Detroit to Put $10 Million Toward Open-Access Fiber Network

After Bruce Patterson’s success designing a network to serve the residents of Ammon (ID), he decided to depart and work to help other cities build similar open-access networks. Perhaps the most significant taker is the city of Detroit (MI) which is planning to use $10 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to build a pilot open-access fiber network that will serve a neighborhood of about 3,200 households. And while Detroit city officials have done lots of their own innovation to build a network suited to local needs, they’ve kept their eyes on the system built in the Idaho town of 16,000. “The city we’re getting the most inspiration from, bar none, is Ammon,” said Joshua Edmonds, Detroit’s director of digital inclusion. ”Bruce Patterson’s service has been invaluable. That experience there has made him a national asset.” Edmonds said the open-access model offers additional benefits for residents of Detroit. Roughly 30 percent of city residents live in poverty, and that is the biggest obstacle to broadband access. The affordability problem isn’t unique to Detroit. It’s now the most common obstacle to Internet access around the country.