In communities throughout the United States, people of all political persuasions know their economic vitality and quality of life depend on access to robust broadband.
Regional efforts to develop broadband infrastructure are becoming more common. Recent examples include collaborations between two towns in Maine, two counties in Virginia and two public entities in Skagit County, Washington.
Underserved communities can provide broadband for themselves through nonprofit, cooperative entities. Many co-ops that were originally set up to provide phone service and distribute electricity now deliver broadband as well.
Community broadband projects often succeed only because local champions work for years to educate their neighbors about, and generate enthusiasm for, high-quality broadband.
Communities can follow these guidelines to assess their broadband needs, encourage public support for broadband, simplify their permitting practices and more.
Ocala, Florida, was a gigabit city before gigabit was ‘a thing.’ After connecting anchor institutions and businesses to its fiber network, the city is gradually building out to residents.
Fairlawn, Ohio, built an FTTH network for economic development. Now it’s joining forces with the Medina County Fiber Network to expand its reach and become more financially viable.
Texas law discouraged municipalities from providing broadband – until last year, when the city of Mont Belvieu obtained a court ruling that clarified its authority to finance, build and operate fiber networks and provide internet service.
Community leaders often assume broadband projects that require local tax increases will never fly. The case of Lyndon Township, Michigan, shows that’s not always true.
At Broadband Communities’ 2018 economic development conference, held in October in Ontario, California, participants shared stories of local successes and struggles. Following are some of the highlights of the conference sessions.
Because broadband has become an essential utility, network operators must prepare to deal with threats to system reliability – including malicious attacks.
Your rural community may be blocked from receiving better internet service because of the availability of satellite or fixed wireless service. Here’s what to do about it.
Business customers are lining up to buy SD-WAN connectivity, so service providers are rushing to sell it. But before launching this service, be sure you’re offering what customers are looking for.