Fiber Internet Project Launches RSF Community Outreach Program

Author: RSF Post

Date: July 02, 2016

Update 7/6/16 at 4:45PM PT: The Fiber Town Hall Meeting has been postponed. No alternative date has been set yet. 

The Rancho Santa Fe Association, in partnership with Hotwire Communications, is about to launch its community outreach effort in the Covenant. A community-wide vote on the Fiber project will take place prior to October 31st of this year.

As many of you know, this project is unique because the Rancho Santa Fe community will not only own the infrastructure, but will receive a share of the service fees to pay back the cost of building the network. Hotwire Communications has been selected to build the network, manage it after construction, and to provide services -- including up to 10GB Internet speeds -- to Rancho Santa Fe residents.

Some local real estate advisors have estimated that home values will rise between 5% and 10% upon installation of the network. Project details and a list of FAQ’s can be found on the partnership’s website at: http://RSFCommunications.com

Prior to the launch of the educational effort, there are already 200 pre-subscribers who have signed up online to participate. Now, the RSF Association and Hotwire would like to sign up another 1,000 homes and/or businesses effectively to ensure that the project is financially self-sustaining before it even goes to a vote.

Within the next few weeks, Hotwire will be mailing an educational brochure to RSF residents that explains the long-term investment opportunity for the community as a whole, the benefits the project will have on individual home values, and to explain Hotwire’s role as the RSF Association’s chosen partner.

Additionally, there will be an upcoming Town Hall Meeting (TBD). This is an opportunity for residents to speak directly with Hotwire and members of the RSF Association who have been leading the project. At the meeting, you will learn about how the community’s infrastructure investment benefits individual homeowners, ask questions about project details, and invest in the project by signing up for service.

“We want to make it easy for residents to pre-subscribe as we work toward our goal of 1,200 households and businesses before the community vote this fall,” Hotwire says.

If you would like to sign-up for the project now, there are pre-subscription forms at several locations within Rancho Santa Fe including the Association offices. Residents and businesses can also sign up through RSFCommunications.com or GetHotwired.com/RanchoSantaFe.

There is no payment due at sign-up. Members are simply asked to commit to take service if and when the project is approved by the voters.

The main questions residents are asking at this point is when the project will begin. In short, construction will not begin unless and until the community votes in favor of investing in the full project cost. The RSF Association and Hotwire have mutually agreed on a 1,200 uptake goal prior to sending the project to the vote, which represents enough households to produce a financial net-return back into the community. Should all go to plan, high-speed Internet services could be delivered to your home in as little as 12 months.

Currently, three Hotwire teams and two construction engineers are surveying homes to gain an understanding of the RSF’s topology and layout. So far, there have been over 170 homes surveyed and the final project design is nearly complete.

Within the next few weeks, Hotwire will have an on-site office and demonstration area located right inside the RSF Association’s offices so residents can speak with a Hotwire representative in person.