Here We Go Again: The FCC Takes Another Look at Multifamily Broadband

Real estate is complicated. Broadband is complicated. Together, they’re very complicated. The Federal Communications Commission recently launched a new proceeding to refresh the record on broadband competition and access in the multifamily and commercial real estate sectors. It sought similar information in 2017 and 2019. In October and November 2021, the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) led a diverse coalition of stakeholders, including the National Apartment Association, the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, ICSC, the Institute of Real Estate Management, Nareit, the National Leased Housing Association and the Real Estate Roundtable in submitting two rounds of data-driven comments to the FCC. Participants attested to the health of the multifamily broadband market and urged against any regulatory action that could disrupt innovation and investment in the multifamily space. At the heart of the FCC’s review are questions about the ways revenue/cost-share, wiring, marketing and overall access agreements impact broadband competition, deployment and access in the multitenant space. Similar to 2017 and 2019, current industry data shows that, by and large, renters and commercial and retail tenants are well served by the broadband market, which is centered on partnership and collaboration between property owners and broadband providers.

[Kevin Donnelly is vice president of government affairs, technology and strategic initiatives for the National Multifamily Housing Council. Valerie Sargent is a multifamily speaker, trainer and executive consultant and is the multifamily news correspondent for Broadband Communities.]