Government-Only Fiber Networks

There are a lot of fiber networks owned by government entities. I find it perplexing that a lot of these networks are used only for government purposes and nothing else. In some cases, commercial use of the networks is prohibited by the original source of funding that paid for the network. However, a lot of these government-owned networks could be used for commercial purposes. There are some governments that have decided to share the excess capacity. Some networks were built in collaboration with a commercial partner that uses part of the network. In some cities, dark fiber is being leased to internet service providers. But overall, I would guess that a majority of the excess capacity on government fiber networks is sitting idle, with no plans for use. It’s a shame not to utilize excess fiber capacity at a time when there are so many possible uses for the extra fiber. It’s particularly hard to understand why cities that don’t have vigorous broadband competition aren’t taking advantage of fiber networks. While many cities are being successful in luring internet service providers to build last-mile fiber networks, the vast majority of cities are still served primarily by a cable company that is the only source of fast broadband. Every government that owns fiber ought to be taking a hard look at whether they are getting the best deal for citizens by sitting on idle fiber assets. These networks are sunk investments, and it’s wasteful to not make the fiber available for purposes that will benefit the community.