer and marketing roadmap. Communicate changes to various
stakeholders at regular intervals.
Develop success criteria for the TV product for measuring internal performance criteria and ability to meet
customer expectations.
Document all product requirements and user stories in JIRA and Confluence. Prioritize feature development
using WSJF (weighted shortest job first) methodology.
ViaSat Inc., Sr. Manager System Test, Commercial Aviation
Manage a team of six direct reports as well as a team of offshore automation developers performing
system testing for an end-to-end inflight connectivity service.
Create manual test team and test strategies, while implementing robot automation framework for a Jenkins
pipeline for product development.
Reduce test cycle from 2.5 weeks to 2 days through the development of test automation, a tighter feedback
process with development and automated test platform configuration.
Manage all physical and virtual DevOps lab infrastructure and workspaces.
Oversee the budget, requirements, and build of a mobile test environment that supports first- and second-
generation antenna terminal equipment to facilitate multiple test teams.
HetNet Software (Division of Dorado Software), Director Product Management
Manage the strategy to take network management into the 4G telecommunications industry by building an
interoperable, standards-based Self Optimizing Network (SON) orchestration engine. Drive product support for
cloud-based infrastructure and management.
Televate, Sr. Core Network Engineering Consultant
Serve as a 4G technology consultant for local and federal government projects, including:
LA-RICS – Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (https://www.la-rics.org/)
FirstNet – First Responder Network Authority; Dept of Commerce (https://www.firstnet.gov/)
Develop an RFP and core network architecture for a 4G public safety communications network, focusing
on Enhanced Packet Core (EPC), transmission, operations, provisioning, agency connectivity, and network
parameter design skills.
Cricket Wireless, Sr. Manager Core Network Engineering
Manage 2 teams of direct and indirect employees accountable for the engineering, capacity, and performance of
the Core IP/data plane and networking infrastructure portions of the network.
Lead an IT team of Cisco CCNP / CCIE level engineers in addition to a parallel team of telecommunications
specific applications engineers.
Develop the technical and architectural roadmaps for all platforms.
Manage the end-to-end migration of the core network and backhaul implementation from 3G to 4G LTE.
Engineer the expansion of customer facing internet points from 1 to 10 datacenters across the US.
Cricket Communications, Manager Messaging
Manage overall business and technical vendor relationship for SMSC, MMSC, inter-carrier messaging vendor,
value-added service providers (VASPs), and prepaid services platform.
Lead a cross-functional team to re-architect the IP infrastructure to support new data services for Cricket
customers.
Work with Operations on training, transition to production, and monitoring / alarming grooming.
Execute the migration of voicemail architecture whereby a fully geo-redundant, VoIP based system replaced
44 TDM obsolete systems with zero downtime.
Enable the cost-effective scaling of text messaging platform to allow the business to offer the country’s first
free, unlimited text messaging offering bundled within the rate plan.
Cricket Communications, Project Manager
Manage diverse projects, including 2G to 3G upgrade, 3G data, and Push-to-Talk services.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
EDUCATION
2001 M.B.A., San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
1993 B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
STEVE SIDORE
Steve Sidore has 38 years industry experience with 27 years of executive experience in
consulting, product development, software development, program management to system
design, testing, deploying and operating all forms of IT and telecommunications systems for
Commercial and Government Environments – Data Center, E-911, NG-911, Database,
Servers, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Cable, Broadband, Wireless, Satellite, and Fixed networks.
SKILLS
Software Development (SaaS
and PaaS), VoIP Soft Switch,
Billing system, OSS systems and
Support tools
Complex Architecture, Planning
and engineering design
IT Data Center and Switching
center Architecture planning,
design and implementation
Program management
2G, 3G, 4G, WIMAX, WiFi and
LTE Wireless Network planning
and implementation
2G, 3G, 4G, WIMAX, WiFi and
LTE Wireless Site design and
Implementation
E-911/NG-911 Planning and
Design
Fiber and Cable Infrastructure
Design and implementation
Operations Process
Improvement
Disaster Recovery and Business
Continuity process Improvement
Operations Support Systems
Implementation and Integration
Network Operations Center
development and
implementation
EXPERIENCE
One-Com, Vice President
Telecommunications Consulting sales and services for Commercial and Government agencies
LARICs: Providing comprehensive broadband LTE engineering and technical services for countywide wireless
network. Consulting services for core engineering, design and deployment of LARICs LTE systems and
structure to support their first responder community in LA. Leading efforts in the following areas: EPC Core,
Fiber and MW Transmission systems, Operations Systems, Devices, Agency Integration and Logistics.
Led team managing user terminal deployment for LTE/Wi-Fi routers. Operations responsibilities include
development and implementation of NOC, SOC, operations systems, data warehouse, security policies, 24/7
operations including incident, disaster and special event support. Support of interfacing and interoperating
E-911 and eventual NG-911 systems and critical dispatch to the FirstNet system for LA-RICS agencies.
FirstNet: Providing consulting services for core engineering, planning, design and development of their
nationwide LTE systems and structure to support the first responder community nationwide. Leading efforts
in the following primary areas: End to end Architecture, Transmission, Data Center and Operations. Providing
support to the leads in EPC Core, Network Services and IT support, NG-911 development, interface and
traffic design requirements for FirstNet with potential agency deployments
Wireless Glue: Provided consulting services on their SasS, PaaS based Power management system for
product development and engineering processes refinements.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia: Provided consulting service to the CEO and CTO to analyze network and
system to move to LTE. Ran all of PMO for Site Build, RAN, Core, transmission, BSS and IT programs -
Managed 120 resources. Responsible for organization transformation within CTO organization. Rollout of
LTE design and transmission implementation plan. Ran all of Operations covering Radio, Site and Core
infrastructure as well as Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Provided Consulting Services to major wireless carrier on new service product development. Defined and
designed product, system architecture and cost model for new voice and data service utilizing VoLTE and
IMS infrastructures.
Provided Consulting service for MVNO analysis, selection, negotiation and deployment of wireless
technology solution. Developed process and procedures for wireless infrastructure including design and cost
analysis for LTE infrastructure. Developed business strategy and business refocus
Clearwire, Sr. Director – Core Engineering
Responsible for all core programs.
Responsible for the efforts of 225 staff plus 20 3rd party providers, construction and equipment installation
providers approximately 600 + resources across all US territories
Responsible for the Core production system program which included the architecture, design and delivery
of 31 Data Centers, 29 dark and lit fiber rings, all the broadband infrastructure network, field trials, support
system design and deployment, site placement, site implementation and maintenance.
Managed deployment of $180M Capital program and $300M Expense program.
Accomplishments: Core program installation and turn up of a nationwide system comprising 2 National IT
data Centers, 29 Regional Data centers. Regional and market program design and installation of 29 dark fiber
metro rings and market-based VoIP and data infrastructure and the infrastructure.
T-Mobile, Sr. Director – West Region Engineering and Operations
Responsible for Core Engineering Management
Responsible for the efforts of 220 staff plus 10 3rd party providers, construction and equipment installation
providers approximately 500 + resources across the Western US
Core system program including the design and delivery of dark and lit fiber, and broadband infrastructure
network, field trials, support system deployment, site placement, site implementation and maintenance
Managed deployment of $130M Capital program and $280M Expense program.
Responsible to meet all government interconnection requirements for lawful intercept, Phase 2 E-911
connection to all PSAPs, and location accuracy for correct PSAP routing.
Accomplishments: Implementation of 7 new, redeployment of equipment to new sites and removed 7
data/switching centers. Including the implementation of 25 new fiber rings or optimized existing rings
Spatial Dynamics Corporation, Vice President – Professional Services
Responsible for providing system and application consulting business development, sales, marketing and services.
Pagoo, Inc., CTO and EVP – Product Development, Engineering and Operations
Intira Corporation, CTO and EVP – Engineering, Operations, IT and Construction
Responsible for the management of 170 domestic and 60 international staff plus 3rd party providers
Responsibilities included IT, product development, engineering strategy, design and delivery of next
generation content data centers, computer systems to support customer applications and service and
support Hosted products to the e-commerce and mission critical systems IT marketplace.
Managed Program Budget of $150M Capital program and $100M Expense Budget.
Iridium LLC, Executive Vice President – Engineering
Provided engineering, guidelines, direction and consul to regional resources in 15 different locations around
the globe and management of 80 engineering staff including the EOC staff.
Managed Program Budget of $300M Capital program and $580M Expense Budget.
Spatial Dynamics Corporation, Vice President – Professional Services
Responsible for providing system and application consulting business development, sales, marketing and services.
Pacific Bell Mobile Services, Executive Director – Engineering and Operations
Responsible for the Management of Engineering, Support Systems and Operations
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Responsible for the management of 200 operations staff, 80 engineering staff plus 3 3rd party providers,
construction and equipment installation providers approximately 300+ resources in the US
EDUCATION
1993 M.B.A., Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
1982 B.S., Electrical Engineering, UCLA, CA
ELIZABETH HERRING
Elizabeth Herring has over 13 years of experience performing education and outreach with
county/district and local entities in support of the implementation of federally- and
nationally administered programs across various disciplines. She has worked closely with
clients to develop and distribute consistently messaged informational communications and
publications, while also providing direct support and training to stakeholder audiences. Ms.
Herring has strong written and communication skills, and has years of experience managing
project tasks, vendors, product development, and quality control processes.
SKILLS
Development and delivery of
educational materials
Design of marketing/
advertising materials
Data collection, management,
analysis, and GIS/mapping
Requirements gathering
Quality control processes
Stakeholder outreach and
management
Customer service and
communication
EXPERIENCE
Requirements Gathering
Documented technical requirements for reporting to decision-makers, and in order to ensure the correct
implementation of tools and features.
Conducted county-by-county “Coverage Review” meetings with state, county, and local public safety
stakeholders to determine their public safety broadband coverage requirements and gaps in statewide
projects for Florida and Wisconsin.
Collected and documented stakeholder requirements on technology, coverage, features, adoption cost
thresholds, and other attributes for assessment against the FirstNet State Plan in the State of Florida.
Assessed the compliance of FirstNet State Plan content with stakeholder requirements for four states,
including Alabama, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.
Data Collection, Review and Analysis
Developed, disseminated, and analyzed web surveys for the purpose of collecting contact information,
population information, technology usage, opinions, and other feedback for multiple statewide projects.
These results sought not only to quantify public safety populations, but, in the case of the Minnesota State
and Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP 2.0), informed the direction of the project by identifying key
technologies of interest to the state’s stakeholders.
For multiple statewide SLIGP projects, collected and processed historical computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data
to provide incident density maps used to identify potential network traffic.
Developed ESRI-based (ArcGIS Online) coverage maps, graphs and dashboards visualizing data collected
through Televate’s proprietary coverage assessment application, Pinpoint.
Researched, evaluated, and summarized public safety applications in support of a state’s implementation of
capabilities over the FirstNet broadband system.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Reviewed and updated FCC applications and Communication Assets Survey & Mapping (CASM) information
for accuracy and consistency.
Education and Outreach
Developed recruitment, education, and outreach materials for multiple SLIGP projects, including Alabama,
Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Materials varied by project, and included requests for
participants, requests for information, project marketing communications, email announcements,
newsletters, and website content.
Coordinated stakeholder outreach and education efforts designed to create awareness about FirstNet—a
federally-endorsed public safety broadband network—including the challenges and opportunities of system
adoption
Created multimedia material for including videos, webinars, newsletters, email blasts for program awareness
and end user engagement
Developed, organized, and delivered training presentations to large and varied audiences. Integral to these
presentations was their accessibility to stakeholders with any level of preexisting knowledge on the topic.
Project Management and Customer Service
Managed task schedules and deliverables.
Reported project status and developed reports of accomplishments following project/task completion.
Products developed included documents for internal tracking, reporting to the customer, and those designed
to inform external project stakeholders.
Managed vendors and vendor schedules.
Managed customer service, help desk requests and issue resolution.
For the Alabama SLIGP project, solicited and managed sponsorship payments and supported event planning
at the 2016 Southeast U.S. Public Safety Broadband Summit.
EDUCATION
2008 BS, Psychology, Double Major in Creative Writing, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh,
PA
2.4 Hourly Billing Rates
The following hourly rates are used in the proposed cost for the project and will be applied to any ongoing
time and materials based or in the development of changes to the scope of work.
Professional Labor Category Hourly Rate
Partner/Program Director/Principal/Senior Project Manager $212.00
Subject Matter Expert $186.00
Senior Consultant $175.00
Senior Engineer/Consultant/GIS Specialist $159.00
Project Coordinator/System Analyst/Technical Writer $100.00
Administrative Coordinator $60.00
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
2.5 Statement of Disqualification
STATEMENT OF PAST CONTRACT
DISQUALIFICATIONS
The proposer shall state whether it or any of its officers or employees who have a
proprietary interest in it, has ever been disqualified, removed, or otherwise
prevented from bidding on, or completing a federal, state, or local government
project because of the violation of law, a safety regulation, or for any other reason,
including but not limited to financial difficulties, project delays, or disputes regarding
work or product quality, and if so to explain the circumstances.
◼ Do you have any disqualification as described in the above paragraph to declare?
Yes No
◼ If yes, explain the circumstances.
Executed on September 14, 2022, at 0900 hours at 1934 Old Gallows Road, Vienna,
VA 22184 under penalty of perjury of the laws of the State of California, that the
foregoing is true and correct.
Signature of Authorized Proposer Representative
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Work Program
3.1 Goals, Objectives, and Project Tasks
The City of San Luis Obispo (“City”) recognizes it has an obligation to support its residents to take full
advantage of broadband services. Broadband is an important differentiating infrastructure today and is
critical to the economic competitiveness and quality of life for residents, businesses, anchor institutions,
non-profit organizations and for government.
Broadband has become a critical utility—not a
luxury—that defines a community’s ability to
address the needs of residences and businesses.
Without broadband, communities could face
stalled economic growth.
Televate’s proposal provides the City with a
solution that includes Televate’s community, key
stakeholder, and internet service provider (ISP)
and cellular carrier outreach, broadband system
engineering, operations and technological
expertise, and its overall broadband demand
assessment skills that will culminate in the
development of a comprehensive Broadband Plan
for the City. Our approach is to leverage three key
data sources to assess the demand in the City: 1) review and analyze existing City fiber and broadband
asset data; 2) conduct interviews with key stakeholder groups to understand the broadband marketplace
in the City; and 3) review public information and engage with local internet service providers (ISPs) to
better understand their plans, service footprint, and their thoughts on federal, state, and local programs on
broadband utilization. Each data collection method is key to our process and ensures that we collect
sufficient information to understand the demand in the City and to understand the broadband marketplace.
Our standard approach focuses on collaboration with the existing internet service providers (ISPs) who have
extensive existing resources in the City and can leverage these resources to facilitate expansions where
needed. These providers are integral to our approach, and we intend to create strong working relationships
with them. The existing ISPs have likely spent hundreds of millions in San Luis Obispo, and their continued
investment is critical to achieve the City’s vision. We will additionally work with the City to develop a
comprehensive understanding of the City’s current broadband network and assess plans and budget to
expand the network and service offerings. We will assess the City’s technical and operational capabilities
and strategic interests in expanding service independently or in collaboration with the ISPs.
Armed with this information, our team will leverage our decades of experience in broadband and
communication network construction to develop actionable strategic recommendations that will expand
broadband service availability in the City. Our approach will be to maximize competition with sustainable
infrastructure and to create solutions that minimize the need for City staffing and oversight. We envision a
marketplace with robust competition for a valuable customer base where there is ample incentive for
multiple providers to sustain high-quality broadband services that continually meet the demands of a
diverse population.
Our team is a neutral party acting as a trusted City consultant advancing the best broadband
communications interests of San Luis Obispo. We are not an internet service provider. We are dedicated
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
consultants whose sole mission is to provide recommendations, guidance, and actionable plans to achieve
the objectives of our customers – which include local economic development and community benefits. Our
team has extensive service provider experience, and we believe it is essential that the City’s consultant
endeavors to maximize participation from all service providers. We have also assisted governments in
developing broadband and other government communications network operational plans and
organizations to support internal, and external to government operational structures. Due to our neutral
and unbiased position, we are confident that the service providers will engage with us, and we can fully
leverage their investments and resources to deliver the best possible outcome for the City.
3.2 Task 1: Kick-Off Meeting & Project Management Plan
Our team will begin the project with a kickoff meeting between the Televate Team and the City’s project
team. The goal of the kickoff will be to present our plan and schedule to achieve the objectives, seek support
and resources from the stakeholders, and build a relationship that better enables our team to understand
the requirements, goals, objectives, and expected outcomes of the program. Prior to the formal kickoff
meeting, the Televate team will develop a draft project management plan including the preliminary project
schedule, the communications plan, the staffing plan, risk matrix and other aspects of the project plan, and
will schedule a video conference meeting with the City team to initiate the project planning and preparation
process. The project kickoff meeting objectives include:
Define project team roles and responsibilities
Establish program Organizational Chart
Develop preliminary contacts list
Review and refine program plan and schedule
Establish communications process and standards
Define meeting types and frequency
Develop status report requirements
Establish the issue/risk management process
Clarify the program budget reporting and management process
Discuss and define requirements for key stakeholder participants, and
Initiate the data discovery process.
Following the kickoff meeting, Televate will refine the draft project management plan to incorporate any
updates or changes to the scope or timeline and will submit the final plan within seven (7) working days
following the meeting.
As required, the Project Manager will schedule and facilitate a total of eight (8) workshops guided by a well-
structured agenda. Each workshop will engage the City’s project team and stakeholders and will review key
project items, including:
Activities performed/completed during the previous period
Status of on-going activities, major project milestones, and action items
Activities/plans for the upcoming period, and
Seek approval of any pending project recommendations.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
3.3 Task 2: Identify and Inventory Assets
A comprehensive baseline of the existing broadband service
environment within San Luis Obispo is a fundamental component
of the project. Our team will employ proven techniques to provide
a quantitative and qualitative summary of the current service
availability within the City. We will collect data from local
organizations and various commercial sources, as well as directly
from incumbent providers as available.
By utilizing multiple sources of information, we will improve the accuracy of our maps. Our goal is to add
multiple layers of data to achieve comprehensive and high-quality information to inform decision making.
This assessment and evaluation will include:
Broadband inventory and mapping from the City’s GIS data, records of existing, planned and
potential wireless, small cell facility siting and related data, as well as the City’s as-built drawings
Existing public data sources (e.g., FCC Form 477)
Independent research and evaluation of previous efforts
Key City department group sessions (Task 3)
Internet service provider data collection and interviews
This process will identify the following broadband resources and assets:
The City’s fiber assets
Any City assets that could support fiber network deployment
Any City assets that currently or could accommodate small cell antennas, including street light
poles, traffic signal poles, water tanks, and City buildings, and
Private/commercial provider broadband infrastructure.
3.3.1 Incumbent Provider Interviews/Assessment
Televate will reach out to major incumbent broadband residential service providers to interview them
regarding their broadband networks, service areas, service offerings (e.g., speed, service types), service
reliability and resiliency, and pricing strategies, as well as to gather information on their network
expansion plans and roadmaps. The data requested of the incumbent providers will include geospatial
information on their network coverage, types of communities/building characteristics they serve (e.g.,
single-family homes, multifamily, affordable housing, etc.), service pricing, infrastructure quality, and
expansion/upgrade plans. We will also ask them to identify areas that fall short of American Rescue Plan
Act (ARPA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) defined levels of broadband service. In
addition, providers will be queried on how the City can assist them in serving more households and
businesses, along with their interest in partnerships with the City to expand service to unserved and
underserved populations. We will additionally inquire from them on potential City regulations and policies
that could be examined and potentially modified to the benefit of service delivery and adoption.
While not guaranteed that the incumbent providers will participate and provide information, we propose
providing them with participation incentives, including, with the City’s permission, sharing insight into the
City’s broadband requirements, notable reported gaps in service, and potentially a briefing regarding the
findings from the project’s data collection initiative. We will seek GIS and other information regarding where
providers have physical services. Ongoing FCC broadband mapping activity already begins the process of
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
achieving this objective, and we will leverage the FCC requirements to assist in securing these data sets.1
Regional wireless providers will be asked to provide us with real-world service/coverage maps showing
where they provide different levels of service. Additionally, we will also request providers identify where
they have specific broadband infrastructure that may be usable by other third parties to service a new area.
Task 2 Deliverable: Technical memorandum outlining the compiled inventory
3.4 Task 3: Needs Assessment & Goal Setting
The information compiled from Task 2 will be used to identify the areas where reliable internet service is
available. In addition, another key factor in developing the Broadband Master Plan will be to identify the
demand and where gaps exist between demand and availability. Televate will review publicly available data
such as the American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau and work with the
City to understand current internet utilization in the City’s residential, commercial, and institutional
markets.
As part of this assessment, Televate will
conduct six (6) group meetings with
representatives of key potential user
groups, such as those depicted in Figure 1,
to understand their needs. These meetings
will cover a range of topics including
broadband usage, adoption barriers, as
well as their specific requirements such as:
Public-facing Wi-Fi
Commercial broadband services
Residential broadband services, and
Communications support for emerging technologies.
We will additionally explore opportunities for broadband network and service partnerships where
appropriate, opportunities for efficient, cost-effective deployment options, and also identify the leased
circuit costs that the City could reduce or eliminate through expanded City-owned fiber. Further, Televate
will identify any existing or recommended policies, procedures, regulations, engineering standards, budgets,
and the like, that may have a positive effect on the City’s ability to implement their Broadband Master Plan.
Our policy recommendations will include adherence with federal and state funding sources and their
associated restrictions as well other local policies and regulations we identify that can help stimulate
broadband investment and expansion in the City.
The interviews will be conducted via video conference. We have successfully conducted thousands of
broadband network, application, and use case interviews this way and will tailor this outreach in the best
interest of the project. The focus of the discussions will be to identify the specific needs of these groups and
the communities they represent, identify any gaps in broadband services, and to solicit input regarding
where and how to augment the broadband ecosystem to improve utilization in their communities. Televate
1 ISPs are required to submit their broadband maps no later than September 1, 2022. The FCC Commissioner has stated that these
maps will be available to the public in the fall of 2022. Because release of the updated FCC broadband maps is not guaranteed
during our program, we will seek to secure them directly from the ISPs.
Figure 1: Potential City Stakeholder Groups
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
will engage with the City project management to determine the specific groups to be interviewed as part of
the program.
In conjunction with our current community broadband project, individual and group stakeholder meetings
have provided value information, recommendations, and engagement from key members of the
community, many of which have direct insights into the state of broadband for disadvantaged individuals
and communities. These “focus group” meetings provide opportunities to solicit participation and input into
the development of the strategic plan.
Task 3 Deliverable: Technical memorandum summarizing the needs assessment and the implications of
those needs on the City’s fiber deployment plans
3.5 Task 4: Conceptual Network Routes and Infrastructure Requirements
In the previous tasks, we explored the existing infrastructure capabilities and the current and anticipated
needs of the community. During this task, we will put those findings to use. Televate will analyze the findings
from the previous tasks and recommend options for using the City’s existing fiber, as well as cost-effectively
expanding it. We will develop Conceptual fiber network routes designed to support government-facing
operations and the City’s technology projects, as well as provide a resource for wireless providers, enabling
economic development efforts and public-facing Wi-Fi, and potentially supporting residential and
commercial broadband services.
When considering the potential for supporting residential and commercial broadband services, Televate will
consider various technology options based on the primary service provider(s) in each area. The cable,
wireless, DSL, and fiber providers use different technologies, and those different technologies may require
dramatically different infrastructure. The technology options may also vary based on the type of area that
requires service. For example, areas with low population density may benefit from a wireless solution that
may lack the speed and future-proof capacity of fiber but may enable the City to stretch available funds to
serve more households.
Our team has experience with fiber to the premises solutions including neutral host or open access solutions
that offer dark fiber from data centers to homes or buildings. With this approach, multiple broadband
providers can serve individual facilities in a neighborhood. This approach is more cost effective overall, as
dark fiber construction can be performed once instead of by each service provider. It is initially more costly
but will provide other benefits and foster competition between more competitors and provides substantial
capacity to each property.
Televate will also consider wireless service aa an option to extend the reach of existing or newly developed
fiber routes. Our approach is to work with the major cellular carriers who have substantial spectrum
allocations that allow 100 Mbps data speeds fast enough to service many typical households. These and
other spectrum holders may be viable solutions for many households and can generally provide service at
a lower capital cost per household, enabling government funds to be stretched further.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Bridging the digital divide means delivering sufficient broadband services to all required residential,
business, and community anchor and government institutions that are low cost, reliable, and fast. The ARPA
and Infrastructure Act’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) standards require that projects
must be able to reliably deliver minimum speeds of 100 Mbps up and down (100/100). However, with
companies moving their applications to the cloud and individuals working at home, many are increasingly
finding that 100 Mbps service is insufficient. The best technology may then need to consider longer term
capability beyond ARPA/Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
requirements.
Televate’s approach will be to identify technology neutral and future-proof
solutions that can benefit multiple providers leveraging different business
models. Our team will seek solutions that can help both fixed and mobile
broadband providers. For example, if appropriate, we will identify fiber
solutions that can be provided by fixed broadband connectivity
improvements as well as deliver broadband backhaul to cellular sites that
might serve new areas or improve data speeds where service currently
exists.
It is also important to note that in providing a bridge to those residents and business in the City that are
digitally excluded, a comprehensive assessment and program addressing broadband infrastructure,
affordability, internet devices, digital literacy, and access to free help desk support will best ensure
broadband service delivery and internet adoption and use for all residents of the City.
Task 4 Deliverable: Technical memorandum outlining conceptual network routes and infrastructure
requirements and recommendations
3.6 Task 5: Technical Specifications and Cost Estimation
Televate will create a high-level technology plan to address the City government and public safety needs
and requirements and other identified service gaps in the City. The plan will further identify the
technological improvements needed to achieve the broadband needs identified during the needs
assessment. It will include a high-level pre-engineering design, key project metrics and assumptions,
estimate the associated costs, and the anticipated timeframe for implementation.
The plan will leverage the City’s existing fiber and infrastructure, incorporate best practices for security and
resiliency, consider various approaches such as small cell antennas mounted on City assets, and will support
both City and public-facing uses. The technology plan will define the functional capabilities of the proposed
solutions leveraging the latest technology advancements for both wired and wireless solutions. The final
deliverable will include options and recommendations integrating maps for existing and proposed fiber
routes.
The plan will also discuss the key factors for adoption by potential commercial operators (if the City chooses)
to provide service in a manner that is ARPA and IIJA compliant. Compliance with these requirements will
best position the City and local ISPs to apply for or leverage available federal funds from these programs for
enhancing broadband service to the City’s unserved and underserved areas and communities.
Televate will work with the existing providers to identify how the City and its resources (including ARPA and
other funding) could be leveraged to augment the existing services. Our goal will be to outline solutions
and engage providers in a way that fosters competition in a neutral manner. Robust competition among
providers will ensure that they continue to upgrade their infrastructure, provide high level customer service,
and provide reliable broadband connectivity. Our approach will be to identify solutions that achieve multi-
Televate Proposal to the City of San Luis Obispo Page 25
Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
vendor, competitive broadband service environments, wherever possible, and that leverage existing
infrastructure. Our goal is to invest as little as possible to address the problems and allow the existing
vendors to provide service. For example, in some areas, providers may only require access to rights of way
or permits that are inexpensive for the City to permit. In other areas, conduit may be all that is required to
provide the right return on investment for the service providers.
Using the high-level designs identified above, we will create financial models and proforma for the
recommended projects. We will use customized financial models that incorporate all aspects of the
construction cost including network design, architectural design, environmental assessments, construction,
installation, configuration, and transition to operations as needed. Our plan will segregate City-funded
projects from other costs that would potentially be borne by commercial broadband operators.
Televate’s proforma financial projections will include operational cash flow, one time and recurring capital
expenses, the required business and technical staffing and other organizational support to maintain the
infrastructure, and any support to be provided by the community.
As mentioned previously, community organizations may be willing
to serve as anchor tenants or to contribute resources to individual
projects. These elements will be factored into our proforma
financial analysis and financial projections.
Televate’s financial modeling tools have been used to assist in more
than $1 billion in telecommunications capital projects including
several hundred million in broadband projects and hundreds of
millions in annual operating expenses nationwide.
Task 5 Deliverable: Technical memorandum describing high-level technical specification and cost estimates
3.7 Task 6: Capital Project Analysis and Grant Technical Materials
Recent federal funding has now made it possible to make broadband service delivery viable. Where once
more sparsely populated areas could not sustain broadband service, the infusion of new funding allows for
sustainability in various unserved and underserved communities. Televate will conduct a comprehensive
funding analysis associated with the specific funding needs to address the technology and business plans
developed. Our approach will investigate state and federal grant and loan programs including, but not
limited to, specific state programs, ARPA, IIJA, the Digital Equity Act (DEA), the Middle Mile Broadband
Infrastructure Program, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and others as applicable. Each program
has specific requirements and policies that our team will match up with the specific needs of the City. Our
team will seek to maximize the effectiveness of all sources of funding; for example, the IIJA requires
matching fund requirements whereby governments can apply ARPA and other federal grants to supplant if
available, causing no “out-of-pocket” costs to the City. However, government funding, both in the short and
longer-term, is unlikely to be sufficient, and additional public and private funding sources or strategies may
be necessary to supplement broadband grant vehicles. Our approach is to collaborate with existing and new
service providers to seek private investments.
Drawing on information provided by the City’s Public Works and Community Development Departments,
Televate will review the City’s five-year Capital Improvement Project forecast and provide a technical
analysis, including cost estimates, narratives, and supporting data to indicate that the project is shovel-ready
for the City to pursue technical assistance grants that will provide funding for the recommended project
implementation.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Televate understands that the technology plans and business models may also be affected by the funding
source; for example, ARPA does not accommodate sub-grants to operators and may require the City to
construct infrastructure to be used by the service providers. In some areas, a provider may intend to
leverage Infrastructure Act funding directly. In a less dense area, perhaps a collection of cellular operators
together with shared Radio Access Network (RAN) providers and tower companies may need to collaborate
to address the gaps using land provided by the government. Each area may bring a unique set of service
providers and other parties to bring service to fruition.
In total, Televate has secured more than $500 million in grant funding on behalf of our customers, and we
are confident that our understanding of grant programs can be leveraged to benefit the City. Our program
includes collaboration with the State of California to understand the timing of the state managed
Infrastructure Act funding and any other funding sources from the state. Together with the City, we will
reach out to the State’s broadband office to help understand the planned process and help secure a
collaborative relationship with the State.
Task 6 Deliverable: Technical memorandum addressing projects which are shovel-ready and providing grant
recommendations
3.8 Task 7: Master Plan Compilation and Approval Process Support
The project final deliverable will be a Broadband (inclusive of Fiber Optic) Master Plan, incorporating the
output of work in Tasks 1 through 6. The Master Plan is an essential broadband services delivery and
adoption strategic planning document that will assist the City in assessing and advancing options and
recommendations of greatest interest and benefit to the City and its residents. In preparing the Plan,
Televate will compile the technical memoranda prepared for each of those tasks into a comprehensive
Master Plan including an executive summary, final recommendations, and an implementation roadmap.
Televate will deliver a draft version of the report in Microsoft Word format to facilitate the City’s review and
will collaborate with the City to refine the report and incorporate in relevant comments and enhancements.
Following the addressing of the comments received from the City, Televate will prepare a final report
incorporating the feedback.
Televate will also deliver all maps and spatial data developed in a format that the City can incorporate into
its existing GIS data.
Task 7 Deliverable: Broadband Master Plan
3.9 Work Schedule
Our team’s project management philosophy is anchored on the principles of Project Management Institute
(PMI) and has led to a documented history of successful technology solution implementations. Our team
will employ standard project management practices including project planning, risk mitigation, quality
control, project change management, and project schedule.
Our team will begin the project with a kickoff meeting between the Televate and City project teams. The
goal of the kickoff will be to present and refine our plan and schedule to achieve the objectives, seek support
and resources from the City, and build a relationship that better enables our team to understand the
requirements, goals, objectives, and expected outcomes of the program. Interaction with the City team
throughout the project will also be essential. We anticipate City stakeholders have already defined certain
critical needs and gaps, has additional key broadband insights, and will assist us with various aspects of the
program including introductions to stakeholders that will engage in the program.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
To complete the scope of the Broadband Master Plan, Televate estimates a project duration of 6 months
beginning with an October 10, 2022, start date. The following outlines the anticipated schedule based on
the tasks identified in the City’s RFP.
Key Deliverables/Milestone Timetable
Task 1: Kick-Off Meeting & Project Management Plan (with ongoing project
management and updates provided through the duration of the project)
Week 1 – through
Week 26
Task 2: Identify and Inventory Assets Weeks 2-5
Task 3: Needs Assessment & Goal Setting Weeks 5-8
Task 4: Conceptual Network Routes and Infrastructure Requirements Weeks 9-16
Task 5: Technical Specifications and Cost Estimation Weeks 9-16
Task 6: Capital Project Analysis and Grant Technical Materials Weeks 14-19
Task 7: Master Plan Compilation and Approval Process Support Weeks 20-26
3.10 Estimated Staff Hours
Televate has estimated the anticipated number of hours for each team member in the execution of this
project based on our experience with previous projects of a similar scope. The estimates are provided in
the table below.
Task Rick Burke Joe Ross Ron Seagar Steve Sidore Elizabeth
Herring
Total
1 45 24 0 4 40 113
2 12 24 20 8 12 76
3 24 24 0 0 24 72
4 4 24 8 16 4 56
5 12 24 8 24 12 88
6 12 24 0 0 16 52
7 32 24 0 0 24 80
3.11 Budget by Task
The project budget has been derived based on our prior work and experience in broadband planning,
research, stakeholder outreach, design and cost estimation, and project management, together with our
world-class tools and methods, to gather data and insights specific to unserved/underserved broadband
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
areas within the City of San Luis Obispo. The following table reflects the cost of the proposed broadband
study project and includes all professional labor, travel, and other project-related expenses. The proposed
project budget includes three onsite trips, one to support the project kick, one trip over the course of the
project, and one onsite trip to present the Master Plan.
Task Net Cost
Task 1: Kick-Off Meeting & Project Management Plan (with ongoing project
management and updates provided through the duration of the project)
$ 20,596
Task 2: Identify and Inventory Assets $ 13,028
Task 3: Needs Assessment & Goal Setting $ 13,696
Task 4: Conceptual Network Routes and Infrastructure Requirements $ 10,728
Task 5: Technical Specifications and Cost Estimation $ 16,616
Task 6: Capital Project Analysis and Grant Technical Materials $ 9,232
Task 7: Master Plan Compilation and Approval Process Support $ 15,392
Total $ 99,288
Table 1: Televate Proposed Montgomery County Broadband Study Cost Table
The Televate cost proposal is based on our Professional Rate fee schedule. The professional rates are the
basis of our cost proposal, and any optional work will be offered at these hourly rates. Televate’s payment
terms are net 30 days on invoice approval.
3.12 Services and Data to be provided by the City
Televate has the following expectations regarding the key requirements of the program:
Project Management
o Participation in periodic meetings; approval and review of deliverables, recommendations
o Support with stakeholders and others to respond to requests for information and feedback
Data Collection, Analysis and Map Development
o Provide contact information for stakeholders and relevant city departments for
engagement in outreach interviews
o Provide GIS data for a variety of resources needed including demographic (households,
businesses) and broadband infrastructure (towers, fiber, rights of way, utility poles, etc.)
o Provide broadband related funding (infrastructure and other) available from the City
o Provide policy and regulations relevant to broadband
o Provide perspectives on collaboration options with service providers
o Engage and coordinate with stakeholder as necessary to support outreach
Recommendations and Development of Broadband Master Plan
o Provide feedback on technology, partnership, and business model approaches
o Provide feedback on policy, financial plan and cost estimates
o Provide feedback on review of potential project initiatives
o Provide feedback on comprehensive Broadband Master Plan
3.13 Services and deliverables provided by Televate
The services to be provided and the deliverable items by task are outlined in this proposal earlier in this
section via the descriptions for Tasks 1 through 7.
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Appendix A: Optional Services
Televate is proposing the following optional services that will deliver additional insight and value into the
assessment and economic benefit of enhanced broadband services throughout Montgomery County.
4.1 Mobile Broadband Service Analysis and Mapping Using Pinpoint
Mobile wireless service will increasingly become part of
the broadband service delivery model. As an option, the
Televate team will collect high-level cellular coverage
data using Televate’s crowd-sourced Pinpoint™
application. Pinpoint automatically collects coverage
data showing service reliability as well as network
performance indicators such as ping delay, upload
speed, and download speeds. Unlike popular crowd-
sourced solutions, Pinpoint shows where devices had no
service, spotty service, and through the automated
throughput testing, can help correlate received signal
levels to projected data speeds where testing was not
conducted. This data provides a far more realistic view
of cellular carrier coverage and performance than carrier
supplied coverage information (FCC 4G LTE Coverage). We routinely find substantial areas in suburban and
rural areas that the carriers claim are served with broadband data, that have no service. For more
information about Pinpoint, please see www.televate.com/pinpoint.
Televate’s engineering expertise will also be leveraged to extrapolate drive test data to forecast indoor
coverage – a critical element of distance learning with hotspot modems inside student homes. Televate will
conduct a high-level data collection effort in Montgomery County of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile
service. Major routes will be driven, and data throughput testing will be conducted. If Montgomery County
wishes, County personnel can load the Pinpoint application onto County devices to collect additional
information (an Android phone and service from each carrier is needed). Televate will focus on areas where
cell coverage is expected to be poor from publicly available information. Televate will analyze the data using
our Pinpoint platform and identify service gaps among the carriers. In addition, Televate will provide ESRI
format map data for Montgomery County to use for a variety of benefits, including the FCC Mobile Data
Challenge process to challenge the carrier maps. See Broadband Data Collection Resources for more
information.
In the event that Montgomery County decides to retain the Pinpoint service offering, pricing would be
provided at that time.
Figure 2: Sample Pinpoint Throughput Data
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Bid 2208-001 – Preparation of Broadband Master Plan
Appendix B: Project Descriptions
5.1 Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System
Dates Worked: 2010 – Present
The Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), a Joint Powers Authority, is
dedicated to providing public safety communications throughout the Los Angeles Region. LA-RICS engaged
Televate to provide comprehensive subject matter expertise for broadband public safety communications.
Prior to Televate’s direct contract award with LA-RICS, Televate was integral to helping LA-RICS secure a
$155 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant under a subcontract arrangement.
The grant provides funding to implement a 700 MHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) countywide public safety
grade broadband system. The system is expected to include over 200 LTE base stations throughout the
region – the largest public safety LTE deployment to date. The system is envisioned to carry broadband
application traffic including mobile video and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) as well as Voice over LTE
(VoLTE) and Radio over IP. The LA-RICS program overall includes a dual band Project 25 trunked radio
network as well as a conventional analog overlay. Televate serves as the LA-RICS primary consultant for the
project.
To date, Televate has performed the following tasks:
Provide comprehensive broadband subject matter expertise on on-going LA-RICS 700 MHz LTE
system design and deployment including EPC, RAN, and Use End Devices
Created a design for over 200 public safety communication sites including design customization to
deliver service to targeted areas
Developed detailed RFP specifications for broadband related system elements as well as joint
LMR/LTE related specifications.
Analyzed vendor proposals for both joint LMR/LTE systems and standalone LTE systems
Assisted in vendor negotiations for joint LMR/LTE systems and standalone LTE systems including
price analysis and negotiations
Conducted radio propagation analyses to assist LA-RICS in the selection of public safety
communications sites.
Conducted backhaul design analysis including analysis of fiber (wired) and microwave (wireless)
options.
Created a 60 ring, 280 link microwave design connecting more than 250 LTE sites and integrated
this design with aggregated fiber facilities.
Conduct path analyses, capacity and reliability studies and develop microwave capacity design
requirements based on potential use cases for public safety
Provide LA-RICS with regulatory and policy support including activities with the Operator Advisory
Committee (and now the Early Builders Advisory Council), FCC and NTIA related matters, and with
relevant NPSTC and PSCR activities
Worked with LA-RICS on site related issues including system re-designs
Met with site owners regarding specific needs of the broadband network and specific site design
constraints
Assisted LA-RICS in developing solutions to minimize public opposition including development of
stealth tower site specifications
Conducted cost and financial analysis for public safety communications systems
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5.2 Hamilton County, OF Broadband Assessment and Strategic Plan
Dates Worked: April 2022 until Present
Televate is currently supporting Hamilton County, which includes the City of Cincinnati, with the
development of a broadband strategic plan to guide the County in making a $10,000,000 investment of the
County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to expand broadband service to unserved and underserved
communities within the County. This project incorporates a residential and business survey to define
broadband requirements and service gaps along with an extensive key stakeholder outreach effort. Key
stakeholders include various community anchor intuitions, government agencies providing service to
disadvantaged citizens, non-profit organizations, healthcare, community housing authority, senior citizen,
and other groups to assist in defining the relevant broadband needs.
Televate is also mapping Internet Service Provider (ISP) coverage and interviewing ISP to define their service
offering and future expansion plans.
Televate will develop a strategic plan and offer recommendations and deliver costs to guide the County
investment into broadband to deliver affordable services to unserved and underserved residents,
businesses, and communities.
5.3 Minnesota-FirstNet-Consultation Project (MnFCP)
Dates Worked: November 2014 – March 2020
Following a nearly three-year pre-FirstNet program (from March 2010 through December 2012) to
implement a comprehensive wireless broadband network in the State of Minnesota, Televate was retained
to provide State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) consulting services in support of the
FirstNet nationwide wireless broadband network. As detailed below, Televate designed and implemented a
comprehensive program to define broadband requirements, to determine typical and specialized
broadband communications use cases and to assist local, regional and statewide agencies throughout the
State of Minnesota over an extended timeframe beginning in November of 2013 and extending through
March of 2020.
Under Televate’s guidance, the Minnesota-FirstNet Consultation Project (MnFCP) is a project being
conducted by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Communication Networks
(ECN) to:
Prepare the State of Minnesota and its public safety communications governance structure for the
Minnesota-FirstNet consultation.
Equip the state with the necessary information to engage in a fruitful consultation with FirstNet that
accurately supports the needs of its stakeholders while ensuring network sustainability.
Perform the Minnesota-FirstNet consultation process required to survey and define requirements
and to guide the state through all aspects of the broadband grant.
Facilitate the deployment of the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) in the state of
Minnesota.
This comprehensive program included but was not limited to achieving the following broadband
communications tasks and objectives:
Review and revise the Minnesota State and Local Grant Plan and Minnesota’s SLIGP application to
develop a full project plan.
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Enhance Minnesota’s public safety communications governance structure to be sufficient for the
Minnesota-FirstNet consultation.
Ensure adequate tribal representation.
Conduct education and outreach sufficient to equip stakeholders to support the Minnesota-FirstNet
consultation.
Develop stakeholder entity list and identify potential users for the network.
Develop standard legal documents, including Memoranda of Agreement (MOA), Memoranda of
Understanding (MOU), and Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Organize state and stakeholder volunteers to conduct the Minnesota-FirstNet consultation.
Perform detailed individual stakeholder entity requirements gathering.
Provide recommendations to update the Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan (SCIP) to
accommodate MnFCP and the NPSBN.
Conduct a discovery and data collection process to identify and value all publicly and private-owned
infrastructure and other resources in the state which may contribute to the network.
Develop a business plan for network implementation in the state to ensure that the network is
sustainable for Minnesota’s stakeholders.
Ongoing technical and programmatic and consulting.
During a subsequent project phase, Televate expanded the broadband program for the State of Minnesota
to provide greater clarity to the state and to define requirements and justify the business plan to facilitate
its consultation with FirstNet. The project phase was designed to achieve the following goals:
Fully articulate the requirements of Minnesota NPSBN stakeholders statewide
Fully quantify the cost impact of the Minnesota NPSBN deployment with regard to existing state
and local wireless and fiber optic communications systems
Integrate Minnesota NPSBN requirements into the state’s interoperable communications
governance structure
Constructed a robust Minnesota NPSBN strategic plan and associated business model to support
the state’s consultation with FirstNet
Relevant Subtasks
Broadband Application Toolbox: This subtask addresses the evaluation of current and future broadband
application requirements within the public safety environment. The task focused on known or assumed
standard/mandatory application types, as well as forward looking needs based on operational and
technology trends.
The objective of this task was to assess and document the “standard toolbox” of public safety applications,
together with a similar analysis of salient applications. Key questions will be addressed that will provide a
foundation to assist state, tribal, and local public safety officials when adopting and migrating application
on the FirstNet network. Findings were compiled and delivered to ECN in a formal document report.
Application Pipeline Research: This subtask assisted with the research of various public safety applications.
The purpose of the research is to apprise the state, regional committees, localities, and tribes on the
technologies used and available to public safety. The research captured the issues of greatest concern to
stakeholders: key features, benefits, cost, interoperability, data/privacy, architecture, security, scalability,
and application lifecycle.