Cleveland’s splashy plan for a privately funded, citywide fiber network is on life support, and City Hall is now reaching for the off switch.
This week, Cleveland officials moved to formally end a years‑old agreement with SiFi Networks after the company failed to break ground on the promised buildout. Law Director Mark Griffin and the city’s chief innovation officer sent a May 6 notice to SiFi’s president, saying the company had not met the contract’s requirements. That move is meant to clear the way for the city to pursue other options to expand high‑speed internet access for residents.
2023 pact gave SiFi long-term rights
In October 2023, Cleveland City Council approved a 30‑year development agreement that gave SiFi access to the public right of way to install and operate a fiber network, according to Legistar. At the time, the mayor’s office said SiFi expected to invest more than $400 million and that the project would be privately funded, per a May 5, 2023 release from the City of Cleveland.
Council also backed a separate, city‑funded push to expand affordable broadband through nonprofit DigitalC as part of a broader connectivity strategy, keeping a public option in the mix even as the SiFi deal was celebrated as a marquee private investment.
City law office says SiFi never started work
Griffin and Chief of Innovation and Technology Elizabeth Crowe told SiFi president Scott Bradshaw in their May 6 letter that the company had “failed to meet the requirements of the contract” and asked him to sign a formal notice ending the agreement, according to Signal Cleveland.
Proposed legislation filed at the council alongside the notice alleges that SiFi never identified final installation sites, never applied for permits, and never started construction. The city’s message to Bradshaw was blunt: he could sign to acknowledge nonperformance, or officials would treat silence as an admission that the company did not deliver.
Council members say the promise never materialized
Councilmember Brian Kazy, who sponsored the original ordinance, told reporters he had been skeptical of the deal and said SiFi “had a track record of inaction in other cities,” according to Signal Cleveland.
Kazy said rescinding the agreement is meant to keep the city from waking up to disruptive street work without a clear construction plan and verified commitments in place. Other council members have framed the step as a way to regain control of the public right of way and move faster toward alternatives they see as more realistic.
SiFi's status and wider context
On paper, though, SiFi has not quite let go. The company’s Cleveland page still lists the city as an “Agreement Signed” FiberCity and describes the plan as a privately funded, open‑access network, per SiFi Networks.
The company was acquired by European investment firms in April 2026, and industry reporting notes that several SiFi projects in other cities have stalled or run into permitting disputes. Those broader developments help explain Cleveland officials’ impatience and their decision to seek formal closure after roughly 20 months with little visible progress.
What residents should watch for
The city’s separate $20 million American Rescue Plan award for DigitalC, intended to expand low‑cost service for residents at about $18 per month, remains in place and gives Cleveland a clear fallback, according to the City of Cleveland.
With the law department’s notice now issued, officials can pivot toward nonprofit and private internet providers while they weigh next steps. Council and city staff are expected to focus on the legislative and contractual work needed to turn long‑promised fiber plans into service that Clevelanders can actually use, whether SiFi is in the picture or not.
