Some Cities Go Their Own Way to Close the Last Mile Gap on Broadband

As far back as 2012, broadband infrastructure was part of the master planning process for Gilbert (AZ), a Phoenix suburb with a population of about 270,000. The fiber has provided reliable, fast connectivity for the town’s operations, including emergency services such as fire and police. Now, Gilbert officials are working to provide broadband access to residents and businesses to expand options and make the town a more attractive place to live and work. “Throughout the years, we’ve gotten calls from businesses, and they want to see more options and more redundancy,” says Nikki McCarty, assistant to the town manager. “We’re ­trying to serve our residents as well, and we are working to bring more options and better service to Gilbert.” Municipalities around the country "started to see that their communities were being left behind,” says Gary Bolton, ­president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “Everybody knows that broadband has moved from being an entertainment item to something that is mission-critical. I haven’t met a mayor yet who says, ‘I want to be in the ­broadband business,’ but every single one of them says, ‘I need jobs.’” It falls then to the cities to close the last mile, that ­remaining distance between telecommunications networks and the homes of their citizens.