Not Ready to Build? Be Broadband Ready.

Here are a few things a community can do to show an ISP that it wants it:

• Think long and hard before you suppress utilities. Many ISPs severely limit projects where utilities are suppressed or avoid building in the area altogether.
• Consider an open-access conduit system. If a community really wants to bury utilities in certain zones, it should consider burying conduit while it has the streets and sidewalks open, then make that conduit available to potential ISP partners for lease on an open-access basis. 
• Revisit codes for new housing developments. 
• Consider land-use rules that encourage dense housing. The closer homes are together, the better the return on investment.
• Make sure any study includes building a prospect list. Because a community has to measure demand anyway, it makes sense to capture a list of interested residents as part of a study’s deliverables and get permission to share it. 

[Trevor Jones is vice president of marketing, sales and customer service for OTELCO, which owns independent telephone companies in seven states and partners with several community networks in Massachusetts.]