To and Through Anchors: A Strategy to Connect Rural Communities

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition released a new cost study and broadband strategy focused on rural broadband deployment. The cost study estimates that it will cost less than $20 billion to connect all unserved schools, libraries, health providers, community colleges, and other anchor institutions (outside of Alaska) to fiber. Building off of these findings, SHLB proposes to solve the rural broadband gap by leveraging the high-capacity broadband deployed to anchor institutions and extending service to surrounding business and residential consumers using a blend of wired and wireless technologies.

CTC Technology & Energy concluded that the total cost of connecting all unserved anchors in the continental US and Hawaii to fiber would be between $13 billion and $19 billion, if connected in a coordinated and timely manner. The model recognizes that different geographic regions require different infrastructure approaches. The report further concludes that connecting anchors would bring 95% of the U.S. population within the zip code of an anchor institution’s broadband.