SHLB Unveils Action Plan for Next Gen High-Speed Broadband

The Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition has come up with an "action plan" for getting those institutions connected to next-generation high-speed broadband, and making that a national priority. In “Connecting Anchor Institutions: A Broadband Action Plan," the coalition look to highlight gaps in connectivity and make it clear just how important broadband access is. It is also part of a larger effort to make gigabit speeds for anchor institutions the table stakes of connectivity.

According to SHLB, the key takeaways from all the papers are the need for sharing -- "such as aggregation and public-private partnerships that eliminate silos and reduce costs"; competition -- "promoting competition to incentivize growth and bring more affordable options"; and funding -- "funding strategies that help communities meet up-front build-out and deployment costs, and ongoing monthly fees."