Broadband Is More Than Infrastructure

[Commentary] For local governments that invest in broadband infrastructure, a critical component of success is ensuring that their communities have access to the infrastructure and take advantage of its benefits.

Access to high-speed broadband Internet is becoming vital for businesses and economic development, and most cities recognize its importance. Broadband adoption and use, which were once commonly overlooked, are equally important for economic development and are now beginning to get their fair share of attention. Communities need to be bold and strategic about how to meet their residents’ broadband needs. The old adage “there is no one-size-fits-all solution” is true even in the broadband world, but with some out-of-the-box thinking, communities can create innovative, sustainable approaches to meeting residents’ digital literacy needs.

[Pulidindi is a broadband analyst for Advantage Engineers, which provides engineering and consulting services for telecommunications and other projects]