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Fortnightly Magazine - October 15 1998
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IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS. we understand that the City of Alameda, Calif. and our municipal utility, the Bureau of Electricity are to be featured in an article to be published in your September edition. The article is being prepared by Mr. Len Grzanka, a local freelance writer, and is to discuss municipal telecommunications ventures. Based on recent staff discussions with Mr. Grzanka, we have some concern that Alameda's situation be represented accurately.

Approximately 2 years ago, the bureau began an effort to develop systems affording greater command and control over our electric facilities. This effort evaluated technologically advanced infrastructures, including the installation of fiber-optic cable. As your readership is well aware, today's fiber-optic systems have tremendous capacity and also hold great promise for a variety of telecommunications products.

Because of the multiplicity of possible uses for this infrastructure, the bureau's governing Public Utilities Board authorized a study by Stanford Research Institute Consultants to enumerate and evaluate additional uses for the fiber-optic system in order to make the best use of these city-owned facilities. This initial study confirmed that further development of applications would be in the best interests of our citizen-owners. Last July, the bureau published a Telecommunications Business Plan. Briefly, the plan recommends Alameda's entry into telecommunications ventures for three reasons:

(1) To capitalize on the organizational synergies and similarities of our electric utility and telecommunications endeavors in order to provide best use of City assets and greatest efficiencies.

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