Flume says cities overflowing with fiber but accessibility lags

Flume, a New York City-based fiber provider, has made strides over the past couple of years offering gigabit service to lower-income households. But there are still hurdles in place hindering broadband accessibility, according to Flume co-founders Brandon Gibson and Prashanth Vijay. Gibson and Vijay acknowledged the Federal Communications Commission's new broadband map is not only a step in the right direction for closing the digital divide, but it can also help tackle the issue of broadband accessibility. “Just because it’s available doesn’t mean it’s accessible,” Gibson said, noting that while large cities like New York have plenty of internet options, “a lot of New Yorkers, one in four, don’t have access.” Infrastructure is a key reason for the lack of access, added Vijay. “In the US, each [broadband provider] has their own infrastructure,” he said. “I live in Brooklyn and every building might have seven or eight provider cables out in front of it, and only one is willing to build into your building.” This, in turn, creates a “dual problem” of cities having overfilled poles and conduits while residents aren’t getting the broadband they need. Vijay hopes the new FCC map will identify those discrepancies, rather than just provide a broad generalization of which providers are servicing an area. The additional data will also help Flume decide where to expand its coverage or, depending on the market if it makes sense to partner with another provider.