Implementation and Monitoring Overall Leadership Overall leadership for the implementation of the Broadband Plan rests with the City of Ottawa. Since there is currently no staff position within the City with the responsibility to coordinate telecommunication infrastructure for Ottawa, a new Telecommunications Infrastructure position responsible for overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the Broadband plan is to be created. This position must be able to have a reasonable level of influence within the City and work with all departments to achieve the broadband vision. Responsibilities will include strategic planning for telecommunications within the community and building collaboration with the private sector carriers and the City's internal Information Technology Department. Initiatives with the cooperation of the City's IT Director that leverage the City's own telecommunications requirements and budget to further the community's broadband connectivity needs are to be undertaken by this individual. This position is to be a point of contact between City Hall and the carrier community and be properly resourced to undertake the mandate. To ensure the success of the new Telecommunications Infrastructure position and to foster community collaboration, a Telecommunications Advisory Board will be established. The Telecommunications Infrastructure position will report to this board, and the chair of this board will in turn report to the City's Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee. The board will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Broadband Plan. In addition to the chair position, the Board will consist of representatives from the various stakeholder groups that have an interest in broadband connectivity, including a representative from the City's Information Technology Department (i.e. City's IT Director or designate), OCRI, ORCnet and a representative from Telecom Ottawa. These representatives will be able to speak directly to staff and the board on issues affecting their industries/members and provide advice on how the City can advance its broadband connectivity agenda. As indicated during the consultations, developers and the carrier community are generally in agreement with the vision of ubiquitous broadband access, but are concerned regarding the timeframe and processes by which this vision might be realized. For this reason, it is important that these stakeholders be represented on the Telecommunications Advisory Board. Other sectors to be considered for representation on this board will include education and health care, higher levels of government, and the business community. The City through the input of the Telecommunications Advisory Board is to keep the Broadband Plan updated as needs will continue to change. The plan should be monitored and kept current on an ongoing basis. Next: Priority Actions |
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