Cleveland City Council Repeals Agreement for Citywide Fiber Network

Cleveland is ending its agreement with SiFi Networks Cleveland LLC to develop a citywide fiber optic network. Through the passage of emergency ordinance 630-2026, City Council has voted to repeal a 2023 agreement that originally authorized the Director of Finance to work with the company to install and maintain high-speed internet infrastructure within the city's public right-of-way.

What's in the file

The ordinance officially repeals Ordinance No. 583-2023, which was passed on October 2, 2023. According to the 630-2026- Repeal Ordinance 583-2023- Sifi Networks document, the city is terminating the association because SiFi Networks failed to fulfill its commitments. The official rationale for the repeal includes:

A memorandum from the Department of Innovation & Technology notes that while some planning conversations occurred, the lack of progress undermines the intended public benefits of the project. The city stated it will now pursue alternative means to achieve its broadband infrastructure goals.

Who may be affected

Status and timeline

  1. October 2, 2023: Ordinance No. 583-2023 was passed, authorizing the development of the fiber network.
  2. May 8, 2026: Ordinance 630-2026 was introduced to repeal the previous agreement.
  3. May 29, 2026: The emergency ordinance passed and is now in effect.

Residents can verify these details by reviewing the official records through the Cleveland City Council website.

Source record

File
630-2026
Type
Emergency Ordinance
Status
Passed
Committee
City Council
Introduced
May 7, 2026

View on Cleveland Legistar

Official documents

Sources