Can the Digital Divide Finally be Bridged?

Frustrated with limited deployments, high prices and slow speeds, some municipalities have decided to take matters into their own hands, installing community networks through muni-fiber. Some cities are installing a conduit system with dark fiber, which gives them the choice to lease to broadband providers or switch to a municipal network in the future. A low-cost, low-risk option, the system allows ISPs to place and maintain their own fiber-optic cables. The city manages the asset leasing and creates an open platform for local provider competition. Allowing municipalities to take control of their networks on an evenhanded, open basis can create an environment that fosters adoption and innovation. However, there has been significant legislative resistance from big telecommunications and cable lobbyists at the state level to restrict municipal broadband projects. As a result, 19 states have enacted legislation that blocks or restricts municipalities from providing telecommunications services. So, what is the most logical next step for local leaders looking to attract private providers?  Adopting strategies to facilitate increased installation of fiber. Wireless technologies can be best understood as extensions of fiber networks, not as replacements to wired technologies. Often little known by a general audience, all land-based wireless systems used by homes and business eventually connect to a physical wire. Currently, private providers run into huge challenges installing fiber because the rules, procedures and policies differ so significantly from market to market.

[Shrihari Pandit is the President and CEO of Stealth Communications, the New York City-based internet service provider he co-founded in 1995]