Broadband Communities

The explosion of the internet of things (IoT) is enabling communities across the globe to evolve into smart cities. Leveraging sensors, networks and data analysis, communities are addressing challenges in health care, energy, the workforce, public safety and many other sectors. But what’s behind the pulse of the smart city? Fiber infrastructure serves as the veins that support emerging applications, such as smart traffic sensors, connected vehicles and modern, cloud-connected medical devices.

The supply chain is a top concern for nearly every industry and has significantly impacted service provider fiber buildout. New funding and training programs offer hope that supply chain and labor issues won’t stall fiber rollouts forever. Vendors can alleviate the backlog by providing parts or supplies that can scale (up or down) rather than satisfy a small or niche application. This will help consolidate inventory and materials, reducing time to market and leading to fewer supply failure points.

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.

Telephone companies (telcos) may still be trailing cable operators in the broadband race, but their continuous fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) builds could help narrow the subscriber divide. As more customers want higher speeds, this group is moving to deploy fiber to the home (FTTH) across select markets as their traditional DSL and POTS voice base dwindles. This is being driven on two sides: Tier-1 telcos and Tier-2 telcos. The big three--AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen—are Tier-1 telcos that are all seeing growth in fiber-based broadband.

In a franchise model, regional service providers purchase brand rights from more prominent providers. A local carrier, for instance, could become a franchise site for, say, Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, or strong regional operators – even operators from other states. MDU networks and regional partnerships of all kinds could sell national branded broadband. Consumers and all parties gain significant financial advantages, but there are financial pitfalls and regulatory issues. But benefits often outweigh everything else. New federal grant money could accelerate the process.