Proponents bill it as a win for apartment residents and owners, but apartment owners say the recently enacted San Francisco MDU ordinance ultimately creates more hurdles for delivering high-quality connectivity.

Speakers at the 2019 Broadband Communities Summit, held in Austin in April, agreed that every community wants – and needs – great broadband. How best to deliver great broadband to MDUs, master-planned communities, underserved towns and rural areas is still up for debate, however. Following are some highlights of speaker presentations.

Providers should explore the possible implications of the rule change and share comments with the FCC.

Sure, property owners evaluate speeds, features and prices of broadband offerings – but then they ask, “Who wants it most?”

As boomers transition to senior housing, keeping up with technology needs is crucial.

Smart home technology is a hot new trend. How does a provider know which vendor to pick – or whether a DIY approach would make more sense?

Independent providers shouldn’t aim for being a little bit better. They should understand owners’ problems and solve them.

Smart properties satisfy residents, reduce expenses and increase revenues – but they require robust networks.

Multiple-dwelling-unit properties represent the fastest-growing segment of the housing market, and broadband remains the No. 1 amenity for MDU residents.

Why do fewer than half of new MDU buildings have fiber installed during construction? Easy. Few developers employ broadband specialists, but most watch TV or read business pages.

Cord-cutters are starting to boomerang back to traditional pay TV after finding that over-the-top services are no less expensive.

Multifamily residents don’t want provider choice for its own sake – they want solid, reliable internet service. That’s why bulk internet makes sense.

Construction of multiple-dwelling-unit apartments has surpassed pre-recession levels on a sustained basis. But only about half of new MDUs have fiber broadband.

A system architect of MDU technology amenity systems shares his views on the MDU market and the requirements for developers and owners to meet the needs of their residents.

Following these guidelines will help building owners provide spaces, pathways and cables that service providers can use to deliver fiber optic services.