Editorial: Canal neighborhood shouldn’t have to pay a premium for substandard internet

San Rafael is right to challenge a federal determination that the Canal neighborhood’s internet access is adequately served by Comcast/Xfinity, the predominant local provider.

While the internet giant made some improvements, there remain equity and service gaps that the city says need to be addressed.

The city’s study – including surveying a 609-customer sampling – found that 62% of those in the survey are “unserved.” Their internet connections provide broadband speeds of 25 megabits per second for downloads and 4 megabits per second for uploads. Those are slower than the Federal Communications Commission standard for adequate household service.

Yet, Canal neighborhood households rely on this service, with 50% saying they need the internet for school. Forty-four percent told the city-commissioned survey that they don’t subscribe to upgraded service because of the cost, which doesn’t come as a surprise given the area is a large pocket of lower-income households. Still, they are paying the same amount for their subscription as other communities where the service is much faster.

They also can’t rely on competition to spur better internet speeds as Comcast has a monopolistic hold on the neighborhood and competition from other providers such as Sonic or Google Fiber seems unlikely due to the cost of installing the necessary equipment and the need to get landlords’ cooperation in connecting multi-unit properties.

Comcast’s support for Canal Alliance programs and projects and its help in creating local broadband hotspots for education programs are commendable.

Bolstering internet service to Canal households is a longstanding city and county priority. The city’s detailed study, conducted by EntryPoint Networks, blames the technical side of the service gap on outdated and poorly maintained equipment relied on to serve its Canal customers.

Comcast says it is planning to upgrade internet service to top-tier speed citywide by 2028.

That is a three-year wait. It’s too long for high school students needing better speeds to do their homework.

Improving broadband service in the Canal and other poorly served parts of Marin has been a county priority. The county had partnered with the city seeking a state grant to upgrade the Canal’s internet access, but Comcast challenged the local request and the FCC rating bumped the local grant from contention.

They are making another bid for a state grant and hope the completion of a multi-year consultants’ study should improve their odds in challenging the FCC’s determination.

It should.

The EntryPoint Networks study concludes: “The Canal neighborhood suffers from a pattern of disinvestment resulting in unpredictable performance and reliability. Meaningful long-term solutions should include addressing area infrastructure needs in a sustainable manner.”

The study’s pictures of “rat’s nests” of coaxial cable found in junction boxes in the neighborhood should get state and federal decision-makers’ attention.

The study, funded by a state grant, details the problems facing the neighborhood, as well as the clear inequity of customers having to pay the same rates for slower service.

Canal residents shouldn’t be left behind in the broadband backwaters because of their income or their housing. The internet has become a vital form of communication and that includes for schoolwork, vital city services and being able to work from home – all relying on fast connections that other neighborhoods enjoy.

The city is right to ride herd on this issue. It is right to work to seek grants for needed improvements and to pave the way for increasing competition as one of the ways to bolster internet service and reduce the cost of consumers.