Committee members say they hope to pin down what is an "affordable" price for internet access and find ways to expand coverage.

The city of Gainesville took a significant step last week toward bringing alternative broadband internet options to residents.

At Thursday’s General Policy Committee meeting, commissioners agreed to set up a subcommittee for the initiative that includes commissioners David Arreola, Adrian Hayes-Santos and Harvey Ward.

The subcommittee will be oversee the possible expansion of internet services in Gainesville and will give the city commission recommendations to consider.

“It’s a big topic and it includes a lot of variables,” Mayor Lauren Poe said.

Poe said the three-member subcommittee will be able to dive deeper into issues that would likely take time away from other issues to be discussed at general policy meetings.

Ward, who campaigned on bringing alternative internet options for Gainesville citizens, said he hopes the subcommittee can find out what options are available to the city.

He said he would like to nail down what price is considered affordable and expand coverage to neighborhoods that aren’t well served.

“I think we owe it to ourselves and our community to know if we’re getting the best thing that we possibly can,” he said.

Hayes-Santos said he hopes the subcommittee's first meeting comes next month and that it will meet monthly, although no dates have been set.

He also said he hopes the group will be able to work with the University of Florida and Alachua County when discussing options, since the parties have previously expressed interest.

“It’s not it just a Gainesville issue, it’s a community issue,” he said.

Bryan Eastman of Connected Gainesville, a volunteer group founded to address the same issue, said he's happy about the newly formed committee.

“This is an issue the people of Gainesville care about, and if we are serious about becoming a pre-eminent city the City of Gainesville needs to care about it as well,” he said in an email. “It is exciting to see them taking this next step, and I hope it leads to real results for our citizens.”

Contact reporter Andrew Caplan at andrew.caplan@gvillesun.com or on Twitter @AACaplan.