PROVO — It's not the early Christmas present they were promised in December, but city officials received packets of information Thursday regarding the long-awaited consultant reports on iProvo.
While consultant reports on the city's fiber-optic telecommunications network remain classified, City Council members received reams of information containing correspondences between the city and records relating to the costs associated with those activities. The packages arrived in response to a GRAMA or Government Records Access and Management Act request filed by City Councilman Steve Turley. The portion of the request for consultant reports was denied.
Though Turley is glad to have some information, he still wants the actual reports.
The city issued bonds in 2004 to finance construction of the $39.5 million iProvo network. In 2007, the telecommunication system experienced high churn rates — an average of 115 canceled subscriptions per month — and it continues to struggle in 2008. City officials hired consultants from CCG Consulting, a Maryland company with multiple city and county broadband clients, and Colorado company Franklin Court Partners, which works with telecom service providers.
The city expected the consultants' work to take about six weeks, Provo spokeswoman Helen Anderson said. CCG Consulting and Franklin Court Partners estimated their fees would be $18,500 and $25,000, respectively.
Anderson said the process has taken longer than expected and city officials have asked the consultants to factor in additional information. She said the city will pay the consultants additional fees for their extra work, but it would probably be less than $5,000.
Turley said he's starting to lose patience, especially, he added, because the project is costing thousands of dollars a day.