Unique Model Makes Citizens a Funding Partner in Broadband Network

[Commentary] Public-private partnerships, or PPPs, are a popular way to build community broadband networks. These networks typically are the result of local government entities finding ways to partner with private companies. But what if communities “think differently” about how to form PPPs?

Ammon (ID) (pop. 13,800) today celebrates its success at thinking differently to produce a city-owned gig network. The city built the network with no debt and got an impressive 70% of the potential customers to sign up for service. One key is new technology. The other is that the “private” in this PPP structure is citizens themselves.

[Craig Settles is a broadband industry analyst, consultant, and author of “Building the Gigabit City.”]