Local CIOs Strategize on Broadband Use

The Metropolitan Information Exchange (MIX) is a close-knit association of CIOs from U.S. cities and counties with populations over 100,000. Gathering annually for over 51 years, members focus on sharing insights and cases from their own communities in order to build their collective knowledge and capabilities as leaders. At its annual conference this year, issues around broadband took center stage. A key takeaway was the fact that fast, cheap and ubiquitous Internet for government, businesses and citizens in any community requires a shared development, deployment and operational strategy among public, private and nonprofit organizations. Another critical ingredient for success: shared cross-sector leadership is a must-have, not a nice-to-have, if local governments want to achieve their goals. CIOs also identified the most important questions that should be addressed by a leadership team, before embarking on any broadband initiative:  

1. What is the problem we are trying to solve? 
2. What is the demand for connectivity? 
3. What is the type or category of the demand? (Uses)  
4. Who are the main stakeholders? 
5. Who should lead the effort and is this formal or informal leadership? 
6. What are the laws and regulations that prohibit and support a connectivity effort? 
7. What are existing assets or infrastructure that can be leveraged (and how)? 
8. What is the deployment funding model? 
9. What is the long-term sustainability model? 
10. What is the plan to make partners and stakeholders part of the deployment and operations? 
11. What is the plan for filling the need of the other necessary component (devices, building digital literacy)? 
12. What is the plan for the future, including obsolescence? 

[Meghan Cook is the program director at CTG UAlbany, a research institute at the State University of New York at Albany]