Public/Private Broadband Partnerships: Trust is Critical, Says Jim Baller

Trust between partners is critical to successful public/private broadband partnerships, said James Baller, a partner with Keller & Heckman, a law firm with a specialty in telecom. A good public/private partnership agreement addresses dozens of variables, said Baller. Nevertheless, he said, “You can’t write an agreement that covers everything; you have to have a true sense of partnership and participation.” Public/private broadband partnerships can take a variety of forms, but what they all have in common is a partnership between a public entity, such as a municipality or municipally owned utility company and a private entity, typically a broadband network operator. Baller noted that some states are going beyond lifting restrictions and are taking steps to encourage public/private broadband partnerships. He noted, for example, that in Virginia, certain types of broadband funding are only available to public/private partnerships.