City of Alameda to Respond to Google Fiber for Communities RFI

Update: March 11, 8:45am – An Alameda Municipal Power representative told Action Alameda News that if the City of Alameda decides not to appeal in the Vectren case, and let the jury judgement stand, the $1.9 million settlement would come from AMP reserves, not from an insurance claim.

In a statement released today, the City of Alameda said that it is “enthusiastically responding” to Google’s Request for Information (RFI) from communities interesting in being a pilot location for Google’s Fiber for Communities Initiative.

“We will make our partnership with Google a top priority for the City by streamlining local regulatory processes to ensure Google’s broadband infrastructure is implemented quickly and efficiently,” stated Mayor Beverly Johnson.

The news comes on the heels of an announcement from Alameda Municipal Power that a jury has awarded Vectren $1.9 million in its lawsuit against Alameda Municipal Power. Vectren had filed a suit against the utility and the City of Alameda over a contract dispute relating to the build-out of the utility’s own broadband cable TV and Internet network, which was sold at a loss to Comcast in 2008.

As of press time, Alameda Municipal Power had not responded to an inquiry to determine if insurance would cover the jury judgement, or if that would come out City of Alameda or Alameda Municipal Power coffers.