Request for Proposal - Broadband Programmatic EIR

Description

SBCAG, in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara, and partner cities in the Santa Barbara County, is seeking an environmental firm to prepare a countywide programmatic environmental impact report (PEIR) to address the environmental effects of broadband installations in various communities across Santa Barbara County.  The installations could include both underground and aerial fiberoptic cable.The objective with the PEIR is to achieve compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for anticipated broadband installations.  The PEIR will form the environmental foundation for some future installations and a strong starting point for other projects.   A variety of public and private entities would be able to take advantage of the PEIR for future funding opportunities, design and implementation. SBCAG is acting as the implementing agency in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara pursuant to a Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA) grant awarded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).  The LATA grant defined one of the deliverables or work tasks, the completion of a PEIR to meet the needs outlined in the Santa Barbara County Broadband Strategic Plan (BSP), approved by the SBCAG Board in late 2022, for the purpose of achieving ubiquitous access to broadband particularly in unserved underserved communities.  The (BSP) has been included in Attachments as reference.